For weeks, 7th Avenue in Hendersonville has been closed for streetscape construction. The sidewalks and the businesses along the road have stayed open. People are still walking through the doors but to a lesser extent. Business owners are feeling the impact of that and will be for weeks to come.
“It is slower. It feels like it,” Claywood owner Carly Buntin said. “We are 14 weeks into a new business and we have a road closure in front of us.”
The road does not look too pretty at the moment.
“Right now, they’re doing a lot of the underground utility work,” Hendersonville Downtown Manager Jamie Carpenter said. “So, waterlines and all of that.”
The road has been closed since the start of February, and it’s affected the amount of traffic, including pedestrians, in the area.
“I think anyone’s going to have visceral reaction when a chain link fence goes up on a road in front of your brand-new business that’s nine weeks old,” Buntin said. “It’s a struggle. Every day I have to wake up thinking about how we’re going to market ourselves.”
Buntin is using this time to look at ways to improve her space. With fewer customers going through the door, she has more time to change things like the menu, drink options and market on social media.
“This is a good time for locals to come out and experience us when we’re a little bit more relaxed and stay a little bit longer,” she said. “That is a silver lining. We’re able to vet our business and make sure that we’re meeting our expectations and our standards. Think about flowers. They go into the ground, they need a rest period, and then they come back full to bloom.
The city of Hendersonville is trying to direct residents to the road, as well.
“Part of that is helping businesses with signage and getting people to the parking lots in the rear of their buildings and on Maple Street,” Carpenter said. “We’re really all coming together to try to support the businesses here. We think the community really is too.”
Through the slow period, Buntin and 7th Avenue businesses are staying optimistic.
“Seventh Avenue is going to look so gorgeous by the end of this. It’s going to have a different attraction to it,” Buntin said. “I’m going to have a patio in the front that I didn’t even consider when we made this business model.”
The full road closure is expected to end sometime in May.
STORY & PHOTO COURTESY OF ABC 13 WLOSHendersonville's 7th Ave businesses stay optimistic through road work (wlos.com)
