LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – After nearly a year of construction snarling their street, small businesses on West Charleston near Rancho say they are struggling to survive. FOX 5 heard from several businesses that say there’s been a huge loss in revenue, one is even planning on closing its doors for good.
As lanes are being added to West Charleston, the asphalt and concrete is torn up and heavy machinery block what used to be traffic lanes. Anyone who wants to get into business on the northside of the street has to navigate around it. FOX5 spoke to four business that say many customers don’t want to deal with the headache and are staying away.
“It has been very bad for everybody here…. I’ve been in this plaza 35 years,” revealed Maria Duarte, Owner of Fashion Design Alternations.
“I am closing… I feel sad because I have been here for 23 years,” shared Antoine Asmar, Owner of Antoine’s Salon of Beauty. Asmar says because of the construction, walk-ins are no longer coming in.
“I cannot make money here… I cannot afford the rent and the lights and the water bills,” Asmar explained. After more than two decades, the salon is closing. The alterations shop may not be far behind losing 75 percent of its business since construction started.
“I think the city should think also about us that this is what we do for a living,” contended Duarte.
This week, the city has added signs on the street that say “business access” but it may be too little too late.
“The cones are always askew, or the signs aren’t there… It is impacting the business every day,” explained Jill Schlesinger, Owner of Starburst Parlor Keto Bakery, the only sugar and gluten free bakery in Las Vegas. They are fighting to make it work somehow as their business has been cut in half.
“It is just scary for me every morning when I wake up and today, I got an email from my bank saying my bank account is less than 100 dollars in my business bank account,” Schlesinger shared.
The Omelet House, operating since 1979, is down 25-30 percent too but hopeful the improvements to Charleston will be worth it.
“There is going to be… vegetation, benches, wider streets, wider sidewalks. It is really going to be a plus once the growing pain are over,” owner Kevin Mills argued.
The City of Las Vegas tells FOX5, the $38.5 million project is on schedule and should be completed this fall. They say there were notifications made by both the city and the contractor before the project began.
The businesses confirm to FOX5, they did get letters from their landlord more than a year ago before the construction began. For now, they say they would like the city to add even more temporary signs during construction, whatever can be done to help customers get to them.
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