The Phoenix Public Market was packed with customers after Pierce Street reopened to the public Friday.
The Pierce Street construction that began last October was completed last week after several delays, during which the nonprofit Phoenix Public Market experienced a steep drop in revenue. Community Food Connections Board President Dan Klocke reached out for donations from supporters in an email.
Cindy Gentry, executive director of Community Food Connections, said the market lost approximately $40,000 in revenue and 20-30 customers per day. The construction blocked the business’s main entrance, making it less accessible to customers.
“A business without a front door isn’t a business,” Gentry said.
Gail Brinkmann, City of Phoenix street transportation department project manager, said Pierce Street construction was originally slated to start last summer alongside construction of First Street. However, the MLB All-Star Game required the street to stay open for security reasons.
Gentry expressed her concerns regarding decreased business to Brinkmann, who said the disruptions were simply part of the improvement process.
“You can’t make an omelet without cracking a few eggs,” Brinkmann said. “To get to the pretty sidewalks and streets festival you have to have the ugly constructions first.”
Keith Mulvin, an employee at Phoenix Public Market, said business decreased during what is usually the market’s most productive season. Although he wishes the construction had occurred during the summer, he feels the inconvenience will ultimately be of benefit.
“Phoenix is a city of transition. People have to be comfortable with construction,” Mulvin said.
Klocke said the construction has not helped sales, but that the city has been helpful in trying to limit the negative impact. The city opened the lot at First and McKinley streets for patrons of all nearby businesses and provided signs reading “businesses open during construction.”
However, the signs may not have had the desired effect on business. Sarah Harris, a sophomore communications major, did not notice any of the signs.
“It was questionable if it (the market) was even open,” she said.
Harris drives from Tempe to Downtown and said the constant construction is nerve-wracking. Although she thinks it’s pedestrian-friendly, she said she wasn’t sure the project would be worth the trouble.
With the end of construction, the Public Market will stay open an extra day to increase business and make up for lost sales. Gentry plans to introduce a new chef series today and enhance service, products and the cafe area.
“The market is one of the leaders downtown,” she said. “We have to do some of the heavy lifting of getting people to come here.”
The market saw an unusually large crowd of customers on the first day after construction was completed. Gentry said there was standing room only and patrons were reluctant to leave.
The newly-renovated streets will soon sport artist-designed shade canopies. Funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, the canopies will be installed on the north side of Pierce Street. Brinkmann said the city is currently working on engineering the canopies and the fabrication contracts for them.
Brinkmann said the city is applying for two federal transportation-enhancement grants in order to continue construction on the next two blocks of Pierce Street. The grant applications were submitted to Maricopa Association of Governments on Dec. 19.
A local government is usually only awarded one such grant per year. City officials hope to convince the Transportation Enhancement Review Committee to award the grants by promising not to submit a project next year.
TERC will not decide to award grants until November 2012. However, Gentry is ultimately optimistic for the future of Phoenix Public Market, even if the construction continues.
“We have the chance to build downtown from the ground up,” she said.
Contact the reporter at josselyn.berry@asu.edu
