A growing number of establishments on Duckworth Street say they’re having trouble making a go of it these days with the special status being given to Water Street and the Pedestrian Outdoor Mall.

Water Street was jam-packed all weekend as last week’s cold rain gave way to warm sunshine.

Srdjan Stojic, the owner/operator of the Saltwater Restaurant, posted last week that maybe that type of trial with the outdoor mall could have been better timed to occur when there were thousands of tourists around, but not during a pandemic summer.

Things were going well when they reopened in June but it all came crashing down when shoppers opted for the outdoor mall.

He believes that Water and Duckworth should either both open outdoor shopping and entertainment areas or both indoor.

Stojic has spoken to many other restaurateurs and they’re experiencing similar issues.