20-year business falls victim to Independence Blvd. construction

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A business that has been open for 20 years along Independence Boulevard in east Charlotte will be closing its doors soon.

Raja Aildasani, the owner of the clothing store Imagination, told Channel 9 his business couldn’t keep customers coming in the door due to the construction project on Independence. It’s one of the last businesses that was still open in the shopping center next to the Idlewild Road interchange.

[LINK: NCDOT Independence Blvd. project]

“Unfortunately, I have to close my business forever. I’ve been in here 20 years in this shopping center,” Aildasani said.

Anchor John Paul spoke to Aildasani in January and he said he was optimistic about staying open. But on Friday that optimism was gone. He said what the shopping center looks like now is a far cry from it used to be.

“Used to be full, completely full and everybody was doing good business,” Aildasani said. “Everything is gone, and I don’t see any future in this plaza,” Aildasani said.

He said the years of construction and poor entrance design has turned the shopping center into a ghost town. Aildasani said he’s moving on even though construction is expected to be completed in a couple of months.

“They finished this construction, but still it makes no difference in the business because it’s already been hurt,” he said.

Channel 9 has followed the construction project since it started in 2013, and in that time a number of businesses have had to close their doors.

Channel 9 reached out the North Carolina Department of Transportation and asked if the agency is aware that businesses were closing.

The NCDOT released this statement:

We can’t speak as to why a specific business could be closing, but the project is part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s ongoing efforts in conjunction with the City of Charlotte to improve congestion and traffic flow along U.S. 74.

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