YOUNGWOOD, Pa. — Fences, caution tape and traffic cones still completely block Depot Street in Youngwood. With businesses hurting after being forced to close, they are now looking for answers and possibly other options.
Amanda Polits is being forced to close her coffee shop, Blended and Brewed, for more than two weeks.
“We have lost a significant amount of business. We haven’t seen anybody in two weeks. we were told we can’t be open,” Polits said.
Polits’s business sits on Depot Street, which has been turned into a construction zone since July 2, when a roof collapsed on an abandoned apartment building across from the coffee shop.
“It’s just really strange; a lot of people use Depot Street just for traffic. It’s very quiet, so quiet,” Polits said.
Stephanie Schropp owns Shakedown Street Curios and Antiques.
“This kind of business is a lot of impulse buying. People don’t really plan to come to stores like this. They just find them along the way and with being so new, we’re not really established or quite stable yet, it’s really quite the obstacle for us,” Schropp said.
According to the borough solicitor, Matt Markulin, a contractor told borough officials the building could collapse again, especially during a strong storm. So the borough evacuated the block and has kept Depot Street closed.
Now, after two weeks, both store owners say they need more answers.
“They said they’ve never really had to deal with this before, so they don’t even know exactly where to start,” Polits said.
Markulin says the borough now has legal clearance to demolish the building and has hired a contractor, but there’s still no timeline.
Channel 11 also tried reaching out to the landlord of the building for more information but did not receive a call back.
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