Shopkeepers expressed concerns through the Crowborough Retailers Association when East Sussex County Council announced the five week works.
But last week the town's traders said the disturbance was not as bad for business as they first feared.
Jane Hunnam, co-owner of Zest, said: "I do not think it has had any effect at all. The only point I have is how nice it would be if it was pedestrianised."
The works have seen traffic banned from the town centre for the duration as street scene improvements are made to match those carried out in Croft Road.
Roberta Johnson, owner of Marguerites florists, said: "I have been doing quite well because the workers have come in and bought flowers for their wives."......
I had to read this a couple of times as I couldnt believe it first time.The High Street has been closed for weeks and because the workmen have bought a few flowers everything is OK.My thought is that this story is totally fabricated and putting out the feelers in order to close off the High Street permanently.Perhaps then the Council will be happy that the Town Centre will be no more and Crowborough will just be a collection of supermarkets.
The retailers are in a strange position. I suspect they have to put a brave face on the position irrespective of reality. They have to give the impression trade is good otherwise even less people will shop in the high Street. One only had to walk through the closed High Street to realise that there were very few shoppers. I'd guess that the average Crowborough Shop has to take around £250,000 a year to be considered anything like a success. Thats £4,800 a week, or £800 a day. With the number of pedestrians on the High Street those figures look unlikely to be received by most!
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