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Earthquake Stories
Wednesday, March 28, 2001 How South Sound has -- and has not -- returned to normal
Quake plus 1 month Downtown's message: We're open SCOTT WYLAND, THE OLYMPIAN OLYMPIA -- As downtown slowly patches its post-earthquake wounds, the most nagging and debilitating pains continue to be the barricaded Fourth Avenue bridge and Deschutes Parkway.
To merchants, the two closed arterials are choking off downtown's lifeblood -- traffic -- and preventing businesses from truly healing.
An estimated 40,000 cars rolled through downtown via the bridge and parkway before the 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Feb. 28.
No official estimate has been done of the commuters who are now bypassing downtown to avoid bottlenecks on the Fifth Avenue bridge, but businesses say they see far fewer people on the streets and in their stores.
"It's a different downtown now. We're all affected," said Connie Lorenz, Olympia Downtown Association's coordinator. "It will take a toll if we don't get the traffic back up."
In a recent survey by the city, store owners reported their sales have dropped 15 percent to 60 percent.
Installing a bypass trestle would be a good stopgap measure, and it needs to be done as soon as possible, Lorenz said. Downtown can't wait for the Fourth Avenue bridge to be replaced in 2002, she said.
Shoppers' fears
Spring and summer will usher in the Farmers Market, Lakefair, Arts Walk and other events that will help lure people downtown, Lorenz said.
But retailers should keep drumming the same promotional song: Downtown is still worth visiting despite the closed bridge, she said.
Many people are still afraid to come downtown because they picture sealed-off streets, shuttered buildings and traffic snarls, said Kerry McHugh, store manager for Ken Schoenfeld Furniture.
"We've had a 60 percent drop in sales due to the lack of traffic going by the store," McHugh said.
To compound the problem, the store must pay taxes based on past months, when sales were healthier, she said.
McHugh is glad that the downtown association has been meeting with federal, state and city officials about restoring the bridge and building a trestle. But she feels merchants are being kept in a prolonged limbo.
"It's unfortunate that it's taking as long as it is to get answers," she said.
Still, she's optimistic that the city's fortunes will turn with the upcoming festivals.
"I think business will be picking up," she said.
The trick will be getting the hordes in and out of downtown with the limited access, she said.
Kevin Stormans, vice president of Ralph's Thriftway, also hopes the spring will bring an uptick in business.
Bayview Thriftway, which is in the shadow of the bridge, had a 20 percent sales drop during March.
If the trend keeps up, the store could lose $1 million to $1.8 million in the next year, Stormans said.
State agencies are working hard on traffic solutions, but solutions are bound to take time, Stormans said. "It looks like a permanent fix would be a ways away -- too far away -- even if it got going now."
Stormans is trying to dispel the notion that driving in and out of downtown is a hassle, he said. Traffic flows freely except during peak times, he said.
Alan McWain, owner of The Spar Cafe & Bar, has watched his weekday business ebb 30 percent.
"Our business is markedly down," McWain said. "I know a lot of businesses are really hurting."
The closed bridge has had an impact on The Spar, he said. But he says there are other factors, such as the cooler stock market and warmer weather.
"Traditionally we get busier when it's raining," McWain said.
Tea Lady has had at least a 20 percent decrease in sales during the month, prompting the owners to lay off several tea bar workers.
"It's been a variety of ups and downs," said Kristina Skoor, a Tea Lady saleswoman.
The bar will be self-serve only until Tea Lady regains steam, Skoor said.
She blamed some of the decline on chain-link fencing that was placed around the heavily damaged Capitol Theater next door.
Many folks may have assumed Tea Lady was closed as well, she said.
One success story
A downtown T-shirt shop has gotten a boost in business from people snatching up shirts with earthquake themes.
The hottest seller has been an "Earthquake Survivor" shirt fashioned after a promotional graphic for the popular "Survivor" TV show, said Jeff Black, manager of Tee's Me.
One difference: The T-shirt has the Capitol instead of a kangaroo.
Overall, the earthquake "didn't hurt us as much as it helped us," Black said.
One retailer is branching outside downtown.
Stymied by reduced foot traffic and cut off from west Olympia, Wind Up Here is opening a 1,000-square-foot store at Westfield Shoppingtown Capital Mall.
"We thought that we needed to have something on the west side," said Joan Machlis, co-owner of Wind Up Here.
The second store will be called Wind Up Here Too.
Machlis and her three partners have been talking about launching a store at the mall since the city announced plans to renovate the bridge, she said. Now they're having to open it sooner.
Although sales at the downtown store have not declined, the number of walk-in patrons has, so they were faced with having to cut back on floor help, Machlis said.
The second store will allow them to keep all their employees -- in fact, they'll probably have to hire a couple people, she said.
Machlis figures it will cost roughly $75,000 to stock the store, spruce up the space and link the two stores to one database.
She insists they have no plans to consolidate the operation at the mall, even if downtown is slow to recover.
"We plan to stay downtown," Machlis said. "We're downtown people."
Scott Wyland can be reached at 357-0748 or scottolympian@ yahoo.com.
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