FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Construction crews didn’t waste any time tearing up Orchard Lake Road, and now that we’re two weeks into this project, businesses along the road are concerned about how they’re going to survive eight months of construction.
Dubin Cleaners and Laundry in Farmington Hills is a fourth-generation family business, and right now, they’re in a pretty inconvenient location as Orchard Lake Road is under construction.
“Although the first time I was here, I couldn’t get out because there was so much traffic backed up, now people are starting to avoid it,” said longtime customer Garry Greenberg.
As drivers avoid Orchard Lake Road, that means they’re also avoiding Dubin Cleaners and Laundry.
“Overall, there definitely has been a drop in business affected by this construction,” said Sam Dubin of Dubin Cleaners and Laundry.
Thankfully, they have a second location in West Bloomfield that many of their loyal customers are now taking advantage of, but it’s an inconvenience for other customers.
“I have to make sure that I’m coming from the north as opposed to coming from the south, you know, so I may have to wait an extra day or two,” said a customer.
However, the Dubin family is determined to make it through this. They’ve survived everything since opening this business in 1946.
“So we’ve been through everything and especially coming out of COVID,” Dubin said.
Even if it means running out their customer’s dry cleaning when things get backed up.
“That’s the name of the game, Dubin said. “I mean, I think just societally that we’re in this place in society, where people value convenience, and they value quality.”
But despite that customer service, that conveyor is a lot lighter than it was a month ago, which is concerning for the Dubin family.
The good news is construction is expected to wrap up in November for good. The bad news is that it’s a long time for a small business to survive.