Britt Kennerly: U.S. 1 construction detours businesses

Thrift store owner Patty Garrett loves people. Loves watching customers find a trinket or table and hearing them say, "This is just what I was looking for."

In 2010, she opened Affordable Used Furniture on the east side of U.S. 1 in Cocoa, just south of State Road 528. And in 2012 Garrett was thrilled to open a second store, Affordable Furniture & Thrift, across from her first place.

The daughter of parents who at one time had the biggest junkyard in Columbus, Ga., Garrett knows how to bargain. To barter.

But she's stumped as to how she and other small business owners will deal with the fallout of a traffic-clogging, business-busting, $35 million project to widen almost four miles of U.S. 1 to six lanes.

"When we opened the doors of the new store, it took off," said Garrett, whose store is the only income for her, husband Dale and three teenagers.

But, construction started in March 2013. And customers at the store on the east side of the road hit the wind as quickly as the dust kicking up when heavy equipment rolled by.

Garrrett, 43, muddled through. Let her six employees go. She was diagnosed with throat cancer in September 2013. She "prayed, a lot." Kept paying rent on the first store, but finally closed it in December.

And now, she watches and worries as work forces southbound cars to do the orange-barrel ballet.

"We are struggling. We're so far away from the road now," she said. "Once people come in, they're repeat customers, but so many don't know we're here."

The project was to be done by September 2015, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. Now, Cocoa officials say, it's spring 2016.

"We know the construction is long and rough, and it's not friendly to the businesses up there," said Cocoa Mayor Henry Parrish. "I will put up signs, anything in my power, and go the extra mile to make it better. My heart goes out to them."

Near Garrett's place, Krisham's Discount Rope store is among the dozens of places affected by the work.

Owner Pam Runion has been in business 37 years, first at the Frontenac Flea Market and at her present location since 2010.

"People are afraid to turn in here because they're afraid they'll be hit, especially older people," she said. "A lot of my customers are older people who have boats. So this has affected me greatly."

Runion didn't even get one of the blue signs alerting people as to which stores they're whizzing by.

"I thought I could make it until 2015, but I don't know about 2016," she said. "And once the road is done, what happens to the people who were run out?"

Garrett hopes she won't be one of those people. Sometimes, she tells herself: "If 600 people come in this month and spend $10, I can pay the rent and utilities and the bills at home. If 65 people come in and spend $100"… well, you get it. She's a survivor.

After all, she is the daughter of a man who would send her to the door of someone who had a junk car on their property and ask if her daddy could haul it away. If they asked how much it cost and her family got the job, Garrett got $10.

It's ingrained in her to cut deals. And more than ever, she said, to pray.

Contact Kennerly at 321-242-3692 or bkennerly@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter @bybrittkennerly or at Facebook.com/bybrittkennerly.