SALT LAKE CITY — Loyal customers: that’s who’s keeping Carol’s Pastry Shop in business these days, said store manager Conner Johnson.
“I think every local business around here will tell you that they're the reason things are still okay with them,” he said. “They make the trip from forever away knowing that 21st South is a mess. They'll find their way around. They'll get here.”
The Sugar House Chamber of Commerce is trying to recruit more people to support Sugar House businesses like Carol’s.
“While everything has been going on, especially with construction recently, we've had a number of people that don't own businesses that have wanted to support the Chamber and our cause,” said Chamber Co-Chair Brandon Hill.
Sugar House Impact Partners, or SHIP, will be like a subscription service; supporters can pay as little as $5 a month and they’ll get a tote bag with coupons and gifts from local shops, Hill said.
“When you support a local business, almost three-quarters of every dollar spent stays in the local community, so you can see what kind of impact that has,” he said.
Some business owners, like Stuart Aitken, owner of The Soup Kitchen, have come to accept the never-ending construction.
“You’re going to go through some growing pains in construction, and we haven't seen the worst of it yet,” he said. “When they tear down that Wells Fargo building, who knows? A sewer line might blow up. Things might fall apart.”
Aitken says it will take a lot more than some detours and drilling to put The Soup Kitchen out of business.
“The way I like to say it is, we've been there for close to 50 years,” he said. “We'll be there for another 50.”
Until construction ends, Johnson says it’s virtually impossible to attract new customers, and he has to rely on the ones who are loyal.
“You hear things, you know, they're going to do stuff, they're going to give you money here, they're going to help businesses there,” said Johnson. “But you know, it really is just the customers that are helping us.”
