photo by: Nick Gerik

Massachusetts Street is shown filled with pedestrians on Saturday, March 31, 2018, as the city cleared the roadway of traffic and parked vehicles in advance of the University of Kansas basketball team's game in the Final Four.

Though some downtown shops reported typical sales Saturday despite Massachusetts Street being closed to traffic, the idea of pedestrian zones — even if temporary — still gives many business owners pause.

Downtown Lawrence Inc. Executive Director Sally Zogry said the street closure was nice for the downtown atmosphere, noting that there were people rollerblading, biking and drawing with chalk in the street. But she said for the businesses, it ultimately comes down to sales.

“It’s great to have people down here walking, but the number of shopping bags is really the determining factor as to whether the day is a success or not,” Zogry said.

As with other events, Zogry said Downtown Lawrence Inc. will send out an event impact survey to downtown businesses to get input. For now, she said she’d heard of businesses with both slow and good sales Saturday, and she couldn’t give an overall assessment of how sales went.

The city of Lawrence announced Tuesday that it would close Massachusetts Street from Sixth to 11th streets in advance of Saturday night’s Final Four game for safety reasons. The city placed barricades at intersections with Massachusetts Street and closed the street to traffic and parking beginning at 5 a.m. Saturday. All other public parking downtown — close to 3,000 spaces — was free, and stores were allowed to set up sidewalk sales without a permit.

The effect on sales

The Journal-World spoke to several downtown businesses about their Saturday sales. Chuck Magerl, of both Free State Brewing Company and Wheatfields Bakery, had mixed results. Magerl said that Wheatfields, 904 Vermont St., saw typical sales Saturday. He said people seemed to stick to their morning routines, and that the bakery also sold lots of bread and pastries ahead of Easter.

Magerl said Free State, 636 Massachusetts St., saw about a 10 percent drop in sales. He said anytime you make it more difficult for customers to arrive, it gives them pause, but that he understands the police department’s caution.

“I don’t second-guess the police department’s motivation or decision to go into this with the level of severity that they did, because the downside, putting Lawrence on the map for all the wrong reasons, is not something that any of us would like to see,” Magerl said.

Arizona Trading Co., 736 Massachusetts St., had a more substantial loss. Owner Jennifer McKnight said her store had a 45 percent drop in sales compared to the Saturday before Easter last year. Although she understands the safety element, McKnight said she thinks the length and degree of the closure was drastic, and it may have even intimidated some customers.

“If they’d allowed the street to be open until 5 p.m., I don’t think it would have had nearly the devastating impact on business that day,” McKnight said. “We could have been business as usual for almost the entirety of the day.”

In addition to not being able to park in front of the store, McKnight said some people stayed away due to misunderstandings about the street closure. McKnight said some people thought shops were also closed or that drinking in the streets was allowed all day.

Those representing Weaver’s department store and Love Garden music store both said sales were typical despite the street closure. Brady Flannery, vice president of Weaver’s, 901 Massachusetts St., said that being able to have a sidewalk sale helped them to drive people inside the store, and that they still had good traffic and a good sales day.

“I’m pleased that people continue to realize that even if you have to park and walk, it’s still a very doable and lovely walk, and good shopping and retail environment overall,” Flannery said.

Kelly Corcoran, the owner of Love Garden, 822 Massachusetts St., said though the store saw more foot traffic on Saturday, sales were typical. Corcoran said that personally he liked the change of pace the street closure brought, and that it was awesome to see people in the street having a good time. But like other downtown business owners, he said he doesn’t see a permanent pedestrian area as an option.

Pedestrian zones

Cities such as Boulder, Colo., and Iowa City, Iowa have permanent pedestrian zones; others, such as Austin, Texas, create temporary pedestrian zones in certain areas on weekends or for special events.

Corcoran said although he is open to occasional street closures, he does not envision downtown Lawrence having a permanent pedestrian area. He said there are a lot of variables, costs and access issues to consider with even a temporary closure, and he thinks the best option is to allow for flexibility.

“I think you should be flexible in how you use the space rather than polarize it one way or the other,” Corcoran said.

Flannery said he was also opposed to permanent pedestrian zones. He said although those at Weaver’s understand the need for Saturday’s temporary street closure, the development and parking structure downtown is not the right setup for permanent pedestrian areas.

Magerl said the demographics and amount of tourism in some of the communities with permanent pedestrian zones vary greatly from those of Lawrence. He said everybody loves when they’ve experienced a good example of a pedestrian zone, but that he thinks the weather in Kansas limits the idea in the same way it does outdoor dining.

“The reality is there are seven weeks in Kansas where it’s a good idea,” Magerl said. For the occasional street closure, he also said a high level of street activities could help balance out the lack of vehicle activity, which he said made downtown feel emptier than perhaps it truly was.

McKnight also said that Lawrence’s demographics are different, in terms of affluence and population, from some of the cities with successful pedestrian zones. She also said she thinks closing off the street makes it looks abandoned, and that the traffic exposes businesses to more new customers.

“In the 27 years we’ve been in business, I’ve heard so many people try to propose a pedestrian zone, but I think one of the things that’s made downtown Lawrence have lasting relevance is the traffic,” McKnight said.

Zogry said she couldn’t envision downtown Lawrence having a permanent pedestrian area, but there are definitely ways to improve the outcome if temporary closures are needed in the future. Like many of the business owners, Zogry said closing the street later in the day and making the announcement sooner, so that businesses have more time to put together marketing and promotions, would be beneficial.

“I think we could make it really fun; we just need to have more time,” Zogry said.