MILWAUKEE — Faisal Bhimani has become a familiar face for many at the gas stations off Howard and Clement.
For over 20 years, you might have seen him at the BP and Citgo stations.
However, he considered leaving both of them recently.
Back in August, he told TMJ4 that the Howard Avenue Reconstruction Project had caused a 70% decline in business over his busiest months.
Updates on Howard Avenue Reconstruction Project: https://city.milwaukee.gov/dpw/infrastructure/supportforbusiness/projectsummaries/Howard-Avenue
He and other business owners acknowledged that the work needed to be done, but the impact was still difficult on them both financially and emotionally.
Previous Coverage: https://www.tmj4.com/news/milwaukee-county/howard-ave-reconstruction-project-throwing-a-wrench-in-sales-customers-for-some-milwaukee-business-owners
“Two weeks ago, I was done with it,” said Bhimani. “I was just like, I can't do it anymore. It was getting very, very depressing.”
Once word got out that Bhimani might be leaving, an outpouring of community support flooded in through letters and people stopping by.
Watch: Howard Avenue gas station operator staying put thanks to community support
That includes Kaila Hennessy, who lives nearby.
“He's done a lot of work in the community, just helping out families around here, children, Girl Scouts, selling things for school projects, and to raise money, so he's just a great human, and I want to support that,” said Hennessy.
One example of that was when Faisal offered to help Damon Lusz and his son fundraise for a class trip to Costa Rica.
“To have someone with no skin in the game, just say, “Hey, let me do what I can to help you guys out.” It was fantastic,” said Lusz.
Bhimani has also been instrumental in helping Gary, a nonverbal, autistic man who was hit by a car earlier this year.
Previous Coverage:https://www.tmj4.com/news/milwaukee-county/milwaukee-police-neighbors-searching-for-driver-of-white-truck-who-struck-autistic-man
Previous Coverage: https://www.tmj4.com/news/milwaukee-county/community-members-donate-thousands-of-tabs-to-autistic-man-struck-in-hit-and-run
He credits the Bay View Town Hall, St. Francis Town Hall, and other social media groups for helping him get the word out about fundraisers and community activities at his gas stations.
“The support has been very strong, and unlike any other,” said Bhimani.
He also thanked TMJ4 for shining a light on the issues impacting these different south side communities.
While he will no longer own the stores, Bhimani now will lease both of them. You can expect to see him plenty.
"What this community has done for me is, I mean, just talking about it is very emotional," said Bhimani. "They have just done everything."
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