More Than A Detour: Sturgeon Bay Businesses See Opportunity in Bridge Closure

There aren’t a lot of marketing strategies that can promise to bring 14,000 potential customers past a business’ doorstep, but that’s what the closure of the Bayview Bridge will do for downtown Sturgeon Bay business owners next spring.

“It’s a chance to show off the city,” said City Engineer Tony Depies. “So many people come to Door County without a chance to see Sturgeon Bay.”

Angie Jonas, team leader at Glas Coffeehouse, expects to see backups at the Maple to Oregon Street Bridge in front of her shop, but she also sees a chance to make a new impression.

“It’s going to be pretty congested, but it could be great for business,” she said. “A lot of people don’t think Door County begins until they get past Sturgeon Bay, so it will be great to get a chance to open their eyes to what the city has to offer.”

Al Duessler brews coffee on the other side of the bridge at Kick Coffee on Third Avenue. He hopes to take advantage of the opportunity to catch the eye of new customers.

“I plan on trying to do some signage things here,” he said. “It could be really interesting. It’s going to affect the east and west side, as well as Jefferson Street. Obviously not all those cars will come down Third Avenue, but if even a third of them do it could be a big help, especially at that time of the year.”

The Door County Maritime Museum stands to benefit as well, a welcome turnaround from the drop it saw when the Michigan Street Bridge was being rehabbed.

“A significant number of our visitors are walk-ups,” said Executive Director Bob Desh. “Our only concern is that we don’t create a congestion problem that would discourage someone from coming up in the first place. Of course, the city existed for years with only one bridge and people seemed to live okay with it.”