Heather Campbell has run Kids Play at Mitchell since 2005 but posted a loss of $85,000 last financial year - the first she has experienced in all her years of trading.
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Anthony Manning has seen a decline in income from his Phoenix Gym of about 30 per cent, with fewer sales inquiries and clients turning up to class.
And Quentin Ainscough's early morning trade at Jindebah Hills Coffee has dropped off to barely a dribble.
All three blame the intense light rail construction which has restricted access to the northern Canberra suburb since October last year.
And to rub salt in the wound, two tram stops at Lysaght Drive and Sandford Street that were included in the original design have been dropped from stage one of the project.
Capital Pinball's Jose Ciminelli said those stops would have made the decline in trade he has seen during the construction period worthwhile.
"No stop adds insult to injury," Mr Ciminelli said.
However transport minister Meegan Fitzharris said the stops were dropped some time ago because the public didn't want them.
"It's been clear for a couple of years now it wasn't in the final design, after a lot of analysis and public consultation about where the light rail stops should be," Ms Fitzharris said.
However Mr Manning said that consultation did not adequately reach local businesses.
In two days, he helped to sign up more than 250 businesses to the newly formed Mitchell Traders Association to advocate for "the most rundown business district in Canberra".
"None were consulted and none were happy," Mr Manning said.
"Mitchell has 300 businesses and employs 4000 people. People will get on the light rail and go straight past us."
Mr Manning believes the impact of construction on Mitchell businesses was vastly underestimated because it is considered a light industrial estate.
He has lost a lot of inner north customers because of the traffic delays and diversions.
"People might come and buy a lawnmower every two years but businesses like mine, coffees shops, and takeaways are affected on a daily basis," Mr Manning said.
Mr Ainscough said the 15-20 minutes extra the traffic delays added meant far fewer people were ducking in for a coffee.
"It's been worse than the GFC just in front of house sales," Mr Ainscough said.
Asked if the government would consider compensating businesses which had been severely impacted by the construction, Ms Fitzharris said she was yet to be approached about it.
"That's not been directly raised with me but we've been foreshadowing this for a very long time that there's significant construction underway," Ms Fitzharris said.
"I know they're almost at the peak of some of that construction at the moment, that there has been the closure of one intersection but we continue to talk with them, if we're not talking with them enough we'll make sure Canberra metro and Transport Canberra do that."
In recognition that Mitchell was growing, Ms Fitzharris said the government would put in infrastructure so it could place light rail stops at Mitchell in future stages of the project.
But Ms Campbell said it was a "lost opportunity" to put light rail stops in several years down the track.
"I understand there's marketing out there about it being a 24-minute trip into the city and extra stops lengthen times but you could have express routes in peak time and have an extra stop or two during the day," Ms Campbell said.
"I think the benefit far outweighs the cost. The nearest stop to Mitchell is couple of kilometres away. That's a walk for anyone to do and there are no footpaths. I've got six kids of my own and I know trying to wrangle them there would be horrendous."
