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Canmore street fairs face axe
By Tanya Foubert - Rocky Mountain Outlook
As it turns out, it’s true that you can’t please all of the people all of the time.
That’s what Canmore’s downtown business association is finding out about its series of street fairs this year and the final one scheduled for September is on the chopping block.
The group, also known as the Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ), held a meeting for its members earlier this month to get feedback on how the events are going.
The BRZ scheduled five street fairs this summer after two were held last year. Not all the fairs are set to close down Main Street.
But those that do shut down the roadway, according to retailers, have not increased their business sales and in fact have seen them go down compared to past years.
Stonewater’s owner Mike Gordon said he recognizes the importance of creating a vibrant downtown, the goal of the street fairs, but typically he has been 30 to 40 per cent busier without them.
“But a busy vibrant downtown does not always equate to increased business,” he said. “I am not against it as it is good for the community as a whole and will bring people back.”
Gordon said to participate in the street fair itself requires extra staffing and services, which can be challenging, especially on a long weekend.
He also pointed that some out-of-town vendors in past street fairs have competed directly with local businesses.
“Is it counter-productive to pay taxes all year long and support events to have someone with $100 have the greatest showroom in town?” he asked. “It is crazy we as a BRZ are bringing in people who directly compete with our goods, but I am okay with it if it makes people love Canmore because it is good in the long run.”
Tin Box owner Sean Meggs said if held at the right times, the street fairs could help businesses.
Meggs said holding the events during long weekends and in the summer doesn’t make sense and they should be focused on the shoulder season when businesses need help attracting people downtown.
BRZ board member Marnie Dansereau explained the idea was to bring vibrancy to the downtown, but it was felt there was not enough momentum or knowledge of the event to begin it during the shoulder season.
Dansereau also said the organization has heard positive feedback from visitors to the town when the events are taking place.
BRZ administrator Sondy Syzmanis said restaurants in particular have seen an increase in their sales during the events, even if it has not translated in the same way for retailers.
The BRZ membership, as well, is made up of more than just retailers and restaurants. All office-type businesses in the downtown are members and see no direct benefit whatsoever from the events.
Syzmanis added the marketing potential of having the events and a vibrant downtown to draw in visitors is immeasurable in the long run.
Karen Gorden, owner of Creekside Casuals, said in other communities, in her experience, street fairs are not about sales, but are connected to a specific event.
For example, she said, a food festival where all the restaurants have tables in the streets, an antique car show or a music festival.
“It becomes an attraction to the town and keeps people there,” she said. “It is built around an event, not just street vendors.”
Others at the meeting agreed connecting with actual events would likely provide more benefit to the businesses downtown.
Canmore Economic Development Authority executive director Teresa Mullen said events are a real economic driver for the community.
Mullen said organizers are constantly asking to close Main Street in conjunction with their events. She said to attract events the community needs to demonstrate what it can do.
One example of that was the World Cup held in January, which saw the BRZ team up with the organizing committee, the municipality and Tourism Canmore Kananaskis.
For three days, Main Street was closed to traffic and turned into a cross-country ski track. Along with the ability to try the alpine sport, demonstrations by local ski clubs and dog sledding events were also held.
Hugh Hancock, who owns canmorealberta.com and runs webcams, said there was a definite increase in views of the downtown during those events.
Hancock said normally there are 90,000 to 100,000 views a month on that webcam and during the World Cup there were 30,000 views over the three days.
The street fair in mid-June also saw the event run in conjunction with artsPeak. The weekend art and culture event usually holds an art fair in the Senior’s Centre, but this year artists and artisans were on the Main Street along with vendors for the fair.
Mut Hut owner and board member Charlene Cherniwican said of all the street fairs held so far she felt the one during artsPeak had the most vibrancy and people in the downtown core.
Clothing West owner Kayla Kernick suggested a planning committee be put together to examine how to make street fairs better and combine them with actual events in the community.
The next street fair scheduled is for this weekend on Saturday (July 31) and Syzmanis said it has been moved to the plaza area in front of the Civic Centre.
“It is still a test year and we thought we would try that,” she said. “It will create a lot more visibility.”
In addition to using Main Street and the plaza, where the municipality holds a weekly Mountain Market, the street fairs have also been held along the Walk of Champions.
There is also a question as to whether the final street fair on the September long weekend will be changed or cancelled.
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Update: The September 4th Street Fair has been cancelled.
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