Traffic weary drivers stay close to home

Bridge closure impacts local shops and restaurants

Businesses in the Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, and Park Circle areas have each experienced the effects of the James B. Edwards Bridge closure – almost as much as locals stuck in traffic.

As a lot of folks can guess, Mount Pleasant businesses have seen the worst of the closure’s impacts. Artisan jewelry and gift shop Zinnia in the Belle Hall Shopping Center has seen fewer customers in the week since the westbound lanes of I-526 were shut down.

“We’ve certainly seen reduced traffic in the entire shopping center,” says co-owner Joe Wischerath. While Wischerath is sure Zinnia will survive the current customer dry spell, he believes that the most frightening thing about the bridge closure is that there is no concrete end in sight. “Even though they’ve indicated that the bridge will reopen on or around June 11, it’s still not a certainty. And until the bridge reopens, uncertainty is never good for business.”

Zinnia’s other owner, and Joe’s wife, Terri Wischerath observes that one issue they’re experiencing is people planning their Mount Pleasant trips more cautiously.

“I think even Mount Pleasant customers are hesitant about what traffic woes they might find in their travels,” she says.

Some businesses on the homefront say that they’ve experienced a surge. Daniel Island Publix Deli Manager Dave Cozzaro says that there was a “tremendous spike” in business after bridge traffic was re-routed.

“At first, I didn’t understand why, because I didn’t know how it was going to affect the store,” he says. “After I talked to my store manager, we realized that a lot of people weren’t going to Mount Pleasant to shop because they couldn’t get back here.”

According to Cozzaro, the Publix location has seen such a rise in business that they had to bring people in to work overnight. The bridge closure has also impacted the grocery store in a negative way. Cozzaro says that not everyone on staff lives on the island, so they have noticed more employees have been delayed in getting to work.

“Nobody can get here on time,” he says.

Daniel Island women’s clothing store Blue Poppy Boutique also has seen positive sales in the past two weeks, but manager Beverly Williams is unsure that it’s related to the closure.

“People on Daniel Island were staying on the island, so it didn’t really affect us adversely,” says Williams. “We’ve had some really busy days. We didn’t really track it, but, just based on an average day, it really seems like it [business] remained the same or was better.”

On the opposite end of I-526, Park Circle businesses in North Charleston have also seen a boost in customers.

“I spoke to a couple people I did know that came over from Daniel Island that said they specifically came to Park Circle because they were avoiding having to deal with the bridge and getting back home,” says Commonhouse Aleworks Taproom Manager Nicole Fleming, who lives on Daniel Island.

EVO Pizza manager Abe Versprille says that his Park Circle business has “not seen a major adjustment in any form.”

When asked if Commonhouse had seen better business since the bridge closure, Fleming was circumspect about making a call on its effect on her business but did say she detected a change in the immediate area.

“It might have helped a little bit. We’re usually pretty busy, anyways, but it is definitely bringing more people over to Park Circle.”

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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