Fredericton Businesses Prepare For Summer Of Construction On Regent Street
FREDERICTON – Businesses on the area of Regent Street undergoing construction this summer say they are anxious for the summer but hopeful that customers will continue to frequent the area.
Infrastructure upgrades on the Regent Street area between King and Queen street began Monday, May 31 and will continue until the fall.
“We’re a little fearful that people are going to avoid the area. I mean, construction zones are usually taboo for people to gather around,” said Shawna Foster, a co-owner of MOCO Downtown, located in the construction area.
“With this whole block, we’re concerned that the business won’t be here and that people go elsewhere for their restaurant dining, but we’re hopeful with the province opening up, that we will get some tourism to compensate for that.”
Foster says the City and Downtown Fredericton Incorporated have been open in their communication in preparing for construction. She said she was first informed about the construction in 2019 when it was going to take place in 2020 before the pandemic postponed the project.
“They’ve been really excellent with us,” said Foster.
She said she was also appreciative of the City’s decision to add artwork by 40 artists to the construction area.
“It was here this morning when I got here and it’s so pleasant,” said Foster. “I think it’ll actually draw some people down here just to check it out so I think that’s kind of need and really well done on their part.”
While Foster says she received plenty of advance notice of the construction, at least one other business in the area said they were informed with shorter notice.
“I think [the construction] caught us a little bit off guard,” said Alex Smith, an employee of The Comic Hunter. “I think we were informed that they were going to be closing off the street for a few months, but the notification seems to only be about a month in advance.”
RELATED: City, Downtown Fredericton Work To Reduce Disruption During Regent Street Upgrades
Smith says that although most of his regular customers won’t be turned off by the construction, he is also worried about attracting new customers during the summer.
“Any time you block off an entire street, it can be a big change for the businesses on that street, that’s for sure.”
Both Foster and Smith say they are making some adjustments to their business this summer to attempt to draw customers.
Foster is hoping to open a patio as soon as next week to bring in more business and is offering a new late-night menu with new drink specials from Thursday to Saturday.
Smith says that they will be seeking new ways to promote their business during the summer months.
“We’re going to have to get the word out on what we do here through other channels. It’s hard to say in combination with the pandemic,” he said. “It certainly creates a challenge for us to figure out how to continue on with what we’ve been doing here, but we’ll find a way.”
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