"I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody." OK, folks, this isn't the 1950s Hoboken, New Jersey, waterfront. And we're not running with the likes of Terry Malloy and his brother Charley. But when the punch-drunk Terry utters those immortal words, we have to start thinking about our downtown, a hard-luck venue craving contender status.
Eric Armour, the owner of Trinity Romance and the president of the Downtown Business Improvement Association, is frustrated with muni hall's handling of the DBIA renewal process. He figures when council opted for a petition-based formula, they "quite bluntly set us up for failure."
Meanwhile, the proposed expansion of Pearl's 2nd's, an affiliate of the Howe Sound Women's Centre, has some observers fuming about the area degenerating into "a place to put the riff raff." According to Greg Fischer, a former president of the DBIA and the proprietor of Gelato Carina, the DBIA's efforts to generate downtown vibrancy are being undermined by the proliferation of second-hand stores.
After that blunt declaration, The Chief's online comment page went into overdrive with one blogger proclaiming that those assertions "reflect an elitist and even judgmental attitude of second-hand stores... This certainly sounds like nimbyism as well." Another respondent, who works with the Women's Centre, announced that she was "proud to be one of those riff raffs."
In the face of relentless competition from the likes of Garibaldi Village, the Chieftain Mall, and Squamish Station Mall, not to mention Wal-Mart and Home Depot, the downtown is attracting a broad range of trendy specialty shops and services. It is also becoming the default location for so called lower-end retailers.
This business pattern has been repeated throughout towns in North America besieged by malls and big-box retailers. Many have risen to the occasion by creating colourful, historically themed and niche-based retail environments.
Ironically, the most recent hullabaloo to hit the downtown presents itself at a time when the area is on the verge of getting its act together and reaching contender status. In the past five years, the DBIA has commissioned wall murals, bike racks, social media marketing, Canada Day festivities, new patio bylaws, improved snow clearing, bear-proofing of garbage receptacles and shopping promotions. It has also secured streetscape beautification grants and fostered general aesthetic improvements.
To be sure, there are still too many storefronts in a state of suspended animation and too many absentee landlords whose main interest is collecting rent with as little capital outlay as possible.
Despite these shortcomings, the downtown has come a long way. A Loggers Sports parade on Cleveland Avenue on a spectacular sunny August day can be a magical event. Quaffing a beverage and soaking up the afternoon while people-watching on a sidewalk patio café has become a cultural mainstay for locals and a rite of passage for newcomers.
In a few weeks, we will find out whether the Downtown Business Improvement Association will be renewed or mothballed. In any event, instead of locking horns, it's time for all the stakeholders to continue the process of boosting the heart of this community.
