Winslow Way businesses now relying on hope
Published 3:29 pm Thursday, September 23, 2010
By JESSICA HOCH
Staff Writer
After the city announced plans last week to move forward with the Winslow Way reconstruction project, downtown business owners are preparing to stay afloat despite expecting a heavy blow and little help from the cash-strapped city.
“We expect [reconstruction] to ding business about 50 percent on top of an already hard couple years, and we know the city is in no place to help the merchants,” said Susan Lawrence, owner of HEART clothing store on Winslow Way. “This is family living for us. We support our families [so] this isn’t recreation or a hobby for us on this street. It’s going to be a big ding but we expect to come out on the other side.”
Lawrence said she was a long-time opponent of the project, but now just wants it to be completed so she and other business owners can move on.
The controversial project has been in the works for years, and undergone numerous transformations in the process. Each time the project appeared ready to be approved by the city, business owners would begin preparations and then watch it derail or stall. Some downtown business owners say they’ve lost confidence in the project, and others say they just want to get it over with.
Andrea Mackin, the executive director of BIDA, released a survey this week to downtown businesses in an effort to gauge the level of awareness and concern in the business community. Though BIDA doesn’t have an official position on the project, it hopes the survey will indicate how businesses are planning to survive and any questions or concerns they have that need to be addressed.
“We plan to share our results with the council, and with the planning department in particular, so they can anticipate concerns and answer questions in order to ensure they’ve looked at all aspects of mitigation support,” said Mackin.
The level of support the city is actually going to provide is still up in the air.
“At this point we don’t have anything to go on other than the hope the council and city recognize the importance of the downtown retail community remaining viable, and that translates directly to dollars and cents in terms of sales tax revenue,” said Mackin.
As of now, construction would begin as early as March 2011 and is estimated to take about seven months. Deputy Director of Planning Chris Wierzbicki and other city officials have held public meetings over the last couple years to facilitate conversations with business owners.
At the most recent meeting with the Bainbridge Island Downtown Association (BIDA) at the library, Wierzbicki assured those in attendance that the heart of the retail core – from Ericksen to Madison avenues – would be completed by next July 4. He explained that contractors would have direct incentives and penalties put in place to finish on schedule.
Wierzbicki, who was hired as the Winslow Way project manager a few years ago, was unavailable for contact Thursday.
Kit Hutchins and John Koval, owners of Churchmouse Yarns & Teas, agree that if the project is finally going to happen they want to see everyone on board so it can get it done quickly to ensure the survival of as many businesses as possible.
Despite wishing the project was completed before Churchmouse opened 10 years ago, both owners feel it is an important investment and holds reason to stay positive. But they do wish the reconstruction plans included marketing and communication strategies to keep business alive, which were facets initially funded but whittled away after the scope of the project was reduced.
“The city should be supporting merchants and sometimes it doesn’t really feel like we are getting that,” said Koval. “Part of their tax base is on the line and that tax contributes to financing our community.”
The Churchmouse owners plan to roll up their sleeves and cooperate as much as possible, but they want to see an open line of communication with the city so they can plan for things like inventory and staff.
“I need to know what kind of face I put on for my customers,” said Hutchins. “It’s hard to plan if you don’t know when and if things will really happen.”
Business is already difficult right now for many owners trying to battle a down economy. Its proved too difficult for some who’ve closed up shop and left vacant store fronts on Winslow Way. Knowing a major construction project is on the horizon is unnerving for business owners in an already challenging climate.
Mackin said the recession didn’t hit downtown right away, but over the last 18 months business was slower. Although the downtown benefits heavily from tourist traffic, business owners experienced more window shopping in recent months, and rely on profits from island residents who might be deterred by the inconvenience of construction.
