Support helps Victoria Park regain reign
Urban Calgary is thriving again, and in the heart of the city, Victoria Park is laying out the welcome mat.
Doors are opening all over Victoria Park, according to David Low, executive director of Victoria Park BRZ, a not-for-profit association representing roughly 350 merchants and businesses in the community.
The recent June flood affected 30 to 40 per cent of the BRZ’s at-grade services, Low says.
“Everything from about Centre Street east, suffered varying degrees of flood damage,” he says.
In the days and weeks that followed, the community rallied and it didn’t take long before approximately 92 per cent of those affected reopened.
“For other businesses, the recovery prognosis is still being determined,” says Low. “For some, it might be months before they’re able to open again.”
Still, there are those who were able to turn on the lights again, sweep off the front step, open the doors and invite the public in.
At L’Epicerie, a French delicatessen next door to Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut on 1st Street S.E., their neighbours may have been flooded, but little water came through their doors.
“We didn’t have water in the shop, but 1st Street was a river,” says new owner Samuel Nedelec. “We put flour bags in front of the door. We didn’t have power, but it was turned on eventually.”
What was shocking for Nedelec and co-owner Ryan Seungchul Park, was that they’d just taken over the shop — 20 days before the flood hit.
Ten days later, L’Epicerie opened its doors again, and is still serving the best duck rillette in the city, as well as other pates and fabulous food.
Two blocks west, Brendan Bankowski’s Taste Restaurant wasn’t flooded at all. The restaurant was, however, without power for seven days.
“We were evacuated on Thursday night, like the rest of the neighbourhood, and we opened again the following Thursday,” he says, noting the closure caused $4,000 worth of food to be thrown away.
The week it re-opened, Taste welcomed regular customers, friends and fellow Victoria Park business owners who came to support the small restaurant.
“They were so happy we were opened,” Bankowski says. “The people from the neighbourhood were so awesome. “
The Victoria Park BRZ is inviting Calgary to visit Aug. 17 and 18, for MarketWalk, which is a street festival on the sidewalks, where everyone can participate.
“MarketWalk is designed to help activate vacant and under-utilized spaces,” Low says. “It’s designed to support local business, artisans and craftspeople.”
There will be sidewalk sales, art and fashion displays and temporary art galleries, and up to 120 artists and vendors. “We have a couple of outdoor spaces where we’ll be hosting artisans and craftspeople, and we’re doing a pop-up art installation in another vacant building,” Low says.
For more information, visit marketwalk.ca
Visit on the Web at victoriapark.org and facebook.com/ficparkbrz or follow on Twitter at twitter.com/vicparkbrz.