Ground Control Craft Food & Drink survived pandemic shutdowns, rising inflation and months of roadway construction co-owner Ian Harwell said cost him $45,000 a month in lost business.
But as the setbacks pile up, Harwell wonders how long he and his wife Stephanie can keep the business up and running.
Harwell announced Monday, July 11 that due to a broken meter, the shop had lost access to its gas-powered appliances, meaning he is unable to prepare any items normally made in the fryer.
“Trying to get a SW Gas [technician out] asap,” he wrote on Facebook, referring to Southwest Gas.“But (a)fter the 3 months of construction sales damages they caused me recently, I truly feel (like) they are trying to put me out of business. I’m joking but I’m not joking,” Harwell wrote.
The Harwells previously expressed disappointment with the Nevada-based utility company and Litchfield Park city officials, for what they considered a lack of communication regarding major construction outside their plaza.
Ian Harwell’s frustration boiled over in March when barricades appeared without notice, blocking a main entryway into the plaza where Ground Control and several other local businesses operate.
“You got to love all the challenges us small businesses continue to face,” Harwell wrote in a March 28 Facebook post. “As if the construction wasn’t difficult enough to navigate your way into the building — now you can’t possibly take a left turn into the complex heading north on Litchfield.”
At the time, Southwest Gas told the Independent that it had sent out mailers informing businesses and residents of construction back in fall 2021. Southwest Gas has yet to respond to a request for comment related to this story.
The July 11 gas outage was unrelated to construction and the meter was fixed that same afternoon. But Harwell told the Independent that the loss in sales caused by months of construction combined with various business and personal challenges may force the small business, a community staple since 2007, to finally close.
“After losing $45k per month in sales for those three months I’m so…close to having to close,” Harwell told the Independent. “I keep getting kicked when I’m down and it sucks,” he said in another message.
It’s been wave after wave of challenges for the Harwells.
Harwell told the Independent that the week before the gas outage, Ground Control had lost half its power during its busiest time, and that same week, Harwell’s car stopped running in the middle of the road.
“When it rains it freakin pours,” Harwell wrote in a separate post. “I know the world likes to test people to make them stronger,” he wrote, “but at what point is it no longer (a) test and just torture.”
He encouraged patrons to continue to support the business in any way they can.
“Please buy merchandise, gift cards, whatever you can today,” he wrote. “ I really can use help and support.”
Harwell included a link to the shop’s takeout app which can be accessed here. For more information, visit Ground Control’s website at groundxcontrol.com.
Madeline Ackley Salazar can be reached at mackley@iniusa.org or found on Twitter @Mkayackley.
Madeline Ackley is a Phoenix-area native who joined Independent Newsmedia in July 2021 as a reporter for the Goodyear-Litchfield Park Independent. She is passionate about delivering hyperlocal coverage of issues that matter to her community.
She has previously covered immigration, policing, homelessness, veteran’s issues and breaking news and her byline has appeared in The Arizona Mirror, The Arizona Republic, The Phoenix Business Journal and Cronkite News.
Madeline is passionate about animal welfare and the environment. She loves to cook, travel and spend time with her family.
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