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By LOHR McKINSTRY
CROWN POINT — The Crown Point Ferry couldn't start soon enough for many of the businesses located in the Champlain Bridge's former travel corridor.
Some lost more than 20 percent of their customers after the Champlain Bridge closed last year.
But they say things are getting back to normal after the opening of the new Crown Point Ferry Monday.
The 24-hour ferry between Crown Point and Addison, Vt. reopened the bridge's commercial corridor. The ferry will run until a new bridge is built.
EATERY REOPENS
Lisa Cloutier, who operates the Bridge Restaurant on the Vermont side, started calling her eatery the "No Bridge Restaurant" after the bridge closed and customers stopped coming in.
The restaurant is located only a few thousand feet from the bridge, and Cloutier said a lack of business forced her to close, starting on Christmas Eve last year.
But she reopened two days after the ferry began running this week.
"We are open again, and Wednesday was a very good day. People poured in and told us how much they missed us and how they're glad we're back open. Today (Thursday) is a bit slower, but I will get the word out that we are back in business."
Cloutier said she'll still keep the word "no" in the diner's name — it's been added to the sign — until the new bridge is open.
'QUITE A HIT'
New York state has an economic-aid program for businesses that lost customers because of the bridge closing and will pay some of their costs.
Joseph and Cindy Bodette at Frenchman's Restaurant in Crown Point didn't qualify under the first round of state aid because they were down 18.5 percent, and the minimum decrease was 20 percent.
"You know what 18.5 percent means to a little place like us?" Mrs. Bodette said. "We've tried not to lay anyone off. We hoped the governor would hear our pleas."
When Gov. David Paterson was in Crown Point to announce the ferry opening, the Bodettes were in the audience. The governor said he was lowering the threshold for aid to a 15-percent sales decrease.
Mr. Bodette said their business had been growing before this.
"We had 10-, 15-percent growth every year until now. Losing $400 or $500 a week is quite a hit on a little place like this."
With the bridge closed and the new ferry not running yet, Mr. Bodette said, many of their regulars were getting to work by different routes.
"We recognize the faces of our regular customers. We didn't see them."
Since the ferry opened, things have been picking up, Mrs. Bodette said.
"It was dramatic. People started coming in right away."
AID FROM STATE
Helen Sprague, owner of Helen's Place in Port Henry, also known as the Miss Port Henry Diner, said she got the state aid for businesses hurt by the bridge closing.
"It doesn't really cover it, but it's better than not having anything. My business was down 22 percent."
MORE FAMILY TIME
Marion Sullivan of Vergennes, Vt., who owns Crown Point Discount Grocery with her husband, John, said their business was way down after the bridge closed.
"We're a little too far out of the way. We're not a super-thriving business to begin with."
She said they qualified under the aid program because they'd lost 24 percent of their business.
Since the new ferry opened, their business is slowly returning, Mrs. Sullivan said.
"It's happening. It's not at the rate we expected, but we're definitely seeing more people, more Vermonters coming in."
Many of the Vermonters driving by are headed to shop at the Ticonderoga Walmart SuperCenter.
"We've been handing out free doughnuts to welcome people back," Mrs. Sullivan said.
The Sullivans also had a hard time getting to work, taking the Ticonderoga Ferry until it closed in early January, then switching to the Essex Ferry. Both added hours to the drive.
"Now we're taking the new ferry," Mrs. Sullivan said. "Suddenly, we have three more hours in our day. Our family gets to see us again. That part is great."
E-mail Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com
