
The long awaited – and long dreaded – reconstruction of
Pierce and Merrill streets in downtown Birmingham is in full swing, causing
challenges for merchants and shoppers alike. From all appearances, work is progressing steadily in spite
of nearly a week of rainy weather. New water and sewer lines are being
installed under the streets, and city officials hope to have the project
completed by the end of next month.
In the meantime, affected merchants are doing their best to
attract shoppers and diners to the area, in spite of the dust and noise. All
stores are open during the construction and we encourage everyone make the
extra effort to navigate the construction zone to support these local
businesses.
Both the city of Birmingham and the Principal Shopping
District are doing their best to support the merchants with special programs
and events, and individual businesses like Toast have come up with unique and
creative ways to lure patrons into their businesses.
The Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber is doing its part as well.
First up is our ongoing membership drive where between now and May 3, anyone
who refers a business who decides to join the BBC will receive a $25 gift card
for one of the restaurants in the construction zone. Then on May 9, the Chamber
will host its first Flash Mob in the construction zone where we hope to flood
the area with Chamber members and friends for a couple of hours of serious
shopping.
Following the shopping, City Manager Bob Bruner, PSD
Executive Director John Heiney and myself will encourage a group of “Flash
Mobbers” to join us for lunch at a Pierce Street or Merrill Street restaurant
to cap off the day.
Speaking of Birmingham restaurants, hats off to local
restaurateur Bill Roberts whose iconic Beverly Hills Grill celebrated its 25th
anniversary last month, while debuting his latest effort, Café ML in Bloomfield
Township, earlier this week. Roberts also counts Birmingham’s Streetside Seafood,
Town Tavern in Royal Oak, and Roadhouse B&G in Bloomfield Township in his
portfolio, and is an ardent supporter of the Birmingham business community as a
director of the Principal Shopping District board.
Construction projects are a necessary consequence of keeping
downtown Birmingham a vibrant shopping and dining destination. There is no
doubt that, once the dust settles for good, the central business district will
look better than ever.
In the meantime, we encourage everyone to join us on May 9
to show support for those affected businesses so they can continue to support
the greater community. Further details can be found on the Chamber’s Web site
at
www.bbcc.com
Joe Bauman is president of the Birmingham Bloomfield
Chamber. He welcomes feedback at
joeb@bbcc.com