Employees at Weinberger’s Deli used to see a lunch-rush line stretching to the front door or out of it on most work days. The restaurant is in a prime spot for Denton’s downtown workers, sitting right along the 200 block of East Hickory Street.
Lately, however, the spot isn’t looking so prime.
“What you’re looking at is a prime example of what business has been like for about the last month, month and a half,” said general manager Dallas Guill, who happened to be sitting in the empty dining room at 12:30 p.m. on a Friday.
The main reason is clear just looking outside the front door: construction.
Since late last year work has been underway to repair the three-block stretch of Hickory Street east of the Square.
The city’s “grand street” improvement project is designed to make the stretch a more walkable streetscape between the Brock Downtown Denton Transit Center and the downtown Square. The work will include expanded sidewalk space and features, new utilities and the city’s first back-in parking zone.
Store owners and managers have known the project was on the way, but many are now starting to see just how tough the construction will be for business leading up to that nice, new streetscape.
“Yeah, it’s been a challenge,” said Christye Price, buyer at Noles General Store.
Price and her business partners said they have seen a major decline in business during the street renovations in recent weeks. The biggest loss has been the parking spaces along the street.
The number of window shoppers has noticeably declined, Price said.
“Yes, a lot. Probably maybe, you know, less than half of what we usually do,” she said. “Where I used to get walk-by people, now it’s like they’re specifically coming here to get something.”
Greg Blackstone, the city’s project manager, said Denton is in the third and fourth phases of the improvement and beautification project in front of many Hickory Street shops and restaurants.
Schematics on the city’s website show that the work that will most heavily affect stores will be split into several sections between now and the end of February so as to keep a lane of traffic moving each way for most of the rest of the project.
Until the end of the year, that will mostly affect the businesses on the north side of the street; the south side will see the bulk of the work starting in January.
Blackstone said the city is working with business owners to accommodate them and keep doors open throughout the construction period.
Some businesses such as the North Texas Vapor Shop are directing customers through back doors until the project is complete.
Several business leaders said they were pleased the city is working with them during this phase and they are trying to keep focused on how much the area will gain in the end.
“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of traffic coming through, wanting to check out the new stuff, but it’s just a matter of trying to make it through the construction,” Guill said.
During a work session this week, the Denton City Council asked the staff for a full briefing of the project’s effect on local businesses.
The new driving lanes on Hickory between Bell Avenue and Russell Street opened this week.
The project is expected to be completed in February or March.
Staff writer Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe contributed to this report.
