In any normal year, Church Street Marketplace businesses owners would be spending this week counting cash following the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival — which would’ve wrapped up on June 14 — and preparing for the upcoming Wine and Food Festival, which was once scheduled for this weekend.
Instead, they are currently worrying about a rise in the number of empty storefronts around them.
There are currently between six and eight Church Street vacancies, according to Jeff Nick, the chairman of the Church Street Marketplace Commission — and more could be on the way. The spike, which has taken place amid the coronavirus crisis, has concerned some business owners, who fret over the impact that vacancies could have on the already decreased volume of foot traffic in the outdoor mall.
“Given the fact that we’re usually 100% occupied here, it is a little concerning,” said Mark Bouchett, the owner of Homeport. “Any closures affect the synergy of the street — and this street is very much about synergy.”
Nick, who is also the president of J.L. Davis Realty, estimates that Church Street has typically seen one to two vacancies annually over the past five years.
“Some of these would’ve been filled by now if it hadn’t been for the virus,” Nick said.
“Church Street was — it still is — a very much sought after retail location,” he added. “But certainly the pandemic caused people to take a step back and see what the landscape looks like after this is over.”
Several businesses — including national chains like Gap, Eddie Bauer and David’s Tea — have shuttered, leaving behind storefronts that have yet to be filled.
“You never know what it is that’s going to bring somebody down,” said Tim Halvorson, who owns Halvorson’s Upstreet Cafe and EB Strong’s Prime Steakhouse, which both sit near the top of Church Street.
“Of all the retailers that we have on the street, which is a great mix of local and national, I would think that the Gap and Eddie Bauer are two things that you may actually seek out to go visit,” Halverson said. “There’s still other retailers on the street and all that, but any subtraction — unless it’s filled with something else that’s interesting that can be a draw — obviously it’s a negative.”
The city of Burlington is planning to shut down five downtown streets every Saturday through August to allow businesses to spread out outdoors in a bid to spur interest in local stores.
The future of many businesses on the street still remains up in the air. Several have not reopened since the shutdown caused by the virus. The state has allowed retail stores to open to 25% of their fire-safe occupancy since May 13. Restaurants will be allowed to open to 50% capacity beginning June 26.
“Some businesses are finding it easier to ‘hibernate’ — to just continue online business or local delivery and not actually open their storefronts at the moment,” said Kara Alnasrawi, the executive director of the Church Street Marketplace.
Kelly Devine, the executive director of the Burlington Business Association, said she expects to see more Church Street vacancies towards the end of summer.
Luke Wright, the owner of Kiss the Cook, said that he, too, is concerned about a rise in vacant storefronts, and he added that there won’t be a “clear view” of the virus’ impact on the street for months to come.
“I kind of oscillate back and forth between feeling like it’s not as vibrant as it would normally be in June, but also feeling a sense of hope and optimism as we seem to kind of progress forward here in downtown in terms of things opening up,” Wright said.
