Downtown Brighton businesses say streetscape has meant more customers, in the end

BRIGHTON — Roughly ten months after the completion of downtown Brighton’s new streetscape, both local retailers and statewide trade associations are crediting the project for its design, creativity and end results.

The project, which wrapped up in 2023, was a finalist for the Michigan Municipal League Community Access Award at the association’s annual conference held in mid-September.

During the conference, staffers manned a booth promoting the project and covering strategies used to support businesses during and after construction.

“There were a lot of comments on how beautiful it turned out,” said City Manager Gretchen Gomolka. The work replaced a century-old water main, narrowed street lanes and widened sidewalks to support more efficient traffic flow and space for pedestrians and shoppers.

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Gomolka says the feedback from the public has been positive.

“We’ve seen an uptick in more people and foot traffic, which our merchants have noticed as well,” Gomolka said. “Everyone I talk to is impressed with the improvements. There seems to be a consistent flow of people walking the streets and enjoying all that downtown has to offer.”

In a video posted to the city's page on YouTube , Ken Larscheid, owner of outdoor shoes and apparel retailer Running Lab, said the increase in visitors has been significant.

“In my 13 years, I have never seen as much general strolling or foot traffic,” he said.

Sunny’s on the Corner owner Sydney Plaskey said her business has benefited from that increase. While most of her customers last year came from local communities, she's noticed customers coming from further distances this year, including Northville, Plymouth and Royal Oak.

“I think all the (construction) was worth it in the long run, at least for us,” said Plaskey, whose store sells women’s apparel and accessories, baby and infant clothing and apparel for local sports teams “It’s really been nice to have all the festivals back, because they (attract) new people to the city."

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Wallflower Mercantile co-owner Todd Buckley said business has increased significantly compared to 2023. He and his wife Natalie recently opened Town to Trails Outfitters in the neighboring storefront.

“We knew how great of a project this would be," said Explore Brighton Howell Director Trisha Patrias.

— M. Alan Scott is a freelance writer for The Livingston Daily. Contact the newsroom at newsroom@livingstondaily.com .

This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Downtown Brighton businesses say streetscape has meant more customers, in the end