Business & Tech

Merchants Hope Spring Weather Turns Business Around

Mount Washington Village merchants hope that warmer weather will help them rebound from business lost to construction and the Mt. Washington Tavern fire.

For merchants in Mount Washington Village the past several months have been tough on business.

First replacing along Falls Road made getting into the village a challenge. Then, on Halloween, the Mount Washington Tavern—a major draw to the neighborhood—

But now that spring is here some merchants are hopeful that warmer weather will mean more customers.

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“It’s going along very slow,” said Elsie Fergusson, owner of Something Else.

Fergusson, who has been in business for 44 years, 36 of them in Mount Washington, said that after the tavern fire there have been noticeably fewer people walking around the village.

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She said the tavern was a draw for people from throughout the area who would often shop at village shops before getting dinner or after happy hour. Currently, crews are working to rebuild the tavern although merchants said they don’t know when it will re-open. 

But with warmer weather, Fergusson said she’s hopeful she’ll soon see more foot traffic, and said that some people have even started going “a little bit out of their way” to come shop in the neighborhood despite the construction.

Mary Anne Barker, owner of La Chic Boutique, said she’s seen foot traffic at her business drop 50 percent because of the construction and the tavern fire.  She said she’d been able to off set that through recommendations from loyal customers.

But standing outside her store in the unseasonably warm weather on Tuesday Barker seemed hopeful the rising mercury would mean more business.

“Luckily the weather is starting to turn things around for everybody,” Barker said.

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