- Ali Haider is the owner of the Grove Street 7-Eleven, and says his business had been impacted by street closures in recent years, including Albert El Fresco.
- This year, the stretch of Albert Avenue in front of Haider's store isn't included in the closures, and he says he's already seen the effects of the street staying open.
- Video shows Haider sharing his experience as we approach one month since the opening of this year's Albert El Fresco.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your East Lansing Neighborhood Reporter, Colin Jankowski. It's a sign of summer in East Lansing. The Albert EL Fresco area has provided a space for pedestrians to enjoy some sun.
But, after the owner of this store said the street closures were impacting his business, the City brought modifications to the outdoor space. Now that we're nearly a month into those changes, I wanted to know what his store has seen.
Ali Haider is the owner of the 7-Eleven on Albert Avenue, right in the heart of downtown East Lansing. He says his troubles with street closures began even before Albert EL Fresco's creation.
"Any summer, that road Albert Avenue was not working," Ali said. "We had the construction across the street on the building. That lasted—the road closure—for two years. And after that, it was COVID, so all together, it's been seven years."
With the original closures on Albert Avenue for Albert El Fresco, the section of the road in front of Ali's store closed. He says it limited his deliveries each Summer.
"When you block a main road, you cannot have the big semi-trucks approach the business," Ali said.
Ali says closures also made it difficult for customers to get in and out of his parking lot, and fewer were coming in each day.
"Every Summer we were down a lot," he said. "Around an average of 200 customers a day we were down."
After changes by the City, the stretch of Albert Avenue in front of Ali's store is open. He says in just the first month of the new look, things have already improved for his store.
"Now since the road is open, we have seen that increase," Ali said. "Now people are coming back and they're driving, they're parking, and its working great right now."
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