One of the most noticeable differences witnessed by business owners in Centre Market during the past two months is the absence of customers wearing scrubs into their stores or restaurants.
“That was daily, the scrubs, and many times a day,” said Carrie Eller, owner of Under the Elder Tree. “That hasn’t been the case for past couple of months, but we’re still full steam ahead. We have noticed a difference in the pattern of people coming here because there are fewer people coming down here. That means we have to rethink our marketing and our strategies for reaching potentially new customers and clients.
“It’s about adapting to our new reality,” she said. “As far as the traffic is concerned, it’s not been much different for many folks traveling here. I know there are lane closures, but getting to Centre Market is not different than it has been. It’s never been just off an interstate like so many local businesses are.”
Is there a plan?
Kurt Zende, the economic development specialist and Centre Market manager for the city of Wheeling, said the decline in customer base was immediate once OVMC shuttered operations in early September.
“It’s obvious to all of us that we’re not seeing the foot traffic that the hospital generated for these businesses,” he said. “Most of the businesses in this area are OK, but some of them have realized a natural decline, but this is a loss of traffic that appears to have gone away for good unless something opens in those buildings.
“The hospital closure probably decreased our foot traffic by 20 to 25 percent, and those folks had expendable income, and they weren’t afraid to buy their lunch or purchase something at one of the stores,” he said. “You had the doctors, the nurses and all of the staff, and also the families of the patients. There were also the drug and equipment representatives who would come down and buy lunches for whatever office they were visiting that day. It’s a trickle-down effect, and it has impacted us here at Centre Market.”
This holiday season Centre Market will decorate and once again offer the “Talking Christmas Tree” thanks to Coleman’s Fish Market, and a few of the district’s businesses frequently offer live entertainment on the weekends.
“But, at this point in time, we all need to think outside of the box when attempting to attract people who can help replace those former customers who visited frequently,” Zende said. “The hospital closure was a big hit, and no one can deny that, so now it’s our goal to reach out to more people to let them know what this district has to offer.”
One idea Zende continues to research is improving the parking situation at Centre Market, and now that the Center Wheeling Garage is not packed with the vehicles from OVMC employees, it may be possible for the city to establish a validation program similar to what was granted to Ohio Valley Grow at the Byrd Transportation Center.
“We are looking at a program that will involve a visitor paying just a dollar to park in the Center Wheeling Garage for the first hour, and if that person wants to stay there all day, it’s only another dollar,” Zende explained. “The business would be able to stamp that ticket to take off that additional dollar, so really it would be only a dollar to be here for a while.
“There are other ideas about the meter parking around the market houses, but it’s not something that been formally addressed. I do believe if we could get the business owners not to park right along the street where their businesses are, that could open up more than 10 parking spaces along those two streets,” he said. “There’s also other technology out there, and I know members of the administration are looking into those types of options, too.”
For Eller, who offers a salt sanctuary, massage therapy, meditation sessions, herbalism, body care products, and much more, it’s about her eight employees and sustaining her dream come true.
“The lost foot traffic is concerning because all of us have mouths to feed,” she said. “It’s very important to me that those employees can earn what they earn here. We have to adapt, move forward, and concentrate on how to keep growing our businesses here in Centre Market.”
