Business owners along Main Street in Bowling Green were alarmed when they learned a $1.2 million project to replace a collapsed sewer line would block traffic in front of their establishments for at least a month.
But it wasn’t until the project started in late May that Mary Langhorne McManus — the owner of a fresh market deli called The Corner Store — truly understood the magnitude of the impact that the road closure could have on business.
“I think there was panic,” McManus said. “The first week was a disaster. It was mostly phone calls, ‘Are you open? Is anybody open?’ … I just really think the public consensus was, ‘You just shouldn’t come downtown.’”
Adding to McManus’ wariness were early reports that sidewalks would be closed. Although that didn’t turn out to be true, McManus estimates that her business’s bottom line decreased by as much as 70% in the first week.
But after business owners formulated a plan for a social media campaign to let customers in the town and all of Caroline County know that establishments are still accessible, traffic has picked up dramatically.
McManus said her overall losses are down to 10%, while Bowling Green Town Manager India Adams-Jacobs said the project is ahead of schedule and could be completed as early as the end of next week, a little more than a week before the June 30 timeline.
“I think all in all, it hasn’t been too bad, and really for what it’s worth, to me as a taxpaying business, I want my infrastructure to run,” McManus said. “So, on the converse of there being some inconvenience, I do think there’s some real value in understanding they’re doing something that absolutely has to be done.
“There’s never going to be a great time, where we’re like, ‘Great, please interrupt my business for a month and a half.’ But I have a lot of faith in what’s happening in the town right now.”
Adams-Jacobs said approximately 520 feet of sewer lines are being replaced following a collapse earlier this spring. She estimated the lines were more than 80 years old. Two manholes, 17 and 16 feet deep, also had to be replaced on Main Street.
The Main Street project cost more than $900,000, while an earlier sewer line replacement on Courthouse Lane cost an additional $225,000. Adams-Jacobs said the town is footing the bill for the entire project with no outside assistance.
“That does deplete our cash on hand about 50%,” Adams-Jacobs said. “So, we are working with our financial advisors at [Davenport and Company, LLC] and trying to replenish that.”
Adams-Jacobs said no business owner has approached the town about financial relief after the loss of revenue. She said that it would be up to the town council if its members wanted to vote to offer recovery assistance.
Business owners have gotten creative in their efforts to maintain their customers. Jessica Beale, the president of Bowling Green Main Street and owner of The Mix House coffee shop and bakery, painted lines in a previously rarely used parking lot behind her building so people knew where to park. Beale and others also created backdoor entrances for customers.
Beale said when businesses posted information about the road closure on social media platforms, customers came from other parts of the county to patronize and offer support.
“Coming into it, I was expecting the worst, and it hasn’t been as bad as I was anticipating,” Beale said. “Yes, we have felt it. It has not been fun, but I feel like the whole situation could be a lot worse.”
Across the street at Sundry, a vintage and second-hand shop, co-owner Kasey Holland said she’s constantly on social media making reels promoting that the business remains open. She’s also shared updates on the road work.
“I feel like people are making a true effort to park and walk to us,” Holland said. “So, we have not had a negative impact yet for numbers and that’s just because of the community outreach and the tons of social media work that we have done … We sat and cried for a minute and then we got up and put our game hat on and said, ‘What are we going to do?’”
Two of Holland’s neighbors aren’t as fortunate.
A water main break during construction caused all businesses to close for a full day on May 30.
Randy Hageman, a town council member who owns A&M Home Center, a hardware store on Main Street, said workers hit a circa-1950s old water line that led to a fire hydrant that was no longer there, causing the disruption.
But while most stores were closed for one day, Your Just Desserts, a small restaurant and bakery, and Julianne Esthetics have yet to reopen at their respective locations.
When the water main broke, a faucet on the second floor of the building Your Just Desserts is located in, was left in the on position. When the water came back on, it ran for 15 consecutive hours, eventually trickled downstairs and completely flooded the two businesses.
The esthetics shop is temporarily located at 204 N. Main Street, but a reopening date for the restaurant is yet to be determined.
Hageman said he doesn’t believe financial relief from the town is necessary because town officials clearly communicated the project in multiple meetings, giving owners ample time to prepare. He noted that the water main break did not cause flooding at the two businesses, but rather human error.
“When I heard about that whole thing, I felt helpless,” Beale said. “Like, I wanted to help them, but where do you even start with something like that?”
Adams-Jacobs said she is pleased with the spirit of unity amongst the business community. She also lauded property owner Bill Webb for allowing the town to run bypass pumps to redirect sewer up past the post office on Milford Street.
She’s hopeful that after next week, it’ll be business as usual on Main Street.
“We’re definitely proud of the community pride that has come about as a result of this,” Adams-Jacobs said. “I can’t sing the praises enough of our Main Street group that’s been proactive in engaging with businesses. They’ve found creative ways to make sure the stores were impacted as little as possible.”
