Washington Auto Repair Shop Hit Hard by City Road Closures
No matter how well a small business owner prepares, circumstances beyond their control can present unforeseen problems. Valerie Torres, a manager at her father’s auto shop, found herself in such a scenario while on her way to work one morning when she was met with road construction blocking her path.
According to a report from the Tri-City Herald, the city of Pasco, Washington, closed off five blocks of Lewis Street to prepare for construction of a new 625-foot bridge, impacting the over dozen businesses located there. With vehicle access being critical to their operations, auto businesses like Lewis Street Tires & Torres Auto Repair are especially feeling the ramifications of the road closures.
It costs around $1,500 a day to operate Lewis Street Tire, the fourth day of the road closures saw only $75, marking one of the worst days for their business since the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is estimated to last for a total of eight weeks.
Though road closure signs have been put up, drivers are still confused about how exactly they’re meant to access the Lewis Street businesses. Customers will soon be receiving their tax refunds, which is usually a valuable time for Lewis Street Tire, bringing in around $60,000 a month. The shop has already supplied itself with the extra inventory it usually needs to prepare for the peak season.
“We prepared for it, we bought lots of inventory and we’re stuck with it,” said Valerie Torres, manager of Lewis Street Tire.
Unsatisfied with the solutions being presented by city staff, Valerie gathered over a dozen names of businesses on her block before sending the list to the city and demanding a resolution.
City staff met with the businesses in Lewis Street Tire’s showroom, where some suggested using the city’s $1.4 million in leftover COVID relief funds as financial restitution for the businesses impacted.
“We want to gather together as businesses here and see if there is any type of legal help or funds available because we feel ignored by the city,” said Lewis Street Tire Owner, Ramiro Torres. “They don’t realize how much help we really need.”