The seemingly never-ending construction along the Erie Canal has been problematic to local businesses in Brockport. Construction on the Brockport Main St. Bridge started back in May 2023 as a part of New York’s Reimagine the Canals Initiative, which aims to reshape the way locals and tourists view the Erie Canal. However, the prolonged construction has proven to be disruptive to business along Main St in Brockport.
Ariel Auble is a bartender at Custom House Bar and Grill, which is located several feet from the Main Street Bridge and has been open since 1867.
“Because of our location right on the canal, the bridge was a big part in how we got customers; there has been much less foot traffic from people walking across,” Auble said.
Construction on the bridge has not only decreased the number of visitors but has also made the business harder to spot for people passing through the area.
“Also, because it is completely closed, the construction pins us in a corner where people may not even see the place or be able to get to us,” Auble said.
It’s not just restaurants either, businesses such as the Lift Bridge Book Shop on 45 Main St. are dealing with similar roadblocks. Sarah Bonczyk, co-owner of the bookshop, shares how much her and other businesses have been effected.
“We’ve had a 30 to 50 percent reduction in business and it’s getting worse… We’re doing what can with controlling what we can. Unfortunately for us, that means we’ve had to drastically cut inventory and cut a few staff members hours. We’re just trying to stop the very quick bleed because we can’t control anything other than trying to cut our expenses to try to ride this out,” Bonczyk said.
New York has additionally been unable to aid these local businesses, leaving it up to the Village of Brockport to assist them. According to Bonczyk, the village has limited resources to keep businesses funded but has tried to support them nonetheless.
“They’ve tried to do things to bring business down here, they’re always trying to share on social media, using the avenues they have to advocate for people to come down here. It’s just an unfortunate situation with a huge state project, millions of dollars for the bridge but no concept on what it’s doing to the local merchants and we’ve lost over eight businesses since construction started,” said Bonczyk.
On the other hand, Frankie Fresh, a growing restaurant in Brockport, has been able to keep up with the rapidly advancing town. Frankie Fresh was originally located on the north side of the Erie Canal but moved to the south side back in June of this year. Cole Burbano, an employee at Frankie Fresh, said that this move actually wasn’t in response to construction of the bridge.
“It would make sense why people think that, but now we have a much bigger location with a bigger dining room,” Burbano said.
The location change has been beneficial to Frankie Fresh so far, but could reach its potential when the bridge opens back up.
“At our old location, we had a lot of customers coming from Hamlin and Clarkson, so the change as well as the construction is definitely inconvenient to those people,” Burbano said.
With the bridge being closed for such a long period of time, Brockport has turned it into a new opportunity. Many businesses along Main St. have teamed up to be able to host “Dinner on Main”, where tables and chairs will line up Main St. once a month for community dining, while also having live music and other events.
Though the construction may cause short-term disruptions, the improvements will likely enhance the area and attract more visitors in the future, leaving the town optimistic about what’s to come.
