As bad as things are for the businesses in Ellicott
City , it’s even worse for the handful of businesses just across the
bridge in Oella. State Highway Administration crews have a roadblock set up on Frederick Road at River Road denying further access to anyone except employees at Washington Quality Foods.
This morning I talked my way through by saying I just wanted
to fill up with gas at the station in the rock just down the hill. Reluctantly
they allowed me to proceed but suggested that if I parked anywhere I would
likely get a ticket.
After filling up with gas I ventured further to the Old Mill Bakery Café where I was able to grab the last spot in parking lot. All of the
other spaces were taken up with clean up crew vehicles. The folks in the café said
business was off but they have benefited a bit from the all the workers.
That certainly wasn’t the case at the Trolley Stop. “We’re
pretty much dead,” Franny Fields told me. I asked if the workers have been
patronizing her establishment.
“Not really. CSX is feeding everybody.”
I approached a Baltimore
County
That’s a long time for a restaurant that normally does a
pretty good business for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Assuming that the road opens back up this weekend, it would be nice to spread to spread a little of that HoCo love to our neighbors across the river too.
