Roadwork? A stroll in the Park: retail sales rise along Park Avenue, despite second year of road construction.(Winter Park, FL)

WINTER PARK - When city officials green-lighted road construction on Park Avenue, retailers along the ritzy street shuddered.

"We thought, 'Oh my God, it is going to wipe us out,'" recalls Don Sexton, owner of Downeast Orvis men's clothier and accessories on Park Avenue.

He had reason to worry. Typically, merchants report a 20 percent drop in sales when road construction rolls through.

That's what happened when Lymmo was being built in downtown Orlando. It's what has happened along sections of Orange Blossom Trail targeted for repair.

But it hasn't happened on Park Avenue. Just the opposite: Retail sales are actually up at several stores. …