Some Kings Mountain business owners say they lost up to half their customers after a 10-day closure of a stretch of N.C. Highway 161 forced drivers to detour around a sinkhole repair project. The road reopened Friday morning, but owners say the lost revenue will be difficult to recover.
Traffic along Highway 161 is the reason why Cheria Torrence opened a shop just south of Kings Street two months ago.
“My first two months have actually been good until we had this issue with the road,” said Cheria Torrence, owner. “It feels discouraging.”
She said they lost about 50% of their business.
Channel 9’s Ken Lemon asked Torrence if she could make up the loss.
“Honestly, no. The best we can try to do when the road does open is to give more deals,” she said.
The operator of the smoke shop next door said he lost about 50% of his business, too, when the city closed the road on July 6.
They had a sinkhole just down the street.
A Department of Transportation spokesperson said the city called the state to repair it.
However, it couldn’t start until the city fixed a sewer line first.
The owner of Blackwood’s Drive-Inn said she lost 30%-40% of their business on Monday.
“Business is slow. That means pockets are dry,” said employee Haley Mabe.
They posted a map on social media, drawing a path around the roadblock.
Business owners said they had to stay open even while business was slow.
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