The summer closing of the Red Line Silver Spring Metro station combined with the closure of the Spring Street Bridge due to Purple Line construction has hurt profits at some area businesses.
Silver Branch Brewing Company on Colesville Road is not doing nearly the business it has in the past, said General Manager Mike Earle.
Comparing receipts from the Monday prior to the closing of the Silver Spring Metro station and the Monday following the closing, “It’s down about 50%,” he said. “I would say as a whole our business compared to what we would expect is down.”
Showing televised soccer tournaments have brought in customers as has a Wednesday night trivia game, he said, noting, “We’ve been working very hard on programming.”
Two businesses that normally see walk-in customers across the Spring Street Bridge between 16th Street and 2nd Avenue also are having to struggle. That bridge is being demolished and a new one constructed, with the work expected to last through the end of this year.
Suman Shrestha, owner of Fenwick Beer and Wine, is very concerned. “No one can come to my store from the other side [of the bridge],” which he estimated accounts for about 50% of his business. Pedestrians from the apartments aren’t able to just walk over, he said.
Anyone who normally takes a short walk to his store now probably would have to drive around 16th Street and Georgia Avenue, which he estimated would take 15 minutes longer and involve driving rather than walking.
Wendy Xue, owner of Morning My Day on Fenwick Lane, said business is definitely down this month.
“Things are slow,” she said. “We see less people, less customers are walking and coming to the store.”
On weekends, which are normally the busy time at her coffee, tea and bakery business, people just aren’t walking around and stopping, she said.
It’s not just the bridge closing that is hurting store receipts. Many businesses throughout the county are affected as Purple Line construction crews slow or detour traffic.
Also affected are employees, who have told their managers it is taking them much longer to get to and from work.
In an effort to help store owners, the Downtown business district teamed up with Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to offer discounts at some places to those who show their Metro Smart Cards.
The Summer Shutdown deals are expected to run through Sept. 10. They can be used at some restaurants, retail stores and services.
