The City of Washington could do more to address the concerns of downtown business owners.
That’s the gist of a Daily News survey of 13 downtown-Washington merchants.
Among the issues framed by the merchants were:
• an ongoing need to place sandwich-board-type signs in front of their establishments;
• the conditions of certain commercial buildings, which they said the city could pressure owners to improve;
• rates charged by the city-owned-and-operated Washington Electric Utilities, which several saw as harmful to their businesses;
• high charges for business privilege licenses (one merchant pointed to a $1,500 bill for her recently issued license);
• closing public parking areas during special events, which can prevent customers from using stores’ back entrances.
Most of the respondents said they have a good working relationship with the city and don’t see current ordinances as harmful to their trade.
One shopkeeper praised the nonprofit Washington Harbor District Alliance and the city’s Tourism Development Authority for promoting downtown as a shopping destination.
Above all, the retailers and restaurateurs suggested that, with the economy still in the doldrums, they don’t need city-generated obstacles to success.
Some of the business owners spoke on the record, while others were granted anonymity.
“You’re taxed to death,” said Marie Tomasulo, proprietor of La Bella Pizzeria at 126 W. Main St.
“I can’t afford to pay the utility bills — they’re more than my mortgage,” Tomasulo shared, adding one power bill totaled $1,600 a couple of months ago.
Russell Smith, of Russell’s Men’s Shop at 118 W. Main St., said Washington is fortunate in comparison to other areas.
“I think the merchants down here try to make things happen,” said Smith, who’s been in business for three decades. “I think that’s a lot of it. You’ve got to try to make something happen. You’ve got to stay here and tend to your business and have inventory, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Joseph Bonfiglio’s perspective falls somewhere between Smith’s and Tomasulo’s.
Bonfiglio, of American Jewelry & Gifts at 128 W. Main St., deemed the city “pretty easy to work with.”
He had a shop at Washington Square Mall for two years before moving to Main around six months ago.
While the economy has been tough, overall, the city is “pretty reasonable,” he said.
Still, he continued, “I think a lot of the people that own these buildings could do a lot more with them.”
City Councilman Bobby Roberson encouraged the proprietors to contact the Harbor District Alliance or the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce to ensure their voices are being heard.
As for sidewalk signs, the city stipulates those signs must allow a clearance of 5 feet between sandwich boards and the entrance to a business, he advised. This requirement is in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Roberson related.
And, as for utility bills, the city can do an energy audit for businesses, and all WEU customers should consider taking part in the load-management program to scale back costs at peak energy usage times, he explained.
The merchants “haven’t presented anything to us as a collective body about what we need to do,” Roberson stated.
Councilman Doug Mercer also hasn’t heard from the merchants as a group.
“I may have heard a comment from this store owner or that store owner about a specific incident,” Mercer said, “but nothing that says that there is a general concern as far as I have heard.”
Any city resident who wants to speak about a specific ordinance may take a complaint to the appropriate governing body, including the council, the planning board or other entities, Mercer pointed out.
Mercer asserted the city should make it easier for people to start businesses, perhaps by providing checklists outlining the official steps toward opening their doors — everything from getting licenses to setting up inspections.
“I don’t think we have that checklist and, if we do, we’re not using it efficiently,” he said.
Tomasulo made it clear the city should listen to business owners who, she said, have been airing the same complaints for years to little effect.
She nodded to that $1,600 electric bill, asking, “You know how many pizzas you have to sell to pay that kind of bill?”