GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Businesses along South Division Avenue are struggling after a construction project that started in mid-July.
“We’ve had somewhere between 38 to 30 percent revenue loss since the construction started,” Co-owner of Rewind Caleb Straight said.
Foot traffic is down. The area features multiple businesses that have only been around for a couple years, max. Rewind just opened in May, joining the sprinkling of vintage shops along the corridor. It's been tough.
“A lot of people are afraid to even walk on the sidewalk because of the construction zone being so close,” Straight said.
Neighbors to Rewind, Second Vibess, are feeling the burden as well.
“We really didn’t have a heads-up that it was happening right here. We just came in one day and it was shut off,” Co-owner of Second Vibess Kaitlynn Fitzpatrick said.
Second Vibess tries to create an active space, hosting numerous events to be more than a retail space.
“We try to be different than not even just your regular vintage shop but retail space, and just create that community,” Co-owner of Second Vibess Camille Steverson said.
That community is hurting. Richard App, retail retention specialist, says the community needs to rally behind these small businesses.
“The biggest thing we can do as a city and as supporters of our small businesses is really get people down here and make sure that they know that this is tough for these businesses. We’ve got such great progress going on here in this part of the city. We want to keep that support going,” Richard App said.
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