Travelers Rest businesses seek community support as Poinsett Highway roadwork ends
TRAVELERS REST, S.C. —
Years of roadwork on Poinsett Highway are finally nearing their end, but businesses in Travelers Rest say they need continued community support to fully recover.
For years, customers had to navigate construction, often taking lengthy and inconvenient detours to reach local establishments, and businesses like Leopard Forest Coffee Company say they’ve felt the impacts.
“I would say about 50% from even last year, where we were affected as well,” said Emma Bradford, who has worked as a barista for Leopard Forest Coffee Company for years.
Bradford described the emotional toll of the drop in business.
“It’s very easy to get down when you’re seeing those drastic drops like that, and you wonder if you’re still important to the community and if people are still out there that care,” she said.
While the roadwork improvements are welcomed, the process has been challenging for many.
“This has gone on for a long time. Even though we know that it’ll be better when it’s all done, it’s surviving until then… that is the hardest part,” said Greg Gimpel and Smiley Miles, co-owners of Chicora Alley Fire House, a local bar and restaurant.
The roadwork followed an already difficult chapter for local businesses.
“It was like a double whammy. COVID was hard enough, and it was amazing that we survived that. Then we started this, and it was like a repeat of COVID,” Miles said.
Despite the challenges, loyal customers continued to support these businesses when they needed it most.
“Makes me wanna cry; yeah, it’s wonderful,” Gimpel and Miles said. “That’s what it’s about. It’s the friendships and relationships that we build here. More than the food and the beverage, and things like that.”
Now, with both lanes of Poinsett Highway open, businesses are already starting to see some much-needed relief.
“This week we’ve already seen tremendous growth since both lanes of the road are now opened, so that’s been really exciting to see and really refreshing,” Bradford said.
As the newly improved roads welcome traffic from all over, Bradford emphasized the importance of community connections.
“What people should see from us is that we are real people, we care about you, about the community,” she said.
Local businesses are hopeful that the community support that sustained them through tough times will help them come back even stronger.
“Hopefully we’re so busy we can’t even talk about it,” Gimpel said.
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