They say there’s nothing sure except death and taxes. But residents and business owners in Old Town may want to amend that to say: There’s nothing sure but death, taxes and massive construction projects in the summer. For the past few years, the streets of Old Town have been torn up, detoured around and generally made difficult to navigate by necessary but disruptive infrastructure repairs and reconstruction. However, the summer of 2007 is giving Old Towners a much appreciated respite from the past few years. For now, the streets are filled only with customers, festival goers, visitors and those who make Old Town their private or professional home.

Last summer, the major project was the restoration of the East Grand River Avenue Bridge spanning the Grand River in the midst of Old Town. The structure, built in 1930, had significant deterioration which was impinging on contiguous historic buildings.  Concrete ice breakers and a section of the concrete floodwall were seriously decayed, and the project was deemed not only desirable but necessary. With funding through the Critical Bridge Program, administered by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), construction began in the summer of 2006.

After several years of road and sewer construction, the Old Town community was understandably apprehensive about the effect this latest project would have on its businesses. To facilitate the project, the Old Town Commercial Association (OTCA) acted as the liaison and communicated to the project design team the concerns and desires of the business owners.

Final design consisted of superstructure replacement of three 60-foot spans of 36-inch, prestressed concrete I-beams. Fifty-two feet of clear roadway and 13-foot, 10-inch sidewalks were part of the final design. In addition to the sidewalks, a five-foot, 10-inch overlook was placed on each side of the bridge so that passersby could safely and easily view the river below. Decorative street lighting illuminates the structure, and a spiral staircase permits access from the bridge to the River Trail.

Now that the project is done, the Old Town community is reaping the benefits of a structure that is safer and more attractive than the previous bridge.

John Kadeski owns Relish, a culinary boutique and gourmet food shop. Kadeski has owned and operated Relish, located at 208 E. Grand River Ave., for almost three years. “I have always wanted to have my own business. After years in retail, working for other people, I was ready to branch out, and a shop like this is a good personal fit for me. We sell all kinds of gourmet food including specialty oils, vinegars and pasta and beer and wine. We are the exclusive distributors for O & Co, a French maker of olive oil, vinegars, tapenades, biscuits and herb mixes, and also offer an exclusive line of pasta from Italy called Maestri Paspai.”

Kadeski’s two daughters, Samantha, 14, and Lillian, 8, help him in the store when they can; other than these valuable assistants, the store’s only employee is Kadeski.

“I’ll have to admit that last summer was not a good year economically,” he declared. The summer festivals in Old Town are the retailers’ bread and butter, and attendance was down significantly. Combined with a general downturn in the regional economy, doing business was difficult. The construction was taking place right in my area, and the noise and disruption were continuous.”

But small retailers are resourceful and Kadeski put his creativity to work. He explained, “I ran special promotions throughout the summer to draw customers and featured items in my window display that were discounted 60 to 80 percent. I hung lights on the orange barricades and landscaped around the upheaval. I have a garden outside the shop, and I kept it looking fresh and attractive throughout the summer.”

In addition, Kadeski produced a monthly newsletter with a mailing list of over 1,000. Photographs of the construction, regular updates and even invitations to observe specific phases of the project were all part of the publication. On Labor Day, Kadeski dedicated his newsletter to the workers who had toiled through the summer just outside his door.

“This summer, business has definitely picked up,” he said. The festivals are drawing good crowds, and we are all appreciating the relative peace and quiet of a summer without construction!”

Sharon Hind owns and operates Portable Feast at 1216 Turner St. Hind offers breakfast, lunch and catering to an appreciative audience of those who enjoy good food in a relaxed and relaxing environment. Hind specializes in food made from the freshest ingredients and made to order: nothing she serves is made far in advance of its presentation. With a full range of soups, salads, wraps, paninis and desserts, Portable Feast has been satisfying local appetites for four years. Hind has such a long and extensive background in the culinary field that she jokes, “I baked the bread for the Last Supper!”

Like other Old Town businesses, the Portable Feast saw a decrease in business last year, but Hind said, “Catering saved me. Usually, it’s about 50 percent of my business, but last year, the catering kicked into high gear, and I was able to do well even with a decline in restaurant traffic. And my regular patrons kept making the effort to come into Portable Feast.”

Hind provides catering for events like graduations, weddings, funerals, grand openings and corporate events.

In an effort to offset the effects of last summer’s construction project, Hind went to businesses in the area to distribute menus and offer free delivery. As giveaways, she handed out magnets with her logo prominently displayed. She said, “You have to get creative to survive as a small business person. And now that the project is done, business is great.  Hind adds, “I encourage everyone to come down and check out what we have to offer!”

For big business, it’s a little bit easier to ride out the storm when challenges arise. Fortunately for those who enjoy the fun and flavor of Old Town, small businesses like Relish and Portable Feast were able to persevere through recent construction projects and today continue to offer their own special products to Lansing-area residents.