Business Blaming City For Disappointing Event

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Story Published: Sep 6, 2008 at 6:45 PM PDT

By Sade Malloy

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Yakima -- A Yakima business is upset because their biggest event of the year went bust and they blame the city.

There's a lot to go through to actually get to Red Gallery in downtown Yakima.

The once pedestrian-friendly location turned into a construction site.

Dale Gress says, "Even more rustic and it's kinda like the turn of the century, if we just had some muddy streets we'd be set."

This is all part of a $12 million downtown project that includes new sidewalks, lighting and landscaping for the downtown core.

A project the gallery is all for, but now it's blocking their only door.

Deanna Roy, Red Gallery says, "They were supposed to tear the sidewalks up in July they were supposed to do it in August and finally we got to a point we had to have the event."

Friday night was the opening of Red Gallery's new co-op project, they're turning their gallery over to local artists who rent wall space.

Paying the gallery anywhere from $10-50 a month.

Debora Bartlett says, "We walked gingerly and got where we needed to go and we're excited to see it finished."

I called the city and talked to construction supervisor Bruce Floyd.

He says the Labor Day holiday pushed work back and apologized for the mess.

He says he didn't know the gallery has no back door.

Sade Malloy, Action News says, "So in an effort to help out the city put down these plywood pieces at the front of the store evened out the gravel to make it easier to walk on."

Deanna Roy, Red Gallery says, "We know that it's gonna slowdown business because people don't want to walk through large machines."

Of the more than 100 people the Red Gallery was expecting they say only half of that came.

But the closed sidewalk didn't scare everyone away.

Sade Malloy, Action News says, "If there's anymore construction along the way is it going to discourage you from entering a store?"
Nicole Donegan says, "Oh no there's plenty of parking in downtown Yakima so we were able to find a spot."

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