Some Pullman business owners are frustrated with the city's plan to draw people downtown

Spokesman-Review 2/26/2024 story (link) mentions C. J. Roberts’ three downtown Pullman businesses. They are:

=Pups and Cups coffee shop, adjacent to Audian theater on East Main Street.

=Grander Goods natural market, a zero waste specialty refill store, and It’s Poke-Man, a bar/restaurant. Both are at 100

East Main Street where Cafe Moro (later Manny’s Coffee House) was located.

A downtown Pullman Merchant told Pullman ::: Cup of the Palouse on 2/26/202 that the two businesses will be closing in April, but Pups and Cups will stay open.

…

Some Pullman business owners are frustrated with the city's plan to draw people downtown

By Alexandria Osborne, for Spokesman-Review Feb 26, 2024 

Frustrated by an $11.7 million city project to revitalize downtown, Pullman business owner C.J. Robert said she has had enough.

Robert said she will sell all three of her businesses: a coffee shop, a bulk foods store and a small restaurant, which will be listed with a real estate agent by March 1.

The main point of the Downtown Pullman Project was to beautify downtown, make it more walkable and highlight key gems in the area, she said. The project was also meant to address why people avoid the downtown area in the first place, including the lack of activities for children, she said.

“These were all things that absolutely we, as small businesses, wanted to happen,” Robert said.

But Robert said city officials have not been responsive to the concerns of local businesses over access, duration of the project and more.

Pullman Mayor Francis Benjamin said the project is meant to make downtown Pullman more attractive and improve the area for the local businesses.

Benjamin said the city plans to work with the contractor to ensure there is maximum access to businesses during construction, including a required 4-foot walkway in front of all buildings the entire time. The exception is when concrete is being torn out, but Benjamin said an area can only be closed for a maximum of seven days.

“(We’re) keeping that as short as possible to minimize the amount of time that businesses don’t have access to the front door,” he said.

The city is working with businesses on using backdoor access as well so businesses do not have to shut down while the front is closed, he said.

Benjamin said the city plans steady communication with local business owners so they know what to expect and when, which includes weekly updates on certain closures and different events to help drive business to the downtown area.

“Obviously there’s some business owners that are going to choose to just shut down, and I’m sorry for that. We are trying to work with them,” he said. “I’ve had a number of conversations … with business owners who are excited about the work that’s being done and what it’s going to mean for their business.”

Local business owners and city council members have had multiple conversations about this project, and Robert said she has been actively involved in those conversations for the past year and a half.

But Robert said local business owners have been told for five years the project would only take place during the summer months. In December, the project was extended and will now take at least twice as long.

“(They) decided to throw away everything businesses advocated for and then extended the project by 115%, more than double, at the drop of a hat because they ‘didn’t want to lose the money,’ ” she said.

Now, she will experience a loss selling her businesses because she does not own the buildings, so she will only be able to sell based on what their equipment is worth.

Robert said she did not want to sell, but she expects to see a huge loss in all three if she keeps them, especially because businesses in the college town already take huge losses during the summer months. Profits also have taken a hit because of inflation.

Robert said what she hopes her businesses are worth is not shown on paper.

“On paper, it doesn’t look as good because you don’t make money,” she said. “I haven’t been able to pay myself in probably a year and a half, but welcome to being a small business owner in Pullman. You’re working to basically continue to keep your doors open.”

While Robert said few business owners will openly say the same thing, the results of an anonymous survey showed 77% of business owners believe they will be out of business during the six and a half months the downtown project will take place.

Nick Pitsilonis, the Black Cypress restaurant owner, anticipates losing at least 50% of revenue while the project is in process.

“(That is) presuming the entirety of Main Street will be shut down due to vehicular traffic and parking, and that’s relatively conservative,” Pitsilonis said. “I think it could be closer to 60%, that might be a little more realistic.”

He hopes a model for construction can be made to minimize negative impacts on local businesses, he said.

Pitsolonis said he does not see his business being able to allow as many guests to come into his restaurant at once while the project takes place, so he is looking to have a temporary model where he does high-end, fancy dinners for groups of 24 on the weekends, when there is adequate parking and traffic flow.

“I’m not certain there’s enough folks in general around here for that kind of thing, but that’s the angle I think I’m taking because I don’t see how we can get 100 people through the doors,” he said.

Pitsilonis said he believes his business can bounce back when the project is done because he has some equity he can draw upon for the Black Cypress to survive.

On the other hand, he thinks it might take time to get community members back because they might build new relationships with businesses in Moscow during the time the project is in process.

“I think we’ll be all right eventually,” he said. “It will be a little bit damaging and, in some respects, create certain lasting impacts that will be hard and take some time to recover from.”

Pitsilonis said local business owners have been wanting a new downtown project for a long time, but the trick now is to survive, which will take a lot of effort from the community at large.

“The big piece is that … the community wants to support businesses during this time,” Benjamin said. “There are people working to help businesses be successful, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

STATE SWIM CHAMPIONS: Pullman swimming dynasty is in full bloom after back-to-back titles Pullman boys win back-to-back state swimming titles

STATE SWIM CHAMPIONS: Pullman swimming dynasty is in full bloom after back-to-back titles

Pullman boys win back-to-back state swimming titles

By Cody Wendt, Lewiston Trib, Feb 23 2024

The story of Pullman Greyhound boys swimming the past two seasons has been defined by one watershed after another.

Though it had fielded distinguished rosters and alumni through the decades, Pullman had never claimed a boys team state title prior to 2023. Now, it has performed that feat back-to-back, and its championship showing last weekend at the Washington Class 2A state meet at King’s County Aquatic Center represented many all-time highs.

The Hounds finished first in six different events, set new meet records in four events and school records in seven, fielded at least one All-American honoree and potentially as many as three (having had two last year), and totaled 289 team points (improving on 286 a year earlier).

They also made the most of the journey, according to coach Jacob Hogg.

“This year’s group was a really tight-knit group of boys, so the trip to State with Teo (Uberuaga) and Will (Miller) being the captains and the only two seniors kind of gave them a really good farewell,” Hogg said. “Those two have been through Pullman High School — four-year lettermen. Teo had finished third a bunch of times throughout his career at Pullman and finally got to finish second (in the 500-yard freestyle). Will did a personal-best time (45.58 seconds) in the 100 free. They were very energetic.

“We had a lot of fun on the trip. Just really proud of them, and it was really a very easy group to coach and have fun with.”

Last year, Miller and compatriot Jake McCoy achieved All-American status in the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley, respectively, signifying that their best times for the season ranked among the top 100 nationwide after all results, including those from parts of the country where swimming is a spring sport, were tallied. They have now improved on the marks that gained them the status previously, but await official confirmation whether they repeat as All-Americans.

Meanwhile, their teammate Ben Madson will not have to wait. The junior’s first-place mark of 20.83 seconds in the 50 freestyle was not only a meet and school record, but passed the threshold for automatic All-American recognition.

This era of Pullman swimming success has cut across boys and girls competition, with the Greyhound girls having titled as a team as recently as 2021 and placed second while fielding individual 500 freestyle state champion Poppy Edge last fall. The Hound swimming community is fed by the Cougar Aquatics youth club program, of which Miller, McCoy, Madson, Uberuaga, Edge and more are alums.

Western Washington foe Sammamish, which has been Pullman’s top swimming rival at the state level — beating out the girls for first and coming in second to the boys — is set to move up to Class 3A starting next school year. With two individual state champions and several more athletes that “made huge strides this year,” including the likes of sophomores Zane Pumphrey, Nolan Pollestad and Levi Ritter, Hogg is optimistic about the possibility of his boys mustering a state title three-peat.

“It’s a fun side job to have, coaching these kids, so I just hope I can do it for as long as they’ll have me,” Hogg said. “I hope we keep doing well, and more importantly, I hope we just keep having fun. That’s maybe a little bit of the different energy I bring compared to maybe coaches they’ve had in the past; I try to make it as much fun as possible, and it seems to be paying off.”