THUNDER BAY – Darryl Boyer is relieved to finally see a section of May Street reopened.
A section of the street which provides access to local businesses, including the Auto-Tool-Toy Sense enterprise Boyer owns, has been closed since June before being opened earlier this week.
The closure and difficulty in accessing his store has had a significant impact on business.
“Our sales were down 50 per cent,” Boyer said Saturday afternoon during a parking lot event held to celebrate the street’s reopening.
“It (cost us) from $100,000 to $150,000.”
That threw a significant curveball into how he operated his business this summer.
“We had to cut back on staff and we had to cut back on a lot of different events,” he said.
He said that many other businesses along the section also noticed a severe drop off in sales. He heard that one owner had to lay off at least 10 staff members due to the corresponding decline in customers.
Boyer said now access has been restored he is focused on trying to make up for the lost revenue.
The parking lot event featured costumed mascots as well toy demonstrations to try to appeal to families as the busy holiday shopping season approaches.
