City hastens St. Mary’s roadwork as bar owners watch sales plummet
https://sanantonioreport.org/city-ha...sales-plummet/
Alcohol sales at the Squeezebox, a bar on the St. Mary’s Strip, plummeted 60% this August compared to previous years, state data shows, representing about $50,000 in lost sales.
The bar’s owner, Aaron Peña, says street construction is the cause.
For over a year, road crews have torn up pavement and closed off roadways along the St. Mary’s Strip, a bustling hub of nightlife near Trinity University and San Antonio College. The work has also interrupted utilities in the area. Last Saturday four bars, including the Squeezebox, had to abruptly shut down after crews broke a water main.
But even when work goes smoothly, it chokes the traffic of pedestrians and cars alike. Patrons often park blocks away and navigate shifting construction blockades to get to the bars — or they don’t come at all.
“It’s a maze to get around down here, and it’s not getting any better,” Peña said.
The San Antonio Report’s analysis of data from the Texas Comptroller’s Office shows that falling alcohol sales have been widespread across the Strip’s 15 or so bars this summer. In August, about 2 in 3 bars saw sales drop compared to the same month in 2019. The average decline was by about a third.