COLUMBUS, Ohio — Wood Werks supply in Gahanna has been a fixture in the community for 34 years and a destination for tourists, according to co-owner Charlie Vangas.
Now, the store is at the center of a construction zone, and Vangas says the orange traffic cones and road closure signs are deterring his customers.
“The concern is getting people into our store, that’s a huge concern with the construction that is going on. It has been nearly impossible,” Vangas said.
The City of Gahanna began construction on a roundabout at Claycraft Rd. and Taylor Station Rd. this month but has been doing utility work at the intersection since early spring.
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Vangas said around that same time, he saw a major decline in business.
“Our customer visits have dropped since February to May where we are down 60 to 70%% in cash flow and customer business,” Vangas said.
He has had to let some of his employees go and said there is not enough cash flow to get a bank loan to sustain the store through the project.
"I was in tears because, you know, but they mean a lot to us they are our family,” Vangas said.
Vangas wants people to know while it might be a little harder to get to than usual, the store is still open through the construction project.
“So our hands our tied. We made it through the 2008 recession, we made it through COVID, we were making it through post-COVID and business wasn’t stellar but we were making it and surviving it, but when this project started, we saw our revenue drop like a rock,” he said.
He is working with the city to add signs and communication. The city is also allowing traffic through a small road in the construction zone, so customers can access the handicapped accessible entrance.
“We are always in communication with those folks because we do recognize those impacts and want to make sure we are lessening those. We also want to recognize the fact though, by improving the level of service at the intersection, it is gonna have a tremendous impact on folks' ability to conduct business in that area,” said Kevin Schultz, senior director of operations for the City of Gahanna.
Schultz said the project to build the roundabout has been years in the making due to the long wait times at the traffic lights at the intersection.
The intersection is expected to be open by early October, which should be the end of the impact on businesses, according to Schultz.
The construction project is expected to be complete by spring 2025.