By Moses Leos III

World Services of Austin owner Willie Cisneros remembers a time when he and other businesses thrived along the two-way U.S. Highway 81 in Kyle. 

But the restructure of U.S. 81 into its current one-way format along IH-35 is taking away business from Cisneros. Now he fights to stay relevant along what is slowly becoming a forgotten section of the city. 

“(Business) was a lot better when we had two-way traffic,” Cisneros said. “And now, it’s one-way going south and a lot of people don’t see us because they are going 50 miles per hour. We are kind of hidden in a way.”

Walk-in traffic built success for Cisneros, whose silk screening and printing shop was located along U.S. 81 for 12 years. The two-way structure of the road allowed for easier access to his shop. 

But in 2014, Hays County, along with the city of Kyle, changed U.S. Highway 81 into a one-way street. The move was done to improve traffic flow into downtown Kyle, along with alleviating safety issues stemming from the two-way format. 

Ultimately, Cisneros said the county “had to do what they did” to fix traffic troubles plaguing the road. 

“I think this town, when it was built, it was built for mules and buggies,” Cisneros said. “There was never anything on highway traffic.” 

After the changeover, Cisneros said business substantially dropped. 

Since the road went one-way, Cisneros estimates a 40 percent drop as walk-in customer base diminished. 

Added to the issue of visibility, Cisneros’ business tackled a two-front battle against corporate print and screen shops, along with smaller, online-based businesses. 

With a small business mentality, advertising has been hard to come by. For Cisneros, his sole business comes from “loyal customers” because “they know where we’re at and they come back.  

“We used to have more paper printing. Now we are limited because we don’t have as many calls for that,” Cisneros said. “People don’t know where we’re at.” 

But moving may not be an option for Cisneros. High rent prices across the city, along with low overhead at his current location, keep him grounded. 

“Only time will tell, I guess,” Cisneros said. “But if we need to and we find the right location, we will move.”  

Not all business owners along old 81 are struggling. Rosie Natal, owner of the Little Hair Shop, said while visibility is an issue, mostly because high grass obstructs her business from view. 

“It’s just a maintenance thing,” Natal said. “The grass keeps growing, but I don’t think I’ve seen them cut it once since its change (to one-way).” 

Yet her clientele has not dropped off significantly. Natal said she saw a decline in customers during the initial construction period, but she’s seen a rebound since the change was completed.

Placing a sign along the highway helps draw traffic into her salon. 

“I have my good days and my not-so-good days, but (the road) is not affecting me much,” she said. “It affected me in the beginning, but not anymore. I’m used to it.” 

Visibility is also an issue for Cross Plants and Produce co-owner Nathan Cross. The business is located on a portion of Highway 81 surrounded by undeveloped, private property with only one access point to the feeder road. 

“If you’re coming down this road, you’re meaning to come down this road,” Cross said. 

But he believes development could be on its way to portions of Old 81. With commercially zoned land close to his property, he expects business to pick up. 

“Kyle is going to run out of real estate, and that land is for sale,” Cross said. “There will be something here eventually, if someone is willing to pay $800,000 an acre, or whatever it costs.”