Kay Landry

Kay Landry, co-owner of Ashland Coffee & Tea, sees another potential fight brewing over Providence Creek. She's unhappy with its proposed density and said its commercial focus would threaten an already shaky Ashland retail core.

"It appears to me a closed community is set up so you don't have to go out of your neighborhood and support your town," she said.

"The economy is the only thing that's hurting business at this time," said Kay Landry, co-owner of Ashland Coffee & Tea.

Ashland Coffee and Tea co-owner Kay Landry said Friday was the first time since the construction began earlier this year that she's had her usual number of daytime customers.

"Today is one of the very first days the road crew hasn't been blocking our front door," she said.

For Landry, and many other business owners on Thompson Street, the lack of customers has become as common as the sounds of heavy machinery moving up and down the block.

"October is one of our busiest months," she said."What [the construction] has killed is our morning traffic."

Landry said she fears customers have developed new driving habits in order to avoid the construction, and that once the road work is complete they won't come back.

"They just don't have the time in the morning to wait for a flagman," she said."The customers that come in really have to love us to get here."

One customer told Landry that they had to drive through the flagmen to get into the parking lot.Others, she said, just walk around the building.But customers are not the only people having a difficult time maneuvering.Landry said a flagman even told her she could not come into the parking lot of her own business.

On top of the construction-related problems, Hurricane Isabel and the tornados that followed dealt another blow to the already ailing coffee shop.Aside from losing food, the building also sustained roof damage and had 3 inches of water in the music area.The shop was closed for 10 days for cleanup, and Landry had to cancel three evening concerts.

"It's definitely taken a toll on us," she said.

Ashland Coffee and Tea, located on the corner of Thompson and Center streets, has been a staple in the coffee and live-music community for the past seven years.But now, Landry said, she does not know how much longer it will survive.

"I wonder if it's too late for us," she said."We're going to keep trying to hang on, [but] it's a matter of what bill we're going to pay."

Customers are not coming by, she said.The outside deck, which normally is full, has not been opened in months because of the dust and the noise from the construction.

"We're going to hang on and see how it goes," she said, "and hopefully we can recover somewhat."

"You see the H-P in everything that happens in the community, and I hope that won't change," said Kay Landry, co-owner of Ashland Coffee and Tea.

Kay LandryRichmond.com - Feature Story: 'Kay Landry ' for
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Kay Landry
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Kay Landry

Co-owner of Ashland Coffee and Tea.

Kay Landry Co-owner of Ashland Coffee and Tea.What she loves, how she plays, who she is.An inside look into one of our favorite Richmonders. (10/02/2006)