For business owners in downtown Daytona Beach, events like Bike Week and the upcoming Biketoberfest are a great shot in the arm.
They are not, though, something to count as on making or breaking the fiscal year, barber shop owner Ken Peters said.
“If you are hanging your hat on that, your business is not going to make it,” he said.
Main Street Daytona Beach is not very busy for most of the year, and hasn’t been for the more than two decades Peters has been cutting hair.
“Nothing much has changed in 24 years, to be honest with you,” he said.
A major reason for the lack of customers is the lack of parking downtown, Peters said.
Rental rates downtown is also an issue, as some buildings can cost more than $25,000 per year, he added.
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Volusia County officials with the Beachside Redevelopment Committee discussed the possibility of turning the downtown area into a pedestrian mall to boost the number of people who see it as a destination.
Business owner Helen Humphreys said without an improvement to the parking situation, she didn’t believe the plan would work.
“People like to be able to drive to where they are coming to and parking is definitely a problem,” she said.
Members of the redevelopment committee plan to present proposals to help Main Street to the Volusia County Council in early 2018.
Cox Media Group
