Rodrigues "Rod" Smith said he watched his business slowly plummet on Main Street in Frisco during the current construction projects of a parking garage, 4th Street Plaza and Main Street itself.

"Being brutally honest, I knew I couldn't survive that, because I wasn't bringing the money in," Smith said.

Barber's struggles

The 49-year-old barber said he'd been in a space in the 6900 block of Main Street for six years. Trying to meet the cost of the rent, take care of employees, support his sons and himself from a crumbling customer base became too much.

"Terrible, man. I lost 30 pounds behind this, and I've been wearing two faces," he said. "You might think I'm doing good, yeah, but I'm a prideful man, too. "

Smith and other Main Street businesses complained to Frisco about the impact on business. Frisco responded. But Smith said their offer did not work for his barber shop. He decided to leave Main Street after six years.

He said he cut hair in his garage until getting his latest space in Little Elm.

"And me, just knowing myself, my days are numbered. Cuz I gotta get back to what I'm used to," Smith said.

He believes his Brooklyn's Cuts and Designs is a casualty of the construction.

City defends efforts to help businesses through grants and promotions  

"Well, any time you do a renovation project, especially one that's that close to those businesses, in Main Street in particular, it's not easy to complete the project and not have an impact on traffic, on businesses that are down there, on tourism, on the restaurants," Ben Brezina said.

Brezina is a Frisco Assistant City Manager. He said in the natural course of the cycle, some businesses come and go. He did not know whether it was directly related to the construction of Main Street. Brezina pointed to Dad Jokes Cheesyburger as a successful implant.

In the meantime, he said the city had invested far beyond the $80 million for the construction project to help businesses stay afloat.

"Since July, we've committed over $1.4 million to help the Rail District businesses," he said.

Brezina said they created about 12,000 gift cards and mailed 8,000 to people who live within a one-mile radius of the rail district. He said Frisco spent $177,000 on that program.

He said the city has sold over $600,000 in digital gift cards, which should pour into the businesses over the holiday.

"So we did an advertising allowance grant," he said. "It was a $3,000 advertising grant."

According to Brezina, a $1.5 million facade program was established, which he expects more businesses to tap into.

"Let me also add that our Economic Development Corporation, the EDC, has also spent a significant amount of money, about $250,000, in advertising and promoting the Frisco Rail District across the Metroplex," he said.

None of the funding, Smith said, helped him. He's a barber, so gift cards aren't his currency. Smith said he applied for a grant but was turned down.

"The council's been clear in their position that direct economic grants would not be given to any business down there. So that's why we try to be creative with the gift card program, advertising allowance program, to help those businesses," Brezina said.

The assistant city manager said Main Street will be completed by January 2026. Street trees and streetlights are going in right now, he said. Brezina said all the brick paving is almost done, driveways are complete.

He said the parking garage and the 4th Street Plaza will be done in May, with a grand opening celebration in the summer.

It will happen without Smith's barbershop on Main Street. A sign for a new pizza restaurant hangs on his former building.

Smith is subleasing in a place where he said customers can get to him without getting flat tires. He is still looking for his next move and is hurt about how this all happened.

"I feel a way, I feel a way, man, cuz I drive by things that I've helped, put people in position to help, stirred the pot that came to see me for these helps and these opportunities," he said.