MADISON — Restaurants and shops along Willy Street have had to adjust how they operate as customer traffic has gone down following protests that erupted after a police shooting on July 22.
The shooting death of Corey Ruiz sparked demonstrations that led to a vigil, encampment and blocked roads near Willy and Baldwin streets — just blocks away from some of the neighborhood’s most established businesses.
Lazy Jane’s Cafe, a locally owned restaurant known for its community focus, has experienced a noticeable decline in customers. Alex Gasper, manager at Lazy Jane’s, described the neighborhood as “very community oriented” with “a lot of really amazing people that live and work and own businesses on the street.”
However, that community support has not been enough to offset the impact of reduced foot traffic. “Business has been slower, which we expected,” Gasper said. The restaurant is operating at roughly one-third to one-half of its normal customer volume.
The owner of Weary Traveler Jeff Schmidt said he had to make staffing cuts and often run the restaurant himself. Schmidt said this past weekend was among the slowest he has experienced in his 18 years operating the establishment.
“It’s nerve wracking,” Schmidt said. “You know the first of the month is next week. So we’ve got to come up with a rent payment. And you know we’re still paying off the bank from when we bought the restaurant. So we’ve got to come up with that payment.”
Business owners say if something doesn’t change soon, they could be forced to make long-term decisions.
Gasper said Lazy Jane’s is taking “things day by day,” and Schmidt echoed that sentiment, saying “as of right now, we’re all just kind of winging it.”
The City of Madison was contacted for comment about the situation facing Willy Street businesses, but had not responded at the time of reporting.
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