Vendôme metro construction threatens local business

Closed streets and detours in front of the Vendôme metro station are giving drivers and metro users headaches, but the construction is also threatening local businesses.

Rachel Levy Brown poured nearly a half a million dollars into her business at the corner of de Maisonneuve and Northcliff, when she and her son opened the Nux Wellness Centre a year and half ago

However, months of construction brought business to a standstill, as fences cut the store off from the street and essentially made it no longer accessible by car.

"It's impossible for us to operate, we saw our business from morning till night disappear, our customers were calling, there's no access, we paid for a parking lot, thousands of dollars, no access to our parking lot," said Levy Brown.

Levy Brown says she feels abandoned by the city of Montreal.

"What's most disturbing is the lack of compassion or the lack of understanding in this city for young entrepreneurs or any type of business. They're all suffering on this street," said Levy Brown.

The owners of Montreal Caribbean Restaurant say they don't know how much longer their business can last without help.

"I think they're going to block it further down and people already have problems parking, some people have problems finding their way in and it's really not good," said owner Lorraine Smith.

The city of Montreal has in the past tried to help businesses on streets under construction, but it says there are not enough businesses here to merit any financial support.