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Bridge work puts store on brink |
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Author: Russ Olivo Publication: Woonsocket Call |
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December 30, 2005 - In a town with scant commercial enterprise, homegrown sisters Anna Laplume and Diane Berthelette seemed to strike gold with Onnie’s and Nonnie’s. Conceived as a humble variety stop, the little cinderblock store teetering on the edge of the Blackstone River quickly blossomed. The sisters added a full kitchen to run a catering business. They delivered pizza and deli sandwiches. They got a license to sell beer and wine, and even opened an ice cream window. Fourteen workers were hired to run it all. It seemed like the sky was the limit. "It was crazy business," says Berthelette. "It was great." But that was then. Now the entire staff has been laid off, and Laplume and Berthelette are just waiting for the bottom to fall out. "We’re on death row," says Laplume. "It just keeps looking bleaker and bleaker." The sisters, who know each other well enough to finish each other’s sentences, did nothing to change the fortunes of their all-purpose country store. On the contrary, it was done to them. In August 2004, about 18 months after the founding of the store, the Massachusetts Highway Department unexpectedly condemned the Iron Grate Bridge, which passes over Central Street, just outside Onnie’s and Nonnie’s. The bridge was closed, isolating the store from half of the town on the other side of the Blackstone River, and motorists were forced to journey far into Uxbridge or Blackstone to reach the other side. Although the bridge was only closed for about 10 weeks, the condemnation ushered in a $5 million bridge reconstruction involving not just the Iron Grate Bridge, but four others in close proximity on Central Street. The work has turned the area in a traffic nightmare zone many motorists simply avoid. So, for nearly half its existence Onnie’s and Nonnie’s suffered a steady, suffocating death, lopping off entire pieces of itself to reduce overhead as customers trickled away. As bad as it seemed, Laplume and Berthelette had settled into a spartan routine that they hoped would see them over the hump until the bridge work was done. But the worst was yet to come. About two weeks ago, all hope for the survival of the business seemed to evaporate when state transportation officials suddenly revealed that the bridge project would take a year longer than expected to complete, or until the end of 2007. Transportation officials cited "flaws" in the design of the replacement bridges as the cause of the prolonged work schedule. "I’d love to lock the door and come back when they’re done," says Laplume. Her sister adds: "That’d be the ideal solution." But all may not be as hopeless as it seems -- at least not if state Sen. Richard T. Moore has his way. Moore, who was present when state transportation officials divulged the reason for the delay during a meeting with local officials, says Laplume and Berthelette are blameless for the condition of their business and deserve some help -- preferably from those responsible. If the sisters feel like they’re on death row, said Moore, "Hopefully we’ll do something to give them a stay of execution." With that in mind, the Uxbridge Democrat has penned off an angry letter to state Transportation Commissioner Luisa Paiewonsky asking her to "find a way to provide relief directly to Onnie’s and Nonnie’s." Moore also told Paiewonsky that "those responsible for the poor design of the bridges should be severely penalized for their apparently shoddy work." Moore said the preservation of local businesses is an important issue in Millville, and the bridge project has already forced one package store to close after the owner’s property was taken by eminent domain. "I am especially distressed by the impact of the project delay on Onnie’s and Nonnie’s .. Moore wrote. "The co-owners have had to take a second mortgage on their homes and their husbands have had to work overtime at their jobs to help make ends meet. I am deeply concerned that adding another year to the timetable could result in the loss of the business. ..That’s just not fair when it’s no fault of the owners." In an interview, Moore said he has asked the sisters to tally their losses resulting from the bridge work. Beyond seeking assistance from transportation officials, Moore said he will explore the possibility of loan guarantees, grants, or even a special budget appropriation. "We’re planning on researching every option once we know the dollar amount we’re going after," said Moore, who plans to hold his next neighborhood "town meeting" at the store on Jan. 13. As Moore hints in his letter, one sticky issue for the sisters is the way they financed their store. In addition to taking out home equity loans, they both used their homes in Millville as collateral for a $300,000 loan from the Small Business Administration. If they default, it appears their homes are in jeopardy. "If we close the doors of the store, we lose our homes," says Laplume. "We’re really between a rock and a hard place." Laplume and Berthelette named their store after the nicknames given to them by the youngsters in their families - Laplume is Onnie and Berthelette, Nonnie. The store has a decidedly Twin Peaks-like atmosphere to it, an off-the-beaten-path setting filled with an assortment of quirky characters. Everyone seems to know -- and like -- each other. The supportive locals came to the aid of the sisters before when things looked grim. A year ago, when the sisters thought they could no longer tough it out, they hung a hand-painted sign outside that said, "Sorry, we didn’t make it." Well, the store’s loyal customers and town officials wouldn’t have it. They ripped down and sign and threw a big fundraiser for the store, garnering some $7,000. The fundraising bash, a dinner banquet, featured a cake split in half -- just like Millville with its crippled bridges. "Have you ever heard of that?" says Laplume. "A retail business being thrown a fundraiser? Only in Millville. It was really hard not bawling my eyes out that night. It was really humbling." |