'Just don't want to get hurt too badly.' Norwalk ice cream shop opens despite ongoing road construction outside
Frank Lanzo says crucial curbside parking spots have been taken away, which is bad for a business that relies heavily on foot traffic.
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A Norwalk ice cream shop is open and ready for another season, but its co-owner says there's nothing sweet about what's going on right outside the business.
"We weren't expecting this to happen this year," co-owner of Sweet Ashley's Handcrafted ice cream shop Frank Lanzo says. "I just found out about it a few months ago."
What he's referring to is the state's East Avenue Roadway Improvement Project, which is connected to the replacement of the railroad bridge over East Avenue.
Just steps from the business, big orange barrels block parts of the road.
Lanzo says crucial curbside parking spots have been taken away, which is bad for a business that relies heavily on foot traffic.
"They just keep on doing this construction," Lanzo says. "We have quite a bit of elderly people that come in here that can barely walk, let alone cross the street."
Norwalk Mayor Barbara Smyth visited Sweet Ashley's earlier in the week to hear concerns, Lanzo says.
Like most ice cream shops, these next few months are critical for the business to make sales.
Lanzo understands the reality of construction and the benefits it will eventually bring to this part of the city, but right now, he just wants to remind people that Sweet Ashley's is open.
"I just hope it goes quickly," Lanzo says. "There are local businesses here that have been here a long time, and we just don't want to get hurt too badly."
The state claims the entire project will be complete by December.
