Water Garden Gems used to get anywhere from 20-30 people on a Saturday. That number has diminished to one or two customers.
SAN ANTONIO — Ongoing construction along I-10 near 1604 has one Cibolo business owner worried about the future.
“Water Garden Gems has been here for a little over 30 years. We specialize in coy fish, coy ponds, the equipment to build them,” said Gary Koscielski.
Over the last two years, Koscielski has been confronted with the financial headaches of highway construction. Employees and customers are confronted with confusion as they navigate their way to the business located at 3230 Bolton Road.
Koscielski said the construction has led to plummeting business.
“About July-August of 2022 is where construction really started to impact us. We’re seeing more lane closures, the overpasses and stuff had been shut down,” Koscielski said. “Where we would normally see on the weekends, 20-30 people come through on a Saturday, we’re seeing one or two.”
Koscielski has reached out to the Texas Department of Transportation for assistance on establishing detour signs and any other form of signage that informs residents on how to access Water Garden Gems. He’s also called Webber construction for solutions to help alleviate the challenges for customers to make it to the business. But Koscielski noted there’s been little to no action.
“So we’ve heard a lot of from clients over the phone saying that we tried to get out there but we turned around and we couldn’t figure out how to get out there,” Koscielski said.
The lack of customers creates a grim future for Water Garden Gems if something isn’t done to reverse the financial decline. Koscielski is hoping this doesn’t come to shutting down the more than 30 year business next spring.
“This was a small dream to have this and make it succeed both for my family, my kids to have in the future and the community to have somewhere to go to. To think we may lose that going forward, it’s pretty heartbreaking,” Koscielski said.
The Texas Department of Transportation did not respond to KENS 5’s request for comment regarding Koscielski’s concerns.
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