Hope Street Businesses Make it Through Construction

Now that the paving of the street is completed, Hope Street merchants and their neighbors are finally regaining full use of their turf. So the obvious question is how did the most recent three-plus month dislocation impact businesses on the street? The answer was more positive than we expected.

Lynn Williams, owner of the popular Seven Stars Bakery, is perhaps the best place to start. “I just ran my figures over the period, and I guess I’d say I’m off about 10% over the period,” she reports. “But that said, the street work had to be done and I see it as part of my civic responsibility, though I’m certainly glad it’s over.” She also echoes what seems to be an almost unanimous sentiment among the merchants in praise of the professionalism of the Narragansett Bay Commission. “There were problems of course, but no surprises. They communicated well with us.”

Asher Schofield of Frog and Toad, and president of the Hope Street Merchant’s Association, confirmed this assessment of the NBC. “They got ahead of the process and met with us to ensure a minimum amount of confusion. They certainly sought our input on the wording and the positioning of signs along the street. It was quite different than when National Grid just appeared on our streets ready to start digging during our important holiday season without so much as a warning. I’d give them an F minus.

But meanwhile, our group saw this project as an opportunity to improve our neighborhood. We hired a designer to sketch out some possible changes that could be implemented before the NBC left the street, and they were certainly receptive to many of our suggestions. The improvements ended up not costing the taxpayers anything and were implemented without stress to the city.”

In terms of business, Frog and Toad actually did just fine during the roadwork. “If this project were in a totally car dependent location like Seekonk it could have been a disaster,” Asher points out. “Hope Street is much more locally supported with a good number of walkers and bikers in the nearby community. They have been wonderfully supportive during this period.”

Nina Tegu, owner of Studio Hop, feels her business remained steady during the period. “Sure, some customers complained about having to walk further to the store but most learned to come to shop at different times to avoid the worst traffic. It was tougher at the beginning of the work but certainly got better over time.” Now she looks forward to having a smoother and improved Hope Street. Like most of the other merchants she praises her neighbors. “I couldn’t ask for a more supportive community here,” she notes.

Next door Alexis Cormier, the manager of Kreatelier, was equally positive. “We did everything we could to offset the roadwork. We extended our delivery services to customers whenever we could for their convenience. We also stressed to customers that the project was for a really important cause, ultimately important to all of us in the community.”

At the head of the street, Dan Goldman of Green River Silver Co. agrees, “We weren’t affected as dramatically as I feared. And it did improve over time, though I’m sure some people were scared off. I must agree that the Bay Commission did a great job and tried to be as considerate of our needs as possible.” When asked about where he thinks the pipe replacement project should go next, Dan laughed and suggested, “they can go anywhere they want as long as it’s not here.”

Stores like Swan Liquor, which are less of a destination and more of a convenience purchase, were affected by the street disruption. But even here, the store manager acknowledged that while they certainly had a rough beginning when the project first started, the business gradually improved as people got used to the relocations along the street.

Two other proven techniques seemed to help the street hold its own. First, the merchants continued to promote their businesses despite the traffic inconveniences. And second, as stated by Sarah Bates, the manager of Luli Boutique, they stressed customer service. “We went out of our way to be especially positive to the customers who took the extra effort to come in. There’s not much else you can do, but it does pay off.”

So it does appear there will be a happy ending on Hope Street to the past few months: a better looking street for sure, and, a neighborhood that is breathing a sigh of relief that the project is finally over.