Alarmed that the dust and noise from the city's $10 million renovation has clobbered their business, some downtown merchants are worrying about closing for good.

Wilma Burton, owner of Citrus Punch Designs Inc. at 3738 Main St., said sales have hit the skids since the end of January, when the backhoes began tearing up the block between University and Mission Inn avenues.

"I don't know if any of us will still be open when the project is finished in November," she said.

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David Bauman / The Press-Enterprise

Workers install underground electrical tubing at Riverside's downtown pedestrian mall near Mission Inn Avenue as part of a $10 million renovation. The city is replacing a century-old water main and installing new conduits for an electrical system, irrigation and communication cables.

Shoppers and diners must tiptoe around gaping pits ringed with yellow caution tape while construction workers in hard hats and Bobcats excavate two pedestrian malls from University Avenue to Sixth Street.

The triple whammy of sluggish summer sales, the brutal economy and choking dust is "killing everyone," said Vivian Moreno, owner of the BioKorium Day Spa & Salon at 3615 Main St. She said massages and facials have dropped 50 percent in the last six months.

The city is replacing a century-old water main and installing new conduits for an electrical system, irrigation and communication cables, said Councilman Mike Gardner, whose ward includes downtown.

Each block will have signature landscaping while remaining compatible with the City Hall block, he said.

The pedestrian mall between Mission Inn Avenue and Sixth Street will have recycled boulders and a water feature that resembles a babbling brook, crossed by a bridge in front of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's Gift Shop at 3675 Main St.

Gardner said there is one snag: The statue of citrus pioneer Eliza Tibbets won't arrive until after the winter Festival of Lights.

Carol Jones, a high school librarian, wandered among the shops during a recent break from jury duty. Though Simple Simon's, a popular eatery at 3639 Main St., has temporarily moved its front patio to the back, Jones chose to eat indoors.

"Sorry, but jackhammers and dirt don't cut it," she said.

Because of the construction, she has switched the location for her upcoming 60th birthday celebration from downtown Riverside to Old Town Temecula.

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Visitors to Riverside's downtown pedestrian mall are restricted to shop-front sidewalks near Mission Inn Avenue.

"I'm tired of dusting," said Austin Trevve, a clerk at Delights & Invites at 3653 Main St. "We've cut back on decorating the front window because everything gets so dirty."

Gardner said he's sympathetic but hasn't heard any recent complaints.

"When the wind comes up, it does get dusty and we run a water truck to control it," he said.

Another problem is construction vehicles parked in front of Burton's shop, blocking the view of potential visitors. Business is so rotten, she's thinking of returning to her former TV production job, she said.

"Like most mom and pop businesses, we put everything into our shop," Burton said.

To ease businesses through the transition, Gardner said they've been offered rent reductions in city-owned buildings. But that doesn't help Burton, who leases from a private company.

Some merchants say the "Open for Business" signs should be bigger and more numerous.

Cecilia Chacon said her store, in the block between Sixth and Fifth streets, is feeling the ripple effect. She owns Pueblo Viejo at 3521 Main St., selling handmade artwork and custom furniture.

"The construction is a mess," she said as she awaited customers. A year ago, when the city tore up her block, "we had no entrance and had to close," she said. "What a nightmare."

First it was the downtown parking meters, now it's the huge holes that have walloped business, said Joel Udayke, owner of the Flowerloft at 3626 Main St.

"I used to be totally against the renovation," he said. "Now I don't care. I just want it over."

Reach Laurie Lucas at 951-368-9569 or llucas@pe.com