Social Media Management

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE. NEW AT TEN SOME BUSINESS OWNERS IN PEPPER PLACE ARE FEELING THE IMPACT OF THE STREETSCAPE PROJECT ON 29TH STREET SOUTH. SOME ARE FRUSTRATED. THE NEARLY YEAR LONG PROJECT IS HITTING THEM IN THE POCKET. WVTM 13 S MAGDALA LOUISSAINT LIVE AND LOCAL AT PEPPER PLACE TONIGHT TO SHOW US WHATS GOING ON. MAGDALA. THE LAST SIX MONTHS, THE OWNER OF LUMBER HERE BEHIND ME SAYS THE SIGHT OF THESE CONES HERE AND ORANGE BARRICADES AND BARRELS HAVE BEEN KEEPING PEOPLE AWAY FROM HER BUSINESS. SHE SAYS SHES BRINGING IN LESS MONEY NOW. THEY WERE OPEN DURING THE PANDEMIC, AND FOR FOLKS WHO ACTUALLY CAN COME DOWN HERE, SHE SAYS, THEY DONT THINK HER BUSINESS IS BECAUSE OF THOSE SIGNS. WE CANT JUST WAVE PEOPLE DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHILE THEYRE DRIVING DOWN THIRD AVENUE AND SAY, HEY, WERE OPEN. YOU SHOULD TURN THIS WAY. SO THATS THATS BEEN CHALLENGING. ANOTHER CHALLENGE FOR RILEY HIGHTOWER WAS A WATER MAIN BREAK THIS WEEKEND. IT FORCED THE LOMBARD TO CLOSE ITS DOORS BECAUSE SHE COULDNT SERVE CUSTOMERS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BLOCK IS THE COLLECTIVE HAIR SALON. THE OWNER TELLS ME THEY CANCELED APPOINTMENTS AND HAD TO BUY GALLONS OF WATER TO WASH COLOR CHEMICALS OUT OF CUSTOMERS HAIR. RED CAT CAFE WAS FORCED TO ONLY SELL. ALREADY PREPARED TO GO ITEMS THEY COULDNT OFFER ESPRESSO BASED DRINKS, SO OF COURSE THEYRE ACCIDENTS. BUT WHEN THEY DO AFFECT PATRONS AROUND, ITS ITS VERY FRUSTRATING. WE LEARNED FROM BIRMINGHAM WATER WORKS, THE CITYS CONTRACTOR, DAMAGED WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTING PEPPER PLACE ALONG 29TH STREET SOUTH. THE AGENCY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS HAS BEEN WORKING TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE AND WILL HAVE TO POTENTIALLY REPLACE THE ENTIRE SERVICE LINE. HIGHTOWER IS WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THE COMING WEEKS WILL LOOK LIKE BECAUSE THE PROJECT ISNT DONE. THEYLL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO PAVE THE STREET IN FRONT OF THE LOMBARD DOOR, SHE SAYS. THEYRE THE ONLY BUSINESS ON THE STREET WITH ONE WAY IN. THE OTHER OPTION, SHE SHOWED US GOING THROUGH A SERVICE HALLWAY THAT TAKES YOU THROUGH THEIR KITCHEN, AND THEN EVENTUALLY INSIDE THE THE BAR THAT IS THE ONLY FEASIBLE THING THAT I CAN THINK OF THAT LOGISTICALLY. COULD WORK REALISTICALLY IT WONT. BUT LOGISTICALLY IT COULD. OTHERWISE I DONT KNOW PHYSICALLY HOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO OUR DOORS. SO HIGHTOWER TELLS ME, AS LONG AS PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY ARE OPEN, SHELL BE HAPPY. SOME OF THE EFFORTS SHES BEEN TRYING IS MAKING POSTS LIKE THIS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, LETTING FOLKS KNOW WHATS BEEN GOING ON HERE OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS. WELL, THIS POST THEY MADE OVER THE WEEKEND HAS BEEN WORKING, SHE SAYS. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN COMING TO THE BAR IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS NOW. THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM TELLING US WATER WAS RESTORED TO THIS AREA ON SUNDAY. NOW, THIS PROJECT THAT STARTED LAST JULY, THEY SAY WILL OR SHOULD BE DONE BY THE END OF THIS MONTH. WERE LIVE AT PEPPER PLAC