ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The summer construction season continues in Downtown Escanaba, where some shops and restaurants are experiencing a lull in business.
In the spring, the second half of a major streetscape reconstruction project began. The results are beginning to take shape, but the work has temporarily left many businesses without a sidewalk or easy customer access.
“It’s been slow,” said Lisa Lalonde, owner of Lisa Ann Boutique. “They shut the streets down, I think, in May, and we’ve been losing a lot of business because of it. A lot of my locals are still coming down, but it’s a little more inconvenient, and sometimes people don’t want to be inconvenienced. We’re losing the tourists that are coming in. If they see it’s blocked off, they’re like, ‘How would I even get there?’ They don’t know which block to turn down or anything. They just poured part of our sidewalk, so it’ll be beautiful when it’s done, but it’s hurt a lot of businesses downtown.”
That is a story Nicole Sexton, General Manager of Ashley Furniture on North Lincoln Road, has heard many times from other business owners.
“I was listening to the local radio station, and they were talking about the downtown businesses and all of the construction that was affecting them,” she said. “We took some time to talk with those business owners, and they’re definitely struggling.”
Sexton had an idea—Escanaba’s Downtown Relocated. Planned for Saturday, July 25, it will be a pop-up in the Ashley parking lot for businesses impacted by the work.
“We decided we would invite them to bring their business here so that they could showcase their goods, their services, and give them another outlet for some exposure,” said Sexton. “We have seven to ten vendors showing up, including food trucks. They’re going to bring their goods here and be able to get in front of people in a more convenient way. They’ll have giveaways, register-to-win drawings.”
The goal is to provide a boost in sales for participating businesses, including Lisa Ann Boutique.
“When I first saw that, I thought, ‘Isn’t that thoughtful?'” Lalonde said. “I’ll have a small table there with some items, but then I will tell people too, when they’re done there, maybe they’ll come down here that day or a week later. Who knows? I might even do little maps of how to get to the back, so that could maybe help drum up some business.”
Sexton hopes the event also encourages the public to venture downtown to support locally-owned businesses.
“We’re really hoping that it just brings the community together,” she said. “We’ve built some really great relationships with these business owners over the years, and we really just want everyone to show up for each other. Our community’s really great at doing that, and if we can be a part of that, we want to encourage it.”
In addition to Lisa Ann, participating businesses include KIN Boutique, Race Driven, KCL Embroidery, and Youngs Formalwear. Craft vendors Blue6 Laser Engraving, Driftwood Crafts, and Millard’s Peaceful Creations will also be in attendance. Food will be available to purchase from Iron Hoss, The Boppin’ Betty, and Mhee’s Filipino Cuisine. The pop-up has been made possible by community partners Haley Station, Radio Results Network, and the Delta County Chamber of Commerce.
The Downtown Relocated pop-up event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ashley Furniture is located at 2222 North Lincoln Road. For those looking to support downtown businesses at their storefronts, there are informational signs posted at 1st Avenue North and 1st Avenue South to help motorists navigate the construction detours.
