Lincoln business owners band together to stay afloat amid 48th Street closure

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Businesses on North 48th Street have had limited customer traffic for the past few months, and soon, they’ll have none.

The Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Department has been repairing the roadway and water main on 48th Street between Leighton Avenue and Superior Street for several months.

Some businesses are concerned about the effects it will have.

“We all have bills to pay, and if they’re not here, they’re not shopping,” said Chad Vanek, the owner of Blu Velvet/Velvet Underground Boutique. “And you know, we have our whole life savings in these businesses.”

There’s no through traffic allowed between Leighton Avenue and Adams Street right now.

“It’s been dead,” said Michelle Rieflin, co-owner of Copper and Wax Co. “There’s nobody in the streets really.”

Beginning on Aug. 8, the road will be fully closed between Leighton and Madison Avenues until December, cutting off all traffic to the businesses.

Business owners say customers will have to take a different route on back streets.

“If they see a sign that’s going to deter them, and it might add five, 10 minutes to their trip – or maybe they don’t know how long it’ll add – they’re going to just go somewhere they know is easily accessible,” said Hannah Coy, the community development lead at Mo Java Cafe.

One business, Sabor Latino, already had to close its doors because it lost too much money during the construction project.

Now, the business owners are having to band together to stay afloat.

“When in doubt, lean on one another,” Coy said. “Collaboration in a situation like this is a first-and-foremost must.”

Channel 8 reached out to LTU, and it sent a statement, saying in part:

“Our team understands construction and street closures through the project impacts businesses, residents, and drivers in Lincoln. We continue to balance the community’s desire to improve Lincoln’s streets and infrastructure with the day-to-day inconveniences these improvement projects sometimes bring.”

The business owners agree that this construction project will be good for the area once it’s done and that the road did need to be repaired.

For now, they’ve been selling one another’s products in their stores to encourage customers to check out the other businesses in the area.

And they’ve come up with another plan.

“I said, ‘Who wants to get on board and help me figure out a way to get people to the neighborhood?'” Vanek said.

The group decided to create a Sunday market where the public can come and buy from them all in one place.

“We’re trying to re-awaken it somehow,” Rieflin said. “Obviously, it’s very unfortunate, but we’re trying to turn it into something positive.”

The owners plan to host a market on the last Sunday of every month.

The first market is set to take place on Aug. 27 outside Mo Java Cafe.