Main Street recovering slowly from 395 construction

The paving of Main Street through Gardnerville was not without its casualties among the business community.

The work has been finished since Labor Day, but there’s still a banner out in front of what was Sonney’s Barbecue saying they’d be open as soon as the work was done. They won’t be, as the restaurant announced its permanent closure around the same time Main Street reopened and has since sprouted a for-sale sign.

“They had a hard time keeping staff,” Main Street Gardnerville Director Jen Tune observed. “In the service industry, if you’re not making money, you’re not going to come back.”

Tune said that about 60-70 percent of the businesses in her district rely on drive-by traffic.

She said that the effect on the businesses was worse than the coronavirus shutdowns.

“It’s almost like a tsunami effect,” she said. “Now the question is ‘how we get them back up and going?’ We’ve had a change in the human pattern where people are not driving down Main Street. We need to get that mindset to get back downtown and make sure your visiting your local merchant.”

Douglas County Economic Vitality Manager Nikki Rudelbach acknowledged the challenges from reconstruction of the highway.

“With road closures, barricades, uneven surfaces, and heavy traffic, we were informed that the project created real hardships for the small businesses that depend on 395 for customer traffic,” she said. 

“However, amidst these challenges, many businesses persevered,” Rudelbach said. “Despite the odds, they remained open, finding creative ways to generate business throughout the disruption.”

Tune said she felt Main Street is in a recession.

“Spending across the board has declined,” she said. “They’re hanging in there.”

With the construction’s passing, there are some significant investments ongoing in downtown Gardnerville.

The former Country Carousel and CJ’s Flooring are being converted into business suites, with The Valley Merc preparing for a November opening. Work on the business included installing new floors, paint and lighting.

The new owners of old Catholic church are installing new stairs and railings for the red-brick building at High School Street. They also purchased the neighboring lot where One-Way Auto is located.

One of the major projects is the $350,000 reconstruction of the commercial suites at the Stratton Center in downtown, according to the building permit filed with Douglas County Community Development.

A fire gutted the building on May 8, 2023, affecting Big Blue Spa, Douglas County Jiu-Jitsu and The Boutique.

“There’s a lot of money moving on Main Street right now,” Tune said.

Rudelbach commended the businesses that have survived for coming up with new ways to adapt to the challenges.

“Even during the toughest times, they stayed positive, focused on the future, and pushed through to the project’s completion,” she said. “Now we have a beautiful road, and it’s more important than ever to support these resilient businesses. Their struggles aren’t over — bills didn’t stop during construction, and they’re still working hard to recover.”

Tune said that the effect of the road work will continue into the winter.

“Construction had a major impact on our downtown businesses,” she said. “It was much more than we realized.”