Owners of several Reston Town Center stores say their receipts are down as much as 37 percent since center owner Boston Properties Inc. (NYSE: BXP) instituted a paid parking system in January.
Top losers have been Potomac River Running Co. (March sales down 37 percent year-over-year), The Eyewear Gallery (February sales down 29 percent), and Edibles Incredibles (February sales down 28 percent), the Reston Merchants Association said.
The Reston Merchants Association, comprised primarily of locally owned businesses, was formed in response to the app-based paid parking system that went into effect Jan. 3. The merchants — as well as many consumers — have said the app is hard to use and paying $2 an hour for weekday or night parking is unfair.
“These stats are very much in line with what we have been seeing,” said Aaron Gordon, owner of Red Velvet Cupcakery (year-over-year sales down 19 percent in March) and founder of The Merchants Association. “The community has spoken and they are…
