News of the Albert Street and Waterloo Street intersection closure was ill-met by local store owners, many of whom have been contending with an assortment of setbacks since the pandemic.
“Some kind of warning would have been nice,” Brett Gillespie, owner of Apt. 6, told StratfordToday. “This is a significant hit to our retail shops.”
Last week the City of Stratford announced that the intersection of Waterloo Street and Albert Street will be closed for two weeks, Oct. 12-26, as part of the larger Albert Street reconstruction project that is expected to finish late autumn/early winter.
That intersection was already under construction for much of the summer, however, through traffic and pedestrian access was available up until late last week.
Now, that foot traffic has all but stopped, according to Gillespie.
Apt. 6 is an apothecary on Albert Street, a stone’s throw away from the ripped up intersection. Gillespie said the summer season was slower than normal and topped off with the rising prices of goods across the board, people are buying less. This is all while he and other owners are working to pay off loans taken during the pandemic.
Nick Sheldon, project manager for the reconstruction project, told StratfordToday that notice was provided “as fast as we could,” about an hour after they received notice from the construction contractor.
Gillespie claimed that he and other shop owners were not personally notified and did not see the signage for the street’s closure.
Ariana Poch, owner of Pistolnik Designs, the shop that is right on the corner of the ripped up intersection, agreed. She said that she was not contacted directly.
Poch said that she understands construction work is necessary, but would have been more understanding if she had more notice.
Jamie Pritchard, general manager for the Downtown Stratford Business Improvement Area (BIA), said that he is continuing to strive for better communication between different parties in the downtown core.
As soon as Pritchard was notified, he contacted Sheldon and organized the installation of an electronic reader at the corner of Downie Street and Albert Street, reminding residents and tourists that the businesses are open.
The BIA is encouraging people to go out and show support to local businesses, whether that's purchasing something or just stopping in and saying hello.
Ultimately, Sheldon said that the reconstruction work is necessary and will ensure that the infrastructure on Albert Street will last another 100 years.
He also wanted to thank residents for their patience during the ongoing construction.
