Dedham Business Owner Fears Parking Fees Will Scare Away Customers

Paradise Café Owner Ali Koushan fears returning customers will avoid Dedham Square because of the new parking fees. 

“They don’t like it and I feel like they will not come to the square as often,” Koushan said.

Koushan believes customers who come to his café three times a week, may only start coming once a week because of the new fees.

“If you come to my facility, I don’t want you to have to worry about the fees,” he said.

To help customers adjust to the new changes, Koushan said he will deduct customer’s parking fees from their bill.  Customers will just need to bring their parking receipt into the café and they will get that amount deducted from their purchase.

“Bring and show us your parking stub and we will gladly take it off your check,” Koushan said.  “I feel like it’s a very nice way to say, 'don’t worry about it.'” 

Koushar is not the only business owner who fears customers will stop coming to Dedham Square.

Peter Reynolds, owner of the Blue Bunny book store has offered to pay for anyone’s Dedham Square parking until the end of the year.   Customers just have to enter the store with their parking receipt, and the shop will not only pay for it, but they will also double it.

Starting on Oct. 1, computerized meters were placed on High Street for their 1 hour parking spots.  Parking cost 25 cents for 30 minutes, 50 cents for 45 minutes and 75 cents for a whole hour.  Parking under an hour can only be paid with coins, while an hour parking can be paid with a debit or credit card.

New meters were also placed in the large municipal lot in between Route 1 and High Street, where customers can park for up to three hours at a rate of 50 cents an hour.

Parkers do not have to place the receipts in their vehicles.  They just have to punch their stall number into the computerized kiosk.