For drivers, traveling down Lincoln Avenue for the past year has been an obstacle course of construction detours. For businesses like Island Savoy Market and Craft-Chocolate, that road work has translated into slow sales and the loss of customers.
Ashley Rogers, co-owner of Island Savoy with her husband Mike Stevens, told the Alameda Post that the construction, mostly involving PG&E upgrading gas lines underneath the street, had caused traffic disruptions and lack of street parking, which in turn has made it harder for customers to come to the market, deli, and coffee shop.
“There’s this string of different projects, but the most recent—and the one that has lasted the longest—is work by PG&E,” explained Rogers.
With street parking spots unavailable while the work is being done, customers have had a difficult time coming to Island Savoy. Rogers has seen enough of a dip in business to suspect that customers are just opting not to come. “What we have observed anecdotally is a 25-35% drop in sales,” she said.
Customers have told Rogers that they have circled the block for parking, and then left frustrated because they couldn’t find any place to park. “Without parking, we can only serve customers within walking distance… anyone who lives further away, they’re going to keep on driving if they can’t find a parking spot.”
Craft-Chocolate, located a block away from Island Savoy, also has experienced a loss in sales. Owner Bente Petersen told the Post, “There are days when I haven’t had a single customer.”
And it isn’t just the parking issue that has disrupted business in the neighborhood. The noise, vibrations, and dust from the road work have made it unpleasant for customers to sit and enjoy coffee at the sidewalk tables outside Island Savoy. “No one wants to sit outside and eat their lunch with a jackhammer 10 feet away,” said Rogers. Sometimes the sidewalks have been closed as well.
Rogers and Petersen were quick to point out that they understood that the work was necessary and that the workers themselves had been kind and friendly. When asked how the work could have proceeded without disrupting business as much, both Rogers and Petersen said they would have liked more communication from PG&E and the City of Alameda.
Petersen told the Post that she would have appreciated having some input on when the construction took place. Valentine’s Day is a huge sales holiday for the chocolatier. “They closed not only the parking, but the whole sidewalk, the day before Valentine’s,” she lamented.
Rogers and Petersen both said that if they had been given a schedule or advance notice of the construction, they could have alerted their customers and arranged for curbside pick up or alternate parking spots. They are hoping their customers will be allowed to use the Mastick Senior Center parking lot during the next round of construction; Petersen has put in a request to the City.
“Honestly I wish the City did more to advocate for our local businesses in instances like this, where you have these long-term projects that are going to be impactful, particularly around parking,” said Rogers.
That’s a sentiment that Yanni Placourakis, who owns 1400 Bar & Grill, shared with the Post last fall when Central Avenue was under construction for months.
Petersen added that while she does not expect the City to compensate her for the loss of business, “Maybe they could help us get some of the advertising back out again later.”
Rogers and Petersen also would have liked the construction to happen all in one go rather than broken up into chunks. “We have these successive waves of work… it’s never done and they keep coming back,” explained Rogers.
Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
