NKY store owners say business is down after the I-471 bridge closure

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – FOX19 NOW met with business owners in Bellevue celebrating Small Business Saturday in the wake of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge closure.

Some businesses along Fairfield Avenue say their sales are down by as much as 50% when compared to this time last year.

Elusive Cow Cafe

“Normally, this place would be full on Small Business Saturday. But we haven’t reached half-capacity at any point today,” said Jim Fischer, owner of Elusive Cow Cafe.

Fischer says this is how business has looked since the closure of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge in early November.

“Traffic, customers constantly say that’s why they’re not coming. They’re tired, they’ve been sitting in it for an hour,” Fischer said.

Fischer tells FOX19 NOW that the restaurant has overcome obstacles like COVID-19 and food price inflation, but this bridge closure is causing a significant drop in already thin margins.

“Our lunch business has dropped by about 60% to 65%. Our dinner business has dropped by about 20% since then,” Fischer said.

Elusive Cow Cafe is not the only business feeling the impact of the I-471 bridge closure.

Le Sorelle Boutique

Deb Pittman is a co-owner of Le Sorelle Boutique and tells FOX19 NOW that they’re also seeing significant losses.

“We’re just a hop, skip and a jump over that bridge. When that’s closed, and people have to get into traffic and take an hour to get here, we’re probably going to miss those people,” Pittman says.

According to Pittman, the boutique’s Black Friday sales are down 50% from last year.

Splendid Things

Crystal Thompson, owner of Splendid Things, believes that the bridge closure is compounded by another factor working against small businesses: online shopping.

“Small businesses are just such an important part of the economy and peoples’ experiences. Yes people shop on Amazon and big box stores, you’re not going to get the same experience that you get here,” Thompson says.

Thompson says she hopes that people will find a way to come out and support small businesses, especially as they rely on the holiday for sales.

Three Spirits Tavern

Charles Zimmerman, owner of Three Spirits Tavern, says he saw fewer patrons even on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, a notoriously busy night for bars.

Zimmerman tells FOX19 NOW that he believes it’s more important now than ever to support Bellevue businesses.

“The people that you see walking down the street own those small businesses, and they help your community be a community,” Zimmerman says.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 WXIX. All rights reserved.