TIMES have been tough for Wodonga’s High Street traders.
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But they may have turned a corner after traffic reopened last week following a three-month closure for roadworks on the Elgin Boulevard realignment.
While it is true the short-term pain was — and is — for a long-term gain, that comfort did little to fill the cash registers at businesses along the main thoroughfare in the meantime.
One business owner said yesterday that on one Saturday during the closure, he had suffered his worst day in 25 years.
But on the first Saturday that the street was again open to traffic, he had his best Saturday trade in a year.
Another trader said things had picked up in the past week, and she had seen once-regular customers return from a hiatus during the roadworks.
Wodonga Council hosted several activity days during the closure to encourage business, but for some shoppers it was no doubt just too hard.
The latest shopping promotion — Love Your Mum — is an event to celebrate things returning to normal and, as one trader described it, the “happy feeling” in the street.
You don’t have to spend a fortune but any show of support for Wodonga traders by locals will be appreciated.