Sugar House Businesses Recover After Prolonged Road Construction

For nearly two years, construction along 2100 South reshaped daily life in Sugar House, testing the patience and resilience of local businesses. With roads and sidewalks finally reopened, owners are beginning to take stock of what was lost, what changed, and what recovery might actually look like.

Nicole Anderson

December 16, 2025

For nearly two years, the heart of Sugar House was a maze of orange cones, closed sidewalks, and confused drivers. The long-awaited construction along 2100 South left many local businesses struggling to stay afloat as foot traffic slowed and access became unpredictable. But earlier this month, those same businesses came together in the rain (they say rain is a sign of good luck) to celebrate something they hadn’t seen in years — open roads, open sidewalks, and open doors.

The occasion was SugarFest, a community-wide celebration marking the official completion of the long-running construction project. Live music, local vendors, and a steady stream of visitors filled the streets, reminding business owners why they fell in love with Sugar House in the first place.

Chris Hopkins, owner of Hopkins Brewery. Photo courtesy of Hopkins Brewery.

“It was raining all day,” said Chad Hopkins, owner of Hopkins Brewing Company, “but it didn’t stop people from coming out. It ended up being the busiest Saturday we’ve had since before construction began.”

For Hopkins, the road to recovery has been a long one. “The construction hit us hard,” he said. “We were down 20 to 30 percent that first year, and since the project really ramped up in 2022 and 2023, sales have been essentially cut in half.”

To keep customers coming, Hopkins got creative and began posting Instagram videos showing new routes to reach the brewery when sidewalks and roads were blocked. “It helped,” he said. “People wanted to come, they just didn’t know how to get here.”

Hopkins Brewing has become a Sugar House staple since opening its doors seven years ago. Known for its locally brewed beers, craft cocktails, and sustainable ingredients, the brewery also hosts regular community events: live jazz twice a week, Tuesday Night Trivia, and a full lineup of live music. “We’re proud to be a gathering place,” Hopkins said. “That’s what Sugar House is all about.”

Just a few doors down, at Fiddler’s, they were celebrating, too. Under new ownership since April 2025, the reimagined pub has weathered the tail end of construction and is finally seeing things turn around.

“It was rough at first,” admitted co-owner Jimmy Brown, who runs the restaurant with his wife, Jordanna. “We knew the construction was happening, but we didn’t realize how hard it would hit in the first few months of business.” That made the SugarFest event even sweeter. “It was packed and we had a line out to the parking lot, every seat full,” Brown said. “There wasn’t even a Utes game that weekend, so we know it was the community showing up for SugarFest.”

The Browns credit the city for at least trying to ease the blow, offering local businesses $3,500 in compensation earlier this year. “It wasn’t much compared to what we lost, but it was something,” Brown said. “Now, with the roads open and the energy back, we finally feel some promise.”

At Fiddler’s, the vibe is warm and welcoming, the stone pizza oven burns hot, the Fiddler’s Burger flies off the grill, and there’s a mix of local and domestic beers. “We’ve got a great team and good partners,” Brown said. “We just want to revive what’s been here all along.”

Even boutique retailers like Unhinged, Bruges, and Pips Exchange, all known for their eclectic mix of local art, fashion, food and gifts, felt the strain of closed sidewalks and lost visibility. But the reopening has brought a surge of optimism and new customers discovering (or rediscovering) what makes Sugar House unique.

Looking northeast on 2100 South. Traffic is flowing smoother now that the construction cones are gone. Photo by Laurie Bray.

For many business owners, SugarFest wasn’t just about one day of celebration. It was about reclaiming momentum and community after years of challenge.

“Sugar House has always been resilient,” Hopkins said. “We’re seeing people come back, and that means everything. The roads are open, parking is free again, and we’re ready for what’s next.”

As the rain fell softly that Saturday, the sound of live music mixed with laughter, clinking glasses, and the buzz of traffic finally moving freely through the streets. It felt like Sugar House again — vibrant, creative, and full of life.

Feature Image: The view from El Cholo on 2100 South without cones and construction. Photo courtesy of Sugar House Chamber.

Go Local, Road Construction, Sugar House

Nicole Anderson

Nicole Anderson is a communication professional and freelance writer. She holds a master’s degree in Strategic Communications from Westminster College and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Utah. She is a certified Utah Master Naturalist in Wetlands, and has spent many years researching the Great Salt Lake. Anderson co-founded the blog, Summer of Salt, where she spent three summers exploring the shorelines of Great Salt Lake. In 2010, Anderson was commissioned to write, “Patterns of Change” which documented bird and human usage in Bear River Bay, and she later had a role in the 2012 documentary, “Evaporating Shorelines.” Anderson teaches intercultural and interpersonal communication at Salt Lake Community College. She has written as a freelance author for ten plus years. Her stories and articles have appeared in Airboating Magazine, Gateway Magazine, Utah Stories, and Utah Life Magazine, among several other print and online publications. Anderson has a passion to protect landscapes and places that cannot speak for themselves.