The co-owner of an independent business in Halifax says he is relieved now that construction on Dutch Village Road has come to an end.

Mohammad Ashiq runs Hello Pets on Andrew Street, right next to the major roadway that just went through a $10 million overhaul.

He tells our newsroom it’s been tough on business.

“The last eight months have been such a challenge,” says Ashiq. “Almost all of the businesses in this strip and as a small business we just tried to stay positive and adapt the best we could.”

It was in June when he says they saw a huge “nosedive” in sales when a lane closed but after they publicly shared their struggles, things picked up.

“When we shared the challenge on our social media that shared very widely, the love and support we received from our community members and neighbours has just been tremendously awesome,” adds Ashiq.

He says they then started focusing on home deliveries, which also made a difference.

Now, seeing the roadway near completion gives them hope. He says foot traffic has increased but that is typical for the holidays, so they’ll have a better idea of how business is doing over the coming months.

“We’re kind of cautiously optimistic that this will definitely bring a lot more new people in the area and would be great for all the businesses and the neighborhood,” says Ashiq.