CAPE CORAL
Construction is causing a big headache for Family Hardware, a Cape Coral business with its front parking lot completely blocked off from road access.
Currently, the only way to get to Family Hardware, located at 622 SE 4th Terrace, is by driving through an alley behind the building. The construction along Southeast 47th Terrace started Wednesday morning and immediately halted business.
“We’ve basically been shut down for the day,” said Clete Helton, owner of Family Hardware.
Helton sells tools for a living, but the construction has cut him off from his customers. Gregg Pits is one of very few who found his way inside.
“I thought the store was open,” Pits said. “It was a little confusing where I was gonna park when I went down behind the store here.”
Helton says he’s very worried about how much this construction project is going to cost him.
“We woke up this morning, and we have an entire road crew blocking the entire entry of our store,” Helton said. “It’s been, as you can see, a bit of business interruption.”
Helton says he had no idea the construction crews would be out there on Wednesday. But a Cape Coral spokesperson tells WINK that the city shared a notice with affected businesses on Tuesday, outlining the details of the project. Workers are installing pipelines in an attempt to strengthen the main infrastructure.
The project itself is not Helton’s issue, it’s the timing.
“We had too little or no opportunity to accommodate our clients,” Helton said.
WINK NEWS