Brothers Lounge Sinkhole (3812 Farnam Street)

[skinzfan23]

I agree, the streetcar planning hasn’t been great but Brothers, Tupelo Honey, Addys all complaining about the streetcar. I have heard many many complaints from people on how these places have been run. The Brothers building has sat vacant for years.

[Garrett]

Tupelo has closed a bunch of locations around the country recently that don't have streetcar construction as well. They closed two Tennessee locations the same month as the Omaha one.

[nebport5]

Having spent over twenty years in and out of the food and beverage industry I would say there are far more places that aren't run well than well oiled machines. And being financially in the black doesn't equate to being well run either.
It's a tough business that's always fluid and difficult to maintain year after year. Good people tend to move on from the industry and a lot of not so great people end up in management. Think about how many places you know or how often someone says "that place was great when it opened" or "it was great before ownership changed".

I don't think anyone is under the impression that construction hasn't been detrimental to businesses. I also don't buy the social media conspiracy theories that the city is deliberately trying to shutter businesses for the benefit of developers. If and when there are extensions to the streetcar route, I think all would agree strategic planning and communication is a must. Particularly, the city needs to have an agreement of accountability in place with MUD.

It's good that the Streetcar Business Impact Fund is continuing and hopefully that will make a difference for those hit hardest. Still, for those businesses on social media crying about the streetcar for sympathy and inciting rage, I argue that effort would be better spent using that platform more to appeal for patronage of those who supposedly care so much.

Personally, I haven't let the construction stop me from going to any place I normally would. I've never stepped foot into Addy's, Tupelo Honey or Fifth House as their reputations pre-construction kept me away. Interestingly, Fifth House's farewell note didn't mention the streetcar construction particularly. See the Reddit thread regarding how poorly that place was run. I've been to Noli's only once and that was enough to not want to make an effort to go back. I give them credit for though for selling a shat ton of gift cards remotely in lieu of getting people to come through their door. I will also say they don't have the greatest location in Blackstone and UNMC construction might be as detrimental.

It's also interesting that some new businesses have opened on the streetcar route in the mist of construction and don't seem to be complaining like the places with poor reputations. As for Brother's, it seems very plausible that streetcar related construction accelerated the cave-in that in an old building may have occurred anyway at a later date. Obviously, Brother's as a business closing cannot be attributed to the streetcar construction. For the owners to say that it has ruined their life savings seems a bit disingenuous given they've been holding on to the property for a sale that would only increase as a result of the streetcar. They bought the building for 100K and it's now assessed at $212,100 and it was listed for 1.1 million. I heard they're now afraid of the city seeking reimbursement if they accept the city's offer and an unfavorable cause is discovered afterwards. It's a messy situation that I hope is resolved for the best for all involved asap.

[Dusty]

I can see both sides of it. We knew opening the streets could bring unforeseen setbacks. When you remove the pavement, it allows water to seep into the ground and cause potential leaks in basements. It's unfortunate, but the city is doing the right thing to pay for the repairs. There is no way to know who is at fault. They just need to fix it and move on.

The owners need to make a decision instead of posting "poor us remarks" on social media. It's easy to stall and make a dramatic scene blaming the city when you don't have an active business. They are sitting on the property as an investment. Posting sappy posts about a plastic tarp moving out place. Come on! I get it...they are upset, but meanwhile the active businesses are hurting from the stalled construction.

[OverlookedFarm]

Having spent over twenty years in and out of the food and beverage industry I would say there are far more places that aren't run well than well oiled machines. And being financially in the black doesn't equate to being well run either.
It's a tough business that's always fluid and difficult to maintain year after year. Good people tend to move on from the industry and a lot of not so great people end up in management. Think about how many places you know or how often someone says "that place was great when it opened" or "it was great before ownership changed".

I don't think anyone is under the impression that construction hasn't been detrimental to businesses. I also don't buy the social media conspiracy theories that the city is deliberately trying to shutter businesses for the benefit of developers. If and when there are extensions to the streetcar route, I think all would agree strategic planning and communication is a must. Particularly, the city needs to have an agreement of accountability in place with MUD.

It's good that the Streetcar Business Impact Fund is continuing and hopefully that will make a difference for those hit hardest. Still, for those businesses on social media crying about the streetcar for sympathy and inciting rage, I argue that effort would be better spent using that platform more to appeal for patronage of those who supposedly care so much.

Personally, I haven't let the construction stop me from going to any place I normally would. I've never stepped foot into Addy's, Tupelo Honey or Fifth House as their reputations pre-construction kept me away. Interestingly, Fifth House's farewell note didn't mention the streetcar construction particularly. See the Reddit thread regarding how poorly that place was run. I've been to Noli's only once and that was enough to not want to make an effort to go back. I give them credit for though for selling a shat ton of gift cards remotely in lieu of getting people to come through their door. I will also say they don't have the greatest location in Blackstone and UNMC construction might be as detrimental.

It's also interesting that some new businesses have opened on the streetcar route in the mist of construction and don't seem to be complaining like the places with poor reputations. As for Brother's, it seems very plausible that streetcar related construction accelerated the cave-in that in an old building may have occurred anyway at a later date. Obviously, Brother's as a business closing cannot be attributed to the streetcar construction. For the owners to say that it has ruined their life savings seems a bit disingenuous given they've been holding on to the property for a sale that would only increase as a result of the streetcar. They bought the building for 100K and it's now assessed at $212,100 and it was listed for 1.1 million. I heard they're now afraid of the city seeking reimbursement if they accept the city's offer and an unfavorable cause is discovered afterwards. It's a messy situation that I hope is resolved for the best for all involved asap.

Nailed it, again.

Brothers closed in early RonaTimes. I feel, too, they were speculating the property. But that doesn't matter.

Let's not forget, all before streetcar:

1. Near downtown was hanging on by a thread. Lots of business turnovers.
2. Midtown crossing passed from the dying to dead phase.
3. The Cresent moon strip lost Farnam House and the bottle shop.
4. Food hall died.
5. Lots of long time tenants picking up camp in the blackstone strip