Some 9th Street businesses weigh in on how road closure is affecting their bottom lines – The Lawrence Times

Business trends are fluctuating for two restaurants and a retail store on Ninth Street this holiday season as they navigate the new normal of a long-term road closure for a major city project.

Angelina Cruz, co-owner of 9th Street Mexican Tacos at 602 W. Ninth St., attributes a decrease in sales to the absence of through vehicle traffic and a drop in foot traffic.

She said she typically expects $7,000 to $8,000 to come in the doors each week. Since the city closed a block of Ninth Street between Indiana and Louisiana Streets on Dec. 1, the business has seen a whopping $1,000 in sales with no profit in sight.

The street closure is wrapped up in the city’s Jayhawk Watershed project, which kicked off in late March. The closure will keep inching along Ninth Street before the street reopens in summer 2026.

Through the project, the city plans to improve stormwater infrastructure to address flooding and drainage; replace or upgrade sanitary sewers and water mains; reconfigure Ninth Street from four to three lanes between Illinois and Kentucky Streets; and improve safety and walkability with ADA-compliant sidewalks, wider bike lanes, a “pedestrian hybrid beacon” and more.

But 9th Street Mexican Tacos might not be around to enjoy the new infrastructure once the road opens back up. Cruz said that the restaurant will likely be closed by the end of this month if things continue at this rate.

In addition to plummeting profits, she said she’s had to refund customers for drinks spilled by vibrations from the construction. She said a stray rock from the work hit her car, and she’s fighting an uphill battle to keep the place clean as dust billows in during her operating hours.

Meanwhile, Cruz is locked into her lease contract and has been dipping into her own pockets to meet the bills, like rent, water, insurance and more. As she talked on the phone, she worked on the latest payroll for her employees. She said she wants to keep her people fed but had to let one of the five employees go because she couldn’t pay them.

“It’s sad. And it’s right here in Christmas time — to have to tell your employees that I can’t pay you,” she said. “You know, that sucks.”

Cruz’s family has rotated concepts through the building over the years, including Mama’s Tamale Shop and the short-lived 9th Street Cafe. She said that, although those restaurants didn’t take off, 9th Street Mexican Tacos was finally gaining traction before construction began.

Cruz said she might have been able to supplement with profits from her other restaurant, nearby Burrito King, but that location is seeing a dip in numbers, as well.

Burrito King is located at the corner of Illinois and Ninth Streets, which is currently open to traffic. This time last year, Cruz would have expected the drive-thru Mexican joint to pull $50,000 a week, but she’s been looking at $30,000 per week since the start of this month.

The restaurateur is doing what she can to pivot. Folks might start to see 9th Street Mexican Tacos on delivery apps, but the monthly fee to be listed on a delivery app and the upfront cost of new technology like tablets can be daunting for a fledgling business, Cruz said. 

The city will get $14.5 million from the tax incentive district that commissioners approved for the KU Gateway project. $13.5 million of that money is also budgeted for Jayhawk Watershed and Mississippi Street improvements, split almost evenly between the two.

Cruz thought the city could help businesses by dipping into such funds and providing resources to pivot, such as compensation packages or more robust signage and marketing. For example, Ninth Street traffic is being redirected to other thoroughfares, but those detours and streets don’t have signs reminding people of the businesses open on Ninth.

“I love my city. I don’t want to be anywhere else. I’ll do whatever I do here,” Cruz said. “… But it’s our culture, and all of us that make this city the city that it is right. You know, without these little mom and pop shops and all that, Lawrence wouldn’t be Lawrence. It wouldn’t be as unique as it is and diverse as it is.”

Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times The city has signage letting folks know that businesses on Ninth Street are open, but the signs are right against the construction barricades so only those who drive up close will spot them. Those are pictured Dec. 23, 2025.

Owens Flower Shop

Owens Flower Shop at 846 Indiana St. may be a mom and pop store, but its legacy looms large after being in business since 1946.

Owner Kristin Spacek said they’re holding strong so far, despite being in the hot zone of the Ninth Street closure. Customers can still reach the east side of the building and park in the business’s lot on Indiana Street. She added that the store is lucky to have a robust number of online orders and deliveries.

Even then, they’ve seen a drop in foot traffic and a 4% decrease in their sales so far in December relative to last year.

“When they move the construction further down towards Mississippi, that will be a different story,” she said. “And I think my biggest concern is Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day when it comes to that, because we have a ton of walk-in business on those holidays.”

Thus far, they’ve needed to reorganize some of the shop’s bones. Vases in the wedding consultation room took on a threatening rattle during construction hours, and they’ve been moving around other breakables as needed.

“We’re just going to try and stay positive through the whole thing and hope that people will still come to us,” Spacek said, emphasizing that customers will still have front-door access even if parking is a challenge.

Owens will continue to offer half-price flowers for walk-in customers from noon to 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, excluding floral holidays like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Spacek encouraged folks to place an order for delivery online or over the phone if they’re struggling to get to the building.

Fork & Tumbler

The holidays are merry and bright at Fork & Tumbler, a small plates and cocktail restaurant in the heat of the construction at 616 W. Ninth St.

Co-owner Rob Coleman raised the alarm when the city first approached businesses with news of the impending closures. At the time, Coleman feared the news would spell the end of his eatery. 

Instead, he estimates that sales are higher this December than last December, not because the city changed their tune, but because the community responded to his rallying cry. Coleman said they’re still dealing with the dust and rattling that is shaking other businesses, but construction is usually over for the day when they open for dinner service.

“Thank you,” he said. “I mean, we really appreciate it. It’s helped us help our employees and staff have a Christmas. And just all the love, we appreciate it.”

Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

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