Brownsboro Hardware & Paint Leverages “Use the Back Way” Campaign to Offset Road Construction Disruptions

Brownsboro Hardware & Paint in Louisville, Ky., is rolling out a creative strategy to combat customer drop-off caused by major roadway construction near its location, and early indicators suggest the approach may be stemming the tide.

Construction on I-264 and US 42 began midyear, and when the US 42 bridge over the Watterson Expressway narrowed from four lanes to two, Brownsboro Center and its tenants began feeling the pinch. The reduction in traffic capacity threatened business visibility and access—particularly for planned events like the annual EggFEST Food Festival held in early August, according to Doug Carroll, owner and manager of Brownsboro Hardware.

To counter the disruption, Brownsboro enlisted its advertising agency to design a “use the back way” map showing alternate routes via Westport Road, Hubbards, Rudy Lane, and US 42. They promoted these routes heavily to EggFEST attendees, encouraging parking at Sojourn Church and use of shuttle service into the center. Carroll says the result was strong: “traffic flowed great and we had record attendance both days.”

Seeing potential beyond the festival, Brownsboro acquired the domain UseTheBackWay.com, published the alternate-route map, and elevated its social media campaigns to include construction blasting schedules, alerts about best travel windows, and promotions of all neighboring tenants.

“We also started posting small profiles of each restaurant, shop and office in the center on our social media sites,” Carroll explains. “We’ve had hundreds of ‘likes’ and responses to these posts. It became clear that every one of these businesses were small, locally and family owned. All we had to do is continue to promote that all of us depend on our customers.”

Joe Lilly, marketing & public relations specialist at Brownsboro, adds that the joint-promotion approach has helped unite the shopping-center community. “Our neighbor businesses have been very grateful for what we have done so far … by helping promote each other, we’re acknowledging that we are all in this together.”

Brownsboro also sweetened the strategy with direct incentives: during recent grill demonstration Saturdays, the store offered customers a $25 gift card for any of the four restaurants in the center for each grill purchase. Carroll states that this move reinforced the community message and helped drive cross-traffic between tenants.

Carroll acknowledges they can’t conclusively attribute sales increases to the campaign, “but we believe some of the ‘bleeding’ has stopped.” He notes that customers frequently comment that they “used the back way” to reach the store. He adds that the campaign has fostered stronger relationships among local businesses: “What makes one strong makes us all stronger.”

Carroll emphasizes that though the road construction is a temporary challenge, the unity and goodwill emerging may endure. “We invest in the community that invests in us,” he says. “People are telling us that they are coming to us, even if they have to wait in traffic a little. And that’s been extremely gratifying.”

For Brownsboro Hardware & Paint, solving a road-access problem has become an opportunity to reaffirm its role in the local business ecosystem—and to remind customers that even when the easy route is blocked, they’re still worth the detour.