As the Town of Olds revitalizes its uptowne area, one business owner in the area plans to do the same with her building.
As the Town of Olds revitalizes its uptowne area, one business owner in the area plans to do the same with her building.
Debbie Ohlhausen, owner of Different Strokes gallery, is closing up shop as water and sewer repairs are carried out on 50 Avenue between 50 and 52 streets.
The project was scheduled to start on 53 Street by Ecole Olds Elementary School on July 2 but was delayed by unfavourable weather.
On July 21, Rubydale Asphalt Works Ltd. started tearing up pavement on 50 Avenue.
Ohlhausen said she is temporarily closing her doors during construction because it's a chance for her to renovate the building she operates from.
"I looked at the fact that when summer construction's finished, main street is going to be absolutely beautiful and thought, why don't I close and renovate the gallery the same time the street's being renovated," she said.
"So I thought I'm going to use this opportunity to rejuvenate the gallery so that when the construction's done, the gallery too is re-done and that's why I decided to close."
Ohlhausen said she considered keeping the gallery open during construction but decided it was easier to close and move the artwork so it wouldn't get damaged during renovations.
When Ohlhausen first heard repairs were needed on 50 Avenue, she was disappointed construction would interfere with summer sales. But she said Different Strokes has been open for close to four years and it was time to freshen up the look of the place.
"It was my way of coping with construction. I just think main street is going to be so nice when it's finished and I think it will be nice if the outside of our buildings reflect that," she said.
For one business that decided to stay open, the main street repairs have drastically reduced customer traffic.
Barb Sikora is a saleswoman at Jensen's Men's Wear and she said that while customers who are keen on making a purchase still stop by, the casual browsers are "practically non-existent."
She said people have stayed away because storefront parking is currently unavailable.
"People nowadays don't want to walk. And they can't find parking," Sikora said. "They like that parking in front or across the street."
She does not expect business to pick up as street repairs progress.
"I don't think people will be casually shopping. We won't get the people coming in just to have a look or people that are visiting town coming in to have a look," she said. "It's definitely affected us already, definitely. Like I said, the sales are down."
Once crews are completed with water, sewer and road repairs on 50 Avenues, sidewalk repairs will begin.
Norm McInnis, the Town of Olds' chief administrative officer, said "temporary wooden structures" will be put in place to ensure access to all businesses and residences on the street.
The town has stated repair work on 50 Avenue will take roughly 44 days.
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