Local businesses feeling the pinch as traffic ‘nightmare’ continues

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The sidewalks in East Providence are empty, missing the normal hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

But there’s a reason for that.

Shoppers who would normally be buying holiday gifts are stuck in their cars or afraid to come to the city.

And even as traffic eases up across parts of the city, local business say the impact of just a few days has been detrimental.

“We’re basically downstairs trying to figure out how we’re going to continue to stay open.” said Dr. Shadi Shakoori, the owner of DeCrescenzo Chiropractic in East Providence.

“This is an extremely busy time for us. At this time, this is rush hour. Our office would be filled with probably 15 to 20 people in here waiting to get treatments. And there is literally not one person in my office other than the employees that are paid to be here.” said Shakoori.

Shakoori says nearly 90 percent of her appointments were canceled today after seeing cancellations yesterday and patients moving appointments to the new year, and she’s not alone.

“Yea, they’re…all appointments are all scheduled, but in the morning, they’re not going to make it here. Especially if they’re coming from Johnston. And then when they have to go back home, they’re going to be two hours in traffic if not more.” says Cheryl Martitz the owner of City Salon.

Between Martitz and Shakoori, they’ve operated businesses in East Providence for nearly 30 years.

And there’s only one thing they say compares to the impact.

“This is worse than COVID for us. The impact has been more significant than COVID was. We still stayed open throughout COVID-19, and people were still able to get to us. And you know, now, our patients can’t get to us.” said Shakoori.

While the past few days have been bleak for business owners, there is some hope on the horizon.

East Providence city council looking to work with the federal Small Business Administration for lost revenue, and governor McKees office setting up a help line for businesses.

Both a little peace of mind for people in East Providence.

“That would alleviate a lot of the concern. Obviously, we want to continue to treat the patients that need us, that come here on a regular basis. But if we could at least know that our employees are going to be ok and that we’re going to be able to be back up and running at some point soon… it would alleviate a lot of these concerns.” said Shakoori.

The city of East Providence has created a form for businesses to fill out so they can provide the information to the department of commerce.

Local, state, and federal officials are all working on ways to assist local business with lost revenue as this situation continues. 

And Governor McKee’s line is (401)521-4357 or (401)521-help line for businesses if funds do become available.