By Brad Hodge
Published: Nov. 17, 2012
We often hear the pitch for downtown Squamish: we need a gateway sign! We need more density! More aesthetic improvements!
Don’t get me wrong. Out of townies are great sources of external revenue. But the reality is they come mostly according to the season, and there is a lot of down season.
If we want downtown to truly thrive, and by extension attract visitors, we have to convince ourselves that the place is worth visiting.
That won’t happen when it all goes dark after 4 p.m., and the long line of empty commercial storefronts tells the tale of how much activity has gone, or shifted further up the highway.
I’ve heard some argue that in a small town like ours, we can hardly expect to generate enough activity to keep things buzzing day in and day out and into evenings. Nonsense! And I have proof, it’s called Tantalus Alley.
Tantalus Alley is the block of commercial spaces behind Extra Foods. You’ve doubtless been there at least once: for fish and chips, sushi, or any number of other options. And the place is busy, every night. Good luck finding a parking stall after 5, on a Tuesday.
Most of us live up in the north, so it’s conveniently located, although it’s not so convenient in aspects like parking. But I know for a fact it draws people from the south, and it draws visitors. Why?
Its success can be attributed to its reasonable commercial rents. That was probably due to its rather awkward location: Behind a grocery store. Years ago it wasn’t much to remark about – only recently was the street fixed up.
But I think the core of landlords there, keen on keeping their spaces filled, were able to attract a core of really great food establishments (which are sensitive to overhead).
After you had a couple, others wanted to be there too, and it sort of took on a life of its own as a place Squamish residents retire to relax, enjoy good food and the company of friends.
This creates a ‘buzz’ that attracts others to the area. Buzz is what downtown needs.
I think the trick with downtown is somehow getting more quality food establishments there. Food and culture are tied together, and downtown’s success depends on its ability to establish itself as the cultural center of Squamish.
If I were a cheeky Council, I would look for ways to make an explicit pitch to T.A. residents that the place they really want to be is downtown.
I would do that with tax relief, aesthetic improvements, and a bit of a lean on landlords who are sitting on empty space. And of course I would improve transit, to make sure it’s hitting that area at all hours and on Sundays.
Once we get our own residents to visit downtown regularly, I believe it will attract visitors all on its own.
Trevor Mils says
We did have a buzz downtown for years. It was called Yiannis. In the evening you could not get a parking spot near there. Same thing with the Loggers Inn years ago. We need to encourage these type of services, food or otherwise to keep the evening life in downtown.
Muriel Shephard says
Let’s have some investigative reporting: who are the landlords downtown and what rents do they charge?
Brad Hodge says
My research on this is a year or so old, but when I pounded the pavement last, the lowest I got was $12-14 per square foot + triple net. Some, like the malls, were higher — $16-20 + triple net. That got me anywhere from $1500-3000 a month in several of the spaces I looked at, and some of those were on 2nd which is in desperate shape. Up in the Alley, some spaces were about $450-500/mo for 500-600sq ft. That would have been ideal for me as a stepping stone out of the house. The bigger ones you might pay $1000-1300 all in. Now, $1500-3000 would not be unreasonable if the economic activity justified it. But looking at Tantalus Alley’s activity vs. Downtown… in my opinion, Downtown should be at a steep discount. At least, that’s my attitude as a business.
Dave says
Hint to Downtown Merchants:
Open for longer, follow your own published opening hours and don’t put up notices like “back in 30 mins” and then not return for an hour! I wonder where all those people in the ever-growing high-rises shop…perhaps you might attract them. Meanwhile leave those of us who live further north to our prefered facilities without whining. Remember…”supply and demand”.
I shop in ” Greater Squamish”, and that includes every GOOD business in the District not just down-town.
Donny says
CIBC and Tim Hortons chose a site only after exhaustive research.They did NOT chose Cleveland Avenue. BC Liqure store didn’t relocate to loose business.
Downtown is a fiction , the centre of Squamish is Garibaldi , that enormous drive- in that stretches from Canadian Tire to Extra Foods.
Face the reality Squamish.
Wolfgang Wittenburg says
You confuse the terms ‘Strip-mall’ and ‘Downtown’, Donny! That said, you are right in observing that new businesses prefer to flock to where the action is, even their competition.
Yes, a ‘buzz’ is needed for Downtown, and it need not be equated with the ‘mega-strip-mall’ kind, as Tantalus Alley amply demonstrates. Somebody mentioned Yiannis. Maybe we should all sponsor a family from equally desperate Greece to not only get ‘our’ popular Greek restaurant back, but to also begin with the process of recreating much needed ‘buzz’ in Downtown.
Hugh Kerr says
We live in the Highlands, but frequent downtown often: Nesters, Home Hardware (great service), Bosleys, Royal Bank, etc. But at night it’s pretty dead: most restaurants close, many shops close, Post office closes, bookstore is gone. At least 2 downtown restaurants have closed in the last year, one of which was a bar/ restaurant similar to what is being proposed. A new Indian restaurant opened. Even on Tantalus Road “the Cup” recently closed (it had limited evening hours). Rents certainly play a role, especially when the economy is slow. Hence spaces lie empty, like the former Home Hardware. People who want a vibrant downtown must support it.
Dottie says
Dave and Hugh are right. Stay open longer and provide a bit of variety. Mexican or Greek restaurant anyone! Something different that Squamish doesn’t already have. The martini bar was great but I think folks simply couldn’t afford it. Add some live music somewhere, even at a coffee spot, and that would bring in some folks. Diversity, affordability, staying open a wee bit later and perhaps our downtown would come to life.
EM says
All of your suggestions have already been tried; live music, late hours, cheap drinks, cheap food, cheap rent, window-dressings, promotions and cross-promotions. Simple truth: The economy has crapped out and disposable spending is way down. Even highway retail is flailing right now. People buy what they need at dollar stores and Walmart.
Brad is right in a way, clustering restaurants is good. But Tantalus Alley isn’t all that and a bag of chips by any stretch. It’s a very tight window of busy-ness, almost entirely due to Sushi Sen and compressed by their early closing hour 9pm. If they were gone, the parking would never be full from 7 to 9:30pm.
Kurt Mueller says
I am an outsider, so you may not be interested what I have to say, but my daughter lives in Squamish with her family, therefore I am interested what is happening. All of you are right, but I think you need to do it on a much grander scale. You all know that Squamish has got what it takes: location. Many tourist towns would kill for the location you have: Mountain views, harbor, ocean front at the end of a fijord, what else could you want?
In order to draw visitors to downtown, you need to make it an attraction. How can you make downtown Squamish a destination and not just a stop-over? How do you draw cruise ship passengers from Vancouver to spent a day here? How do you make it worth an extended stop on the Rocky Mountaineer train? Along with the new gondola, I think the time is right now to seriously re-juvenate downtown but it needs more than a couple of flower baskets. It needs some serious planning and improvements to attract business and customers. Look at places like Chemainus, the place is crawling with tourists and it is in the middle of no-where. No doubt, It WILL happen eventually, but with some good planning and efforts by all it could happen sooner.
Jane Iverson says
Downtown is still a very tricky place to do business. I gave it nine years of my life operating a gallery, gifts and antiques shop on Cleveland Avenue before finally giving up in despair. Toward the end of my days in business, often the first customers of the day would stop by after 6 p.m., on their way home from Vancouver where most people worked. The other customers would come between 9- 10 a.m., after they had dropped their children off at school. Tough to be a small one person operation and maintain hours that suited such a diverse demographic. I had a very loyal following but unfortunately there just were not enough customers. My rent was reasonable but I know many of the larger stores are expensive to rent. The death knell for the Downtown was twofold, in my opinion. It began with the loss of the Royal Hudson in the summer months and the downturn in the local working industry; comprised of rail, pulp mill and logging, which used to be our main economic base. People lived and worked in Squamish and they shopped here. That was Smart Growth, folks! We used to have three women’s dress shops, two menswear stores, a shoe store, lots of restaurants, hotels, motels, gift shops, a florist and more – even a movie theatre – all located in the two block precinct we know as Downtown. Surprisingly, many of those shops are still represented today with a few exceptions but the sad truth is the town is empty all day because most of the people that moved here still work, shop, visit their doctors etc., in the city during the day. The visitors we attract are here to ski, bike, hike and climb, not to shop. The main population who live here now have come to recreate for the most part, not to shop. Yes, they do love to eat and drink coffee, and we have had a plethora of restaurants in the Downtown core but now it is “too far to go all the way downtown”. Although many people say they want the Downtown to become the cultural hub of Squamish they have failed to put their money where their mouth is by supporting the unique businesses that are established there already. You get what you pay for.
Nate Dolha says
I imagine it’s a tricky proposition given the split in schedules around town. I belong to the commuter sect, but perhaps I’m not the norm, as I do the bulk of my shopping here. My struggle is the hours, so I end up in businesses that are open later when I need something. Seems like a chicken and egg scenario to me…
Fred and Andrea Gailus says
Is anyone intereested in pursuing a citizen co-operative plan to find space downtown and get a theatre up and running. Campbellford, ON did just that and it is a fantastic success. Run by board of volunteers and initially funded by grants and fundraising, it brings people downtown and has invigorated the night life for restaurants and shops. Squamish needs a movie theatre! And it could be a venue for live theatre too. Anyone interested – let’s talk.
Christine Elliott says
That’s a fantastic idea Fred and Andrea!
I have often thought that a small theatre would do awesome downtown Squamish!
I have no idea where to begin, but this is a good starting place. My phone is 604 849 5991.
Ellery Zeller says
“If they were gone, the parking would never be full from 7 to 9:30pm.”
I walk through Tantalus Alley every night and I must agree with EM’s comment. The draw is Sushi Sen.
Brad says
Fred/Andrea:
https://www.facebook.com/SquamishFamilyEntertainmentAssociation?ref=ts&fref=ts
I’m hoping to organize a founding meeting early in the New Year. I have experience running a Co-Op but not starting one. Figuring all this stuff out. The main problem is the huge upfront costs. I’d be interested to learn how Campbellford did it.
Brad says
Actually, I found a video.. here’s how they did it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0ztyT1AuEg&feature=player_embedded#!
Now, mind you they have a few things in their favour — namely much cheaper real estate and a community foundation created from the sale of a hydro plant that was able to loan seed money for community projects. But it gives a good idea.
Fred and Andrea Gailus says
That’s great Brad. We will get infom from our friends in Campbellford too and look forward to meeting in January. We wondered if the ond PAC West building might be appropriate and available?
Brad says
Nope the PAC West building (which I loved too) is toast. Literally falling apart. And it sounds like the space Home Hardware used to be on Winnipeg is leased too. That was the last building I’m aware of with availability that was big and long enough to accommodate either a bowling alley or movie theatre. I’m open for more ideas..
eric armour says
Jane, you couldn’t have more aptly hit the nail on the head. The one thing Squamish (and not just Downtown) business owners could do to broach the hours/owner/operator dilemma is by branching into e-commerce. That way they’re available 24/7, and not solely reliant on the local economy.