A post-flood boost
Small retailers in Calgary, still recovering from the floods, are counting on a strong holiday season
As December’s approach hails the peak of holiday shopping season, many independent Calgary stores hit by the June floods are hoping for a much-needed boost.
Of Calgary’s 10 Business Revitalization Zones, or BRZs, eight endured flood damage.
In the Kensington BRZ, home to about 280 businesses, many stores were shut down for an extended period because of freshwater flooding after the Sunnyside pumping station went off-line. The power was off for nine days, as well.
“No one did business for nine days, while still paying their lease rates, their staff, for their inventory, power and phone bills,” says Annie MacInnis, executive director of the Kensington BRZ.
“Three weeks after the flood, one of my businesses said he did $23 in business that day. That’s pretty dire.”
Streetside business areas in Calgary are fragile, says MacInnis. Many are home to small, independent business owners who invested their life savings in a great idea for a shop, and work hard to offer unique, eclectic items and top-notch service.
“They’re the places you bring your family and friends when they come to visit Calgary,” she says. “These are the places where you show off unique buildings, atmosphere, cool independent shops. These places bring vitality to the city.”
Calgary’s BRZs comprise more than 6,000 businesses and generate approximately 45 per cent of the business tax base in the city.
Six of Calgary’s BRZs generate $1 million annually in parking revenue for the city.
“If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the city and Calgarians have a renewed appreciation for the value these shopping districts bring to the city,” MacInnis says.
More than 90 per cent of businesses in Alberta are smallor medium-sized enterprises, with 50 employees or less, says Brent Bushell, executive director of The Business Link, a nonprofit agency that offers advice to entrepreneurs.
“When businesses get hit by an unexpected event like a flood, they lose more than the immediate revenue they’ve been counting on,” says Bushell. “They have to deal with the loss of supplies or inventory; and there’s the investment necessary to rebuild the business.”
As the holiday season approaches, businesses need to focus on getting their revenue back to normal levels, particularly if they need to hire more staff to keep up with client demand, he says.
“Let’s support those businesses affected by the flood, by spending our dollars in their establishments,” Bushell says. “By putting money back into the local economy, you give your neighbourhood businesses a chance to recover, you get the products and services you’ve been accustomed to and the entire community benefits.”