Pretend you own a Cypress Bridge-area business that’s swirling the financial tank because of less traffic that coincided with the nearby ambitious bridge construction. The diminished traffic is a result of ongoing construction delays, which caused many motorists to avoid the area.
You see less customers, ergo, you see less money. You vow to hang on, after all, God willing and the creek don’t rise, the bridge should be finished by summer’s end. You watch as neighboring businesses let go and slip away. You pray the same fate won’t happen to you.
Enter the Bridge Bucks program, a campaign that ostensibly supports these worried businesses by enticing us – the public – to support the Bridge Buck-participating businesses and “take advantage of the discounts.”
Sounds nice in theory, except the limping businesses are the very ones required to absorb the cost of these discounts.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention that participating Bridge Buck businesses are offered advertising discounts at area media companies.
So local media benefits with potential increased businesses.
And shoppers and consumers benefit with potential discounts.
Meanwhile, the struggling business owners earn even less, thanks to the discount Bridge Bucks, but are invited to spend money (which they have less of) to advertise.
It’s a migraine math problem.
Out of nearly 300 Redding businesses negatively impacted by the Cypress Bridge construction, more than 30 are Bridge Bucks participants, including some that are especially near and dear to my heart, such as Athen’s Auto (my pre-Prius auto repair place), Monica’s Vintage Inspired Gifts (cute, trendy stuff, adorably displayed) and Morrison’s Warehouse (my favorite discount store, and a valued Food for Thought advertiser).
These are wonderful small businesses, as are many of the dozens of small Cypress Bridge-area businesses that rejected the Bridge Bucks offer.
In a perfect world, the city of Redding could offer no – (or very low- interest) – bridge loans to keep businesses afloat until after the construction’s over. Redding is willing to pump millions and millions of dollars into Stillwater Business Park to lure fantasy businesses here. It’s too bad it doesn’t have a little tucked-away money to help current businesses.
There’s much you and I can do to help. First, we can use our noggins to navigate to these businesses by way of routes that do not include the Cypress Bridge. Personally, I’ve never avoided a Cypress Bridge-area business because of the construction. This isn’t Los Angeles. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to get most anywhere in Redding.
Second, we can bypass the Bridge Bucks, and even decline to use them if offered in participating stores.
Last, the very best thing we can do to help the Cypress Bridge-area businesses is find them, support them, and keep coming back.
