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As she prepares to celebrate the 13th anniversary of opening Fáilte Irish Imports, Dublin native Liza Hendley Betz feels as if the luck of the Irish has been replaced by the curse of downtown redevelopment.

For the first eight years after she opened her shop in 2001, Hendley's business prospered on South Limestone, just off the corner of High Street.

Betz's bread and butter was selling Irish bread and butter — plus sausages, Bewley's tea, Batchelor's canned beans, Cadbury's sweets and other comfort food from home to the Emerald Isle's large expatriate community in Central Kentucky. She also did a good business in Irish tweeds, Celtic jewelry and souvenirs.

Then, with two weeks' warning, South Limestone was shut down for 11 months for a major street reconstruction project.

Her business struggled, but she was able to move in early 2010 to her dream location: beside McCarthy's Irish Bar on South Upper Street. But the old red-and-green building also was across the street from the stalled CentrePointe project, which was then a grassy field.

"This is where I always wanted to be," Betz said of the close proximity to McCarthy's, a social center for the Irish community where she used to serve drinks.

As for CentrePointe, she figured, "I'll deal with it when it happens. It can't be any worse than what happened before."

Or could it? Last December, all of the street parking across from her shop was closed after CentrePointe's developer got city permission to begin blasting and excavation.

The street was a noisy, dusty mess for most of this year as the CentrePointe block was converted into a 40-foot limestone pit. Then everything stopped. Developer Dudley Webb is now trying to raise money to build an underground garage.

To make matters worse, the block of North Upper Street above Fáilte has been closed for months so the old First National Bank Building can be renovated into 21C Museum Hotel.

"This used to be a busy intersection," she said. "You can go out here now and do a dance in the middle of the street. It's hard these days to keep a business going with all this around you."

Betz has rented a single parking space beside her shop, which has made it more convenient for customers to stop in for quick purchases.

Like many retailers, Fáilte's prime season is between Thanksgiving and New Year's, not just for gift items but because Irish Americans want food from home for their holiday celebrations.

On Dec. 12, the shop will celebrate its 13th anniversary with a 10 percent off sale, plus a party with Guinness beer, souvenir glasses and Irish music next door at McCarthy's between 7 and 9 p.m.

Betz said she needs a big December, although her holiday season will extend to St. Patrick's Day on March 17. She recently became a United States citizen, so she also is thinking about something special for next July 4 — if she can keep the doors open that long.

"It's the worst time we've ever had," said Betz, whose husband is a horse veterinarian. She minds the shop while caring for their two small children.

Like any good entrepreneur, Betz has been looking for ways to broaden her business beyond food and gifts. She has organized annual tours of Ireland, and she's looking to use her Irish expertise to grow the travel business. She also is thinking about clearing some space in the tiny shop for a couple of tables to serve tea.

"I know I need to change things up a bit," she said. "But I'm afraid to put money into anything right now."

Betz also knows that, in the long run, she will have a great location when 21C opens and whatever ends up being built at CentrePointe is finished. But, as the famous saying goes, people don't eat in the long run.

"I'm in the middle of downtown," she said. "Who would think this is a bad location?"

Tom Eblen: (859) 231-1415. Email: teblen@herald-leader.com. Twitter: @tomeblen. Blog: tomeblen.bloginky.com

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2014/11/30/3568082/tom-eblen-for-owner-of-irish-shop.html?fb_action_ids=801118673283137&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582#storylink=cpy