DES MOINES, Iowa — The City of Des Moines has been working for months with businesses and residents along Euclid Ave. on a planned street improvement project.

There was an informational meeting and flyers were sent out with all the details of the project. Everything, except the exact day this would take place, was communicated. Crews started work at 6th and Euclid on Monday.

“It’s been a little bit of a surprise we got. I got a text from another business owner who lives in the neighborhood with a picture of some concrete torn up,” said Bethany Fast, of Little Book, and independent book store. “I just didn’t know it was going to happen right then, so there was a little bit of a scramble, so a little bit of surprise.”

Business owners at 6th and Euclid are excited about the changes being made, while just trying to navigate customers through all the construction.

“We met with Joe Eddy this morning, he is, I believe, the main general contractor on site and engineer and so he walked us through everything that’s happening,” said Jamie Nicolino, owner of The Collective. “Someone from his team yesterday was literally here within an hour of a few emails being sent to the city council members and they wanted to make sure that they get things done as quickly and as efficiently as possible.”

The Little Book has done a social media post on how to get to the store, but also encouraged customers to order from their online site.

“To keep that positivity up and just let them know that like hey if you don’t feel like navigating the parking, we’d love it if you would send us an online order,” said Fast. “We know it’s going to be a challenge the next few months and we just want to keep our heads above water.”

“We even have people messaging us on social media. ‘How can we support you right now during this construction,’” said Nicolino. “People just want communication so we’re going to put together some you know Instagram reels of us walking through the construction and letting people know how to get to us during this time.”

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