Parade preparations frustrate downtown shop owners

Parade route restrictions rained on some downtown business owners Thursday, with parking along a part of the route blocked off a day earlier than expected.

As parade-goers staked out spaces for the annual Days of '47 Parade, parking along 200 East was restricted for most of the business day Thursday.

"I've watched people pull up, go to put money in the meter and drive away," said Missy Baber, who owns Misc Boutique. "The day before a holiday, potentially it could have been a really good day (for business)."

Along the parade route, business owners are accustomed to closing shop each July 24, but losing an extra day of business was difficult to swallow for some.

"Given the weak economy and the ongoing economic depression, I really don't appreciate the city going out of its way to take away potential business by shutting down all of the parking today and the entire street tomorrow," Ken Sanders, who owns a bookstore on 200 East, wrote on his store's Facebook page. "That's two days worth of sales that I can't make up."

While the signs on the meters said parking was not allowed Thursday, police did not plan to enforce the restriction until 8 p.m., said Salt Lake City Police spokeswoman Lara Jones.

"This is the delicate balance we have to do every year," Jones said. "We have to give people advance notice or they'll just clamor that they didn't know. … It's one of the biggest events of the year. It's one of those issues we have to deal with. It does create some headaches, and we're sorry for that inconvenience."

Sanders questioned why parade-goers were allowed to claim space along the route when a city ordinance restricts camping along the route until after 8 p.m.

"I'm resigned to not being able to get to my business (on the 24th)," he told the Deseret News. "As odd as I find that behavior … God bless them. But don't take away my parking. How does it make sense to allow the camping and not the parking, which is affecting mine and others' businesses."

Jones, meanwhile, said officers would not impound cars illegally parked along the parade route, instead moving them to a lot beginning at 4 a.m.

Baber said she hoped the parking problem was a one-time thing for her shop.

"I'm fine with sacrificing one day. Two is pushing it," she said. "I still want to be here next year."

e-mail: afalk@desnews.com