The partial crumbling and collapse of a downtown Cleveland building's façade has an economic fallout, too. While it's been 10 days since the incident, repairs and blockades have pinched the bottom line of several businesses. ideastream's Brian Bull reports:
As workers keep fixing the crumbled façade, the northbound lane of East 6 th Street remains closed. And a row of four businesses across from where the debris fell lies concealed behind a wall of plywood, plastic, and scaffolding.
Dan Lombardy owns Dave’s Cosmic Subs. He says before the incident his business could ring up between 600 to 900 dollars a day. Now his doors are open but the tables are empty.
“You know, hopefully people come back and get back into the area. Just appreciate it if everyone come back and give us a chance again, because we’re ready to go.”
A couple doors down, Kim Sklodowski of Sapparo (SAP-ah-roh) Sushi says she too is missing out daily on hundreds of dollars of business, as passersby fail to spot their “OPEN” sign.
“You know, lunch hour’s very, very busy. Nobody phone calls order. So right now, is nobody….it bothers us.”
Meanwhile, City Councilman Joe Cimperman says there’s talk going on with the Mayor’s Office and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. The plan is to hold an event early next month that would help this row of eateries recoup their losses. Cimperman says repairs to the façade may continue for at least another three weeks.