Shop owners: Construction taking toll

Construction crews are shown excavating a portion of Gregg Street earlier this week. Work on the street, which is expected to continue through the end of the year, has adversely effected several businesses in the area. (HERALD photo/Steve Reagan)

By THOMAS JENKINS     
Staff Writer
Please be patient. Expect delays.

These messages have been flashing on electronic road signs along Gregg Street since April, when efforts to resurface the major thoroughfare — otherwise designated at U.S. Highway 87 — began.

And while the reconstruction of the roadway, which has forced closures to lanes and intersections alike, has certainly had an effect on local traffic, it's also having quite an effect on merchants with store fronts along the street.

Most business owners are quick to point out the roadwork is a major boon for the city of Big Spring, but the havoc it's wreaking with their businesses is impossible to ignore.

“Our business at the Gregg Street Sonic Drive-In is down between 30 and 35 percent,” said Mike Abusaab, owner of Abusaab Companies and two Sonic locations in Big Spring. “However, anytime you have construction of this magnitude you know it's going to slow down business. Unfortunately, they still haven't begun the actual work in front of the Sonic, so it's hard to say just how bad it's going to get.”

Abusaab isn't alone, as Shane Ward, owner of Ward's Western Wear, said the construction has had a negative impact on his business as well. However, Ward is quick to point out there's no way to know where the economic slowdown ends and the roadway problems begin.

“There's really no way I can put a percentage on how much our business is down due to the road construction,” said Ward. “There's no way to know how much of it is due to the economy and how much is because of the construction. What I can tell you, however, is business is certainly down right now.

“Shoppers are avoiding Gregg Street altogether, and most of our customers are spontaneous shoppers. Those two things simply don't mix. I'm not going to point my finger at the state or the construction crews and place the blame on them, but the street work certainly isn't helping the situation.”

The Gregg Street project, which is estimated at $5.2 million, will resurface Gregg Street from the FM 700 intersection to to the Fourth Street intersection, according to TxDOT plans. The work has suffered several setbacks since beginning, mostly due to weather conditions, according to officials with Price Construction, the Big Spring firm TxDOT has contracted with to complete the project.

Abusaab said some of the business he's lost at his Gregg Street location has been picked up at the FM 700 Sonic Drive-In, but the downturn in business has forced him to make cuts in the meantime.

“We've seen an increase of about 15 to 17 percent at our FM 700 location since this started, so we feel very fortunate for that,” said Abusaab. “However, there are plenty of businesses on Gregg Street that don't have other locations, and they are getting hit hard.

“You can't have a 30 to 35 percent loss in business and it not effect how many people you employ. We've had a few employees that have been able to move over to the FM 700 Sonic, but not everyone has been that lucky. We've had to cut back on employees, but there's just no way you can keep the same number of employees when you lose that much business. You have to balance the two.”

Ward said he's been fortunate not to have to cut any employee positions.

“We've made our adjustments by scaling back our inventory,” said Ward. “We haven't had to eliminate any positions or let anyone go.”

The effect the construction has had on his business — not to mention his parking lot — has been tough, according to Ward, but the most trying fact of the situation is he believes it could have been avoided.

“This roadwork was scheduled more than two years ago,” said Ward. “They could have had this project completed or nearly completed before the economic downturn hit, which is really frustrating.

“Before, I had three entrances into and out of my parking lot, and now they've taken one of those away, which has been frustrating. It's that much harder to get in and out. I'm certainly not happy about that.”

The effects of the construction could reach far beyond the resurfacing project, according to Abusaab, a prospect the local business man said he's not comfortable with at all.

“When you have a situation like this, people will simply go somewhere else,” he said. “However, once the roadwork is completed it's hard to get them to come back, which is something that greatly concerns me. It could effect our business even after the roadwork is completed.”

Mike Hughes, owner and operator of Gregg Street's Tire Time, said the street work has had such a negative impact on his business he's had to take drastic measures.

“I haven't laid anyone off in more than 15 years, but that's exactly what I had to do,” said Hughes. “It's sad, really. I've talked to officials with TxDOT about the way they've tackled this job, and they have gone as far as saying this is one of their better jobs. It's totally frustrating.

“The chain stores and big boys along Gregg Can weather this storm, but the independent business owners are really hurting right now. A lot of people are just avoiding Gregg Street altogether because of the construction, and that's simply not the answer. We need their support and patronage now more than ever.”

Hughes said the drop in sales at his business has fluctuated between 16 to 33 percent, and while the economic downturn has certainly made things worse, the roadwork is definitely the main culprit.

“In April, before the roadwork started, our sales were down less than 1 percent,” said Hughes. “Once the roadwork started, it plummeted. There's certainly an argument to be made concerning the state of the economy, but in my eyes that shows the correlation between the street construction and the fall in sales. There's no other way to explain it.”

One of the hardest hit businesses on Gregg Street is Herman's Restaurant, which has suffered nearly a 50 percent decline in its business since the road work began in April.

“We still have our regulars, and they make it in here no matter what,” said Sandy Roberts, seater and cashier at the local eatery. “However, this has pretty much cut off the business from people traveling through town on Highway 87 looking for somewhere to stop and eat. It's been tough, but we're holding our own.”

As of Wednesday, the parking lot for Herman's was no longer accessible by Gregg Street, according to Roberts.

“The only way our customers can get to us right now is by Scurry street,” she said. “So we're expecting things to get worse in the next few weeks.”

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it