CONCORD, N.C. — The downtown Concord area is being revitalized and construction has been going on for months. Some local shop owners said all of the work is hurting their day-to-day operations.
Business owners and managers told WCNC Charlotte they were getting back into the swing of things following COVID, but once this construction started, it killed most of the foot traffic in the area and many are struggling to survive once again.
“Pre-construction a day like today we would be really busy right now,” The Enchanted Kitchen Manager Wendy Konzelmann said. “It’s awful. We barely have any business some days.”
“People are not coming in and when they do they ask about the construction,” Purple Star Signs owner Michael Moran said. "There's progress, but it's slow, loud, and ugly."
It’s all part of the Streetscape and Infrastructure Improvement Project to transform the area with wider brick sidewalks, spaces for outdoor dining, and added landscaping.
The city said the new downtown Streetscape will increase foot traffic, and attract new businesses like restaurants and retailers. The project is expected to also increase property values and redevelopment opportunities downtown.
Crews started working on Union Street in February of 2023. The roadway has been closed ever since.
Some said access to their businesses is a big issue.
“I work with a lot of elderly and disabled people and for them to navigate these unsure footings makes it impossible for them to come in,” massage therapist Joshua Bruce said.
Robert Burrage, the owner of Lil’ Robert’s Place, said his sales are down by 40% because of the construction.
"Now there's nobody walking down the street," Burrage said. "It's a ghost town."
Burrage said more hands on deck are needed to get this construction work moving.
“If you have to bury a sewer line, if you have to bury a water line, you need to do fiber optics, you have to do all of these different things, you could have multiple crews working,” Burrage said.
Downtown Development Manager Paige Grochoske said she understands the frustrations and adds there are a lot of moving parts to this project.
“There are times when things happen and we have to pivot and we have to find a new pedestrian pathway that may be different from the way we have been doing it,” Grochoske said.
Despite concerns of construction going over schedule, the city said it is on track to be complete this summer.
“There’s always changes in how they go about to do that work, but the scope of that work is still within the timeline," Grochoske said.
Some mom-and-pop shops said they feel they are being pushed out to make way for bigger businesses, but Grochoske said that is not the case.
“The new businesses that are coming ... the unique thing about that is that we are still seeing small businesses,” Grochoske said. "These are entrepreneurs who are taking advantage of an opportunity to be part of this revitalization of Concord."
Grochoske said they are doing a ton of marketing to attract people to the downtown area. They are also encouraging businesses looking to make exterior building improvements to apply for a Façade grant.
“If a business is looking to put in a new sign, paint the building, or add an awning they can apply for a façade grant and receive 50% back from that cost back to them,” said Grochoske.
Businesses just hope they can hold on for five more months.
“Concord may say they want small businesses to survive and the end product I’m sure will be nice just lie in Kannapolis but at the end who will be here to reap those rewards,” Bruce said.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.