Oakland Avenue in Shorewood is undergoing a major construction project that has taken away parking on the street from Capitol Drive to Glendale Avenue for the rest of the year. It’s extensive work that the city said is necessary to keep roadways and sidewalks safe, and update water infrastructure for businesses and residents. The small business owners whose stores line Oakland Avenue mostly agree. But they’ve also had to get creative to keep customers coming in since construction started in early February. It will be nearly a year until they regain parking in front of their storefronts. Street impacts, partial closures, detours and no parking signs will remain until December.”Our customers are very loyal,” said Jerome Pitchford, the general manager at Nino’s Southern Sides, though the business prefers to call its employees entrepreneurs.Nino’s has been open near Oakland and Kensington for 11 years, and the owners are getting ready to open a second location in Fox Point in the coming weeks.”We’ve made lemonade out of the lemons,” Pitchford said.The business relies heavily on DoorDash and order pickup. Without parking out front, they’ve switched to meeting drivers at the back of the restaurant. Pitchford said they hand out flyers to customers and drivers to let them know about the change.”We now have a back door policy, where they can let us know through our back door that they’re there,” Pitchford said. “Every bag that we stuff, we have a flyer that we put in the bag.” Pitchford isn’t discouraged. “We’re a faith-based business. So our faith holds us to believing that God is in control of all of this,” he said.Sarah Spencer and Sue Froelich co-own Posh Collective, a consignment store that started on Capitol four years ago, and now is open on Oakland. The pair, though also impacted by the construction, are optimistic that their regular customers will find ways to keep coming to the store.”When you step out, it’s always the same shop owners and shoppers,” Spencer said.Froelich said the combination of construction and the cold weather, though, means their business has seen a decrease in foot traffic. “We’ve seen a decrease just in people walking by,” Froelich said. As a result, they have shortened their hours during the week.”For now,” Spencer explained. “Until we can get the feel.” Posh Collective is open Tuesday through Thursday from 12 to 4 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.Nino’s Southern Sides is open every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.The Shorewood Business Improvement District has created a website with an updated parking map and construction schedule.
Oakland Avenue in Shorewood is undergoing a major construction project that has taken away parking on the street from Capitol Drive to Glendale Avenue for the rest of the year.
It’s extensive work that the city said is necessary to keep roadways and sidewalks safe, and update water infrastructure for businesses and residents.
The small business owners whose stores line Oakland Avenue mostly agree. But they’ve also had to get creative to keep customers coming in since construction started in early February. It will be nearly a year until they regain parking in front of their storefronts. Street impacts, partial closures, detours and no parking signs will remain until December.
“Our customers are very loyal,” said Jerome Pitchford, the general manager at Nino’s Southern Sides, though the business prefers to call its employees entrepreneurs.
Nino’s has been open near Oakland and Kensington for 11 years, and the owners are getting ready to open a second location in Fox Point in the coming weeks.
“We’ve made lemonade out of the lemons,” Pitchford said.
The business relies heavily on DoorDash and order pickup. Without parking out front, they’ve switched to meeting drivers at the back of the restaurant. Pitchford said they hand out flyers to customers and drivers to let them know about the change.
“We now have a back door policy, where they can let us know through our back door that they’re there,” Pitchford said. “Every bag that we stuff, we have a flyer that we put in the bag.”
Pitchford isn’t discouraged.
“We’re a faith-based business. So our faith holds us to believing that God is in control of all of this,” he said.
Sarah Spencer and Sue Froelich co-own Posh Collective, a consignment store that started on Capitol four years ago, and now is open on Oakland. The pair, though also impacted by the construction, are optimistic that their regular customers will find ways to keep coming to the store.
“When you step out, it’s always the same shop owners and shoppers,” Spencer said.
Froelich said the combination of construction and the cold weather, though, means their business has seen a decrease in foot traffic.
“We’ve seen a decrease just in people walking by,” Froelich said.
As a result, they have shortened their hours during the week.
“For now,” Spencer explained. “Until we can get the feel.”
Posh Collective is open Tuesday through Thursday from 12 to 4 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Nino’s Southern Sides is open every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Shorewood Business Improvement District has created a website with an updated parking map and construction schedule.
