FERGUS 50度灰视频� It50度灰视频檚 scarcely a week into the road and infrastructure project and downtown Fergus businesses are already feeling the burn from construction on St. David Street North.
But there are “Sunny Days Ahead,” says a local businesswoman.
St. David Street (Highway 6) from St. Andrew Street to Garafraxa Street is closed to all traffic while the township tears up the road to replace watermains, sanitary sewers and other underground infrastructure.
Phase two will commence next year with similar work from Garafraxa to Edinburgh Avenue.
The township anticipates the project will be substantially complete by the end of 2025 with some finishing work 50度灰视频� surface paving and landscaping 50度灰视频� to be completed in 2026.
From her vantage point at the corner of St. David and St. Patrick streets, Jailena Williamson worried not just what will happen to her business, Violet and Ash Candle Company, but to all businesses in the downtown core.
50度灰视频淲e have a digital sign on the corner, and it gets us traffic,50度灰视频� she said in a phone interview. 50度灰视频淏ut that50度灰视频檚 not going to help us this year.
50度灰视频淚 understand the necessity of construction, but the reality is, it will affect business. So I thought about what we can control and what we can50度灰视频檛 control and decided to pull this event together.
50度灰视频淚 think of it as the kick-off to the summer.50度灰视频�
On June 8, from 10am to 2pm in the parking lot outside her store, Williamson will host the Sunny Days Ahead outdoor vendor market.
Vendors from Guelph, Rockwood and Waterloo will set up shop in the parking lot. There will be live music by Juneyt.
The weekend also marks the second anniversary of her store moving into retail space, where there will be in-store specials.
50度灰视频淚 hope people can make their way downtown,50度灰视频� she added.
Williamson hosted a vendor market last October 50度灰视频� her first 50度灰视频� and said this one came up quickly.
50度灰视频淚 had no intention of doing anything like this right now, but the reality of what construction is doing, I knew I had to do something,50度灰视频� she said.
50度灰视频淧eople like ease. If they have to go out of their way, that can deter them from doing anything at all. I hope this will help get some traffic back.50度灰视频�
For those thinking of attending, there is on-street parking on St. Andrew, St. Patrick, St. George and Hill streets and on Garafraxa Street East.
There are also municipal parking lots on St. George and St. Patrick streets and on Provost Lane.
