(WXYZ) — Business owners along Rochester Road in Clawson and Royal Oak say a construction project between 13 and 14 Mile roads is keeping customers away and threatening their livelihoods—many are surprised the work is still ongoing.
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Richard Julian, owner of the deli and grocery store Julian Brothers, says he has seen a revenue drop of about 15 percent daily since construction began. It's a financial hardship he says he has not experienced in the 55 years since he opened the shop — not even during the recession or COVID-19.
"My customers aren't coming in like they used to, especially the older people," Julian said.
To keep his longtime customers connected, Julian, now in his 70s, has begun personally delivering groceries and food to elderly customers who have supported him over the years, but do not want to navigate the traffic and construction.
"They're the only ones I got, so you want to take care of them," Julian said.
Down the road at Flute Specialists, a flute sales and repair shop, the physical location has gone largely quiet. While the business can maintain its online operations, in-person visits have dropped sharply.
"The daily impact of guests coming in and shopping with us has been impacted significantly," Robert Johnson, president of Flute Specialists, said.
At Sinclair Antiques in Clawson, owner Thom Lipinski says he has lost about 30 percent of his clientele since construction began.
"It's made quite a difference in, well as you can see now, it's around lunchtime and normally we'd have a lot of people in here," Lipinski said.
Royal Oak City Engineer Holly Donoghue says the project involves a water main replacement of a line that has aged out and a road diet along the Royal Oak portion of Rochester Road. She explained that work could not begin until the City of Clawson completed its own water main replacement — which Clawson only recently finished.
"So that was sort of its own separate project, but I'm sure to people around here it felt like one big project cause as soon as they were gone, we came in with our own project," Donoghue said.
Donoghue says contractors are working quickly and that all entrances to businesses along the corridor will remain accessible, even while the road is reduced to only one-way traffic.
Julian says he is hopeful the disruption will ultimately be worth it.
"I hope it wraps up soon, and I hope what they do makes it so much more pleasant that it was worth the wait," Julian said.
The project is scheduled for completion around November of this year. All business entrances along the construction zone will remain open in the meantime. Julian Brothers, Flute Specialists and Sinclair Antiques all remain open during construction and hope customers continue supporting them.
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