Q&A With the Businesses – Open Door Ministry’s Laurie Faust

Since the on , many businesses have , screaming to the public "We're open! Come on in!" However, inconvenience doesn't even describe the trek from Royersford to Spring City, and vice versa, without the 80-plus year-old bridge.

Still, businesses are doing the best they can over the supposed eight-week span of the closure. In week two, Patch decided it was time to sit down and talk to the businesses one on one.

Limerick-Royersford-Spring City Patch had a chance to speak with the Open Door Ministry's Laurie Faust to hear what she has to say about business and the bridge.

LRSC Patch: How has the bridge closure affected your business?

Laurie Faust: We rely on donations, so when people can’t get to us, we don’t get donations. When we don’t have donations, we don’t have anything in the store to sell. So, people might come in and go empty-handed. What we make in our store helps keep people employed and helps pay for the food in our pantry that we give out in closing to the disadvantaged in our community.

Patch: What’s going on with the Christmas room in the store?

Faust: Since things are slow, we’ve emptied out a whole room of stock to fill it with Christmas to get something else in the store.

Patch: Are you administering any sales right now in light of the bridge closure.

Faust: We have a fill-a-bag sale of knick-knacks for $3 and all of our toys are half off. (Golf clubs are also $1 apiece today)

Patch: Have you had any good days since the bridge closure?

Faust: Friday and Saturday were normal days. Every other day has been less than half of what we usually do.

Patch: What else are you doing to promote yourself during the closure?

Faust: We are constantly posting on Facebook to shop in Royersford and Spring City businesses. Right now, we’ve been compiling email addresses from people who make donations to us. We’ve never been able to use it because we don’t know how to do that kind of stuff, so now we’re scrambling to send emails out to everybody by putting all the emails into the database.

Patch: How did this make you feel when you found out about the bridge closing?

Faust: I fish down there, so I know what the bridge looks like from underneath. So, when I went to the meeting and saw the pictures, I thought ‘Geez, I’m surprised it wasn’t completely closed earlier.’ It’s a little tough because everybody talks about it being five years ago, they had it closed to do stuff. I can remember about 10 years ago when we first opened that it was closed for work. And then five years later it was closed. Ten years was a long time, but I remember every time it closed, we were sending people home. Staff was cut. It is a very very very big hardship on us. I know we have to do it. We are so appreciative to the people who are going out of their way to come in and shop all the shops. It’s sad. It’s reminiscent of a long time ago when everyone had to shop local, before you had the strip malls – people always walked and shopped local. It’s hard. It’s really really hard. I hate to say I hope over the next seven weeks we’ll survive if this continues. Somehow by the grace of God, we will.

Patch: Any last thoughts? 

Faust: It just came through out of nowhere. We weren’t expecting it.

Hey Royersford and Spring City business owners. Do you want to speak your mind about your business and the bridge closure? E-mail me at Kevin.Haslam@patch.com!