MENASHA (NBC 26) — Located in Downtown Menasha, The Sweet Lair, a board game cafe and bakery, has cut down on hours because of nearby construction.
“We cut back our opening time from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. because we weren’t seeing any customers come through and we also are closed on Mondays,” said Bri Lutz, owner of The Sweet Lair.
Many other downtown businesses have reduced hours and chosen to remain closed on Mondays. This change has helped cut back on costs caused by the slow pace of business.
The building of a new Racine Street bridge and roundabout is the cause of the construction. The bridge runs over the Menasha channel, which connects the Fox River to Lake Winnebago, to Doty Island. The ongoing construction has caused part of Main Street to be closed, which has made some local businesses look like they’re closed as well.
“When they put the road closed signs up, that really affected customers coming down because it made it look like the road was completely closed. There’s lots of activities and things going on, but with all the construction, it’s harder to get here and I think that does deter people from coming to the area,” said Lutz.
Laura Jungwirth, the Menasha Director of Public Works, confirmed that the construction of the roundabout to the bridge will be completed in late August.
“Hopefully it slows people down enough to see what we have downtown. Having a new road, having new developments, I think it’s just going to be a nice, pretty area that people are drawn to,” said Jungwirth.
Lutz is also hopeful that the completion of the roundabout will help clear up Main Street and bring some business back to downtown. She’s even heard some positive remarks from customers about what business will be like once construction has wrapped up.
“Everyone has been positive, saying imagine how great it will be when it opens up!" said Jungwirth.
