Water main break forces Lake Orion businesses to close on Mother's Day; most remain shut down
Small businesses along South Broadway Street in Lake Orion were forced to close on Mother's Day after a water main break, and most remained shut Monday as owners waited for repairs and looked for ways to stay afloat in the meantime.
A handful of businesses found workarounds. Wee Bean Coffee Company pulled a trailer out of storage and set up a pop-up operation next to its brick-and-mortar location.
"We're trying to make the best of it, and a lot of our staff have never even worked in the trailer," said Charlie McClenaghan, owner of Wee Bean Coffee Co.
McClenaghan said the business originally started in a trailer three years ago. With repairs potentially taking two weeks, he said the decision to reopen in the trailer was about protecting both revenue and the community's daily routine.
"We knew that would be like a big hit to us, if it was the two weeks they were saying, like, that's a lot of revenue, a lot of people out coffee, a lot of disruption to, like, everyone's daily life. So we tried to do it as best we could," McClenaghan said.
Cookies & Cream also found a path to limited operations. Owner Alaina Campbell said she received permission from the fire chief to set up an ice cream cart outside with prepackaged and pre-scooped items.
Campbell said her bigger concern is the workers who will miss wages during the closure.
"A lot of the employees that work down here are going to be hurting not getting their paychecks, possibly this week, and the tips that they would have received, especially on Mother's Day," Campbell said.
The Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority and the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce said they are working on a plan to support affected businesses. In the meantime, both organizations pointed to ways residents can help now.
Matthew Gibbs, executive director of the Lake Orion Downtown Development Authority, highlighted the DDA's downtown dollars program, a gift certificate that can be used at businesses throughout the area.
"You buy the dollars. It goes to the DDA, but those gift certificates can be used anywhere," Gibbs said. The program is available at downtownlakeorion.org.
Joyce Donaldson, president and CEO of the Orion Area Chamber of Commerce, said online ordering is another option for businesses that can support it.
"A good example are, you know, like our health food stores, our boutique shoe stores, I'm sure they would love to have as many online orders at this point as they could," Donaldson said.
Most businesses on South Broadway will not be able to fully reopen until the water main is repaired. Owners said when that happens, they are asking the community to remember to shop local.
