Electric Fetus owners say Franklin Avenue redesign will hurt business
For more than 55 years, Electric Fetus has stood as a Twin Cities record store landmark along Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis.
"We draw people from not only just the Twin City community, but from around the world," Aaron Meyerring, co-owner of Electric Fetus, said.
Owners Aaron Meyerring and Stephanie Meyerring said new plans to redesign Franklin Avenue would disrupt their years of success.
"This design would be detrimental, not only to our business, but I just think our surrounding community and neighborhood," Stephanie Meyerring said.
Hennepin County's plans include a reduction to three lanes and additional sidewalks and bike lanes. The county's goal is to improve safety, accessibility and comfort along the roadway.
"The final plans, we didn't really hear about until more recently," Aaron Meyerring said.
The plans would block drivers heading west from turning onto Fourth Avenue, a major artery to Electric Fetus.
The second generation owners said they have done what they can to advocate for their business.
"We've reached out to all of the council members to the Hennepin County commissioner, pretty much anyone we could think of," Aaron Meyerring said.
In an email to WCCO, Hennepin County said in part, "While not all elements of the project will be agreeable to everyone, the project design considers the traffic needs, and improves safety, accessibility and comfort for all road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users."
The owner said they are all for fixing a road in dire need of improvements, they just don't want it at their expense.
"Retail business is tough right now and every little obstacle is one more reason for a customer to say 'Oh I'll get it next time,' or 'I'll get it on the way back.'" Aaron Meyerring said. "We need all the help and advantage we can and this is extremely a big disadvantage for us."
