While the two-year reconstruction of the South Street Bridge had many University City residents seeing red, some South Street businesses found it difficult to stay out of the red.
“We nearly died when the bridge closed,” said Jessie Frisby, owner of Jessie’s Herbal Essence and Boutique and president of the South Street West Business Association. “It’s still questionable whether we’re going to make it or not.”
Frisby, who has been a South Street shop owner for over 40 years, said owning her building at 1537 South St., rather than renting, gave her “reason to hold on a little longer.”
The South Street Bridge construction, which began in December 2008 and was completed Saturday, required detours to be mapped out that led cars away from Frisby’s neighborhood. Because her business depends more on vehicle traffic than foot traffic, she explained, these reroutes took a toll on her customer base.
To celebrate the bridge’s reopening, some stores offered specials. Consignment store Sophisticated Seconds, located at 2204 South St., treated customers to a 10-percent discount and free food.
Frisby hopes the bridge’s reopening will bring car traffic back to her neighborhood.
However, she believes parking problems will affect the future of her business, as she worries that potential customers are deterred by a lack of spaces.
Frisby hopes her store and others around it will receive some assistance from the city.
She said she believes there is a lot that still needs to be done for these stores, including economic help from city government.
“We’ve got a new bridge but we, the shop owners, also need a new face,” she added.
Emily Patz, assistant manager at Retrospect, a vintage clothing store, said most of the store’s clientele live in the neighborhood. Because Retrospect is further east, at 534 South St., it did not suffer from the bridge’s closing.
“I don’t even know where the South Street Bridge is,” she said.
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