Editor:
Retailers are already suffering. Say ‘No’ to the farmer’s market on Saturdays.
I’m writing to express my concern about Tourism Canmore’s proposal to extend the Thursday market to include Saturday.
How does this gratuitous assistance help struggling Main Street businesses? Canmore retailers are already suffering downturn due to the economic recession and Tourism Canmore’s proposal will increase this downturn.
Why would council support holding the market on another day when we already have ‘for lease’ signs along Main Street and some businesses are just holding on? What is the source of Mr. Nickerson’s information? I would like to know if these other markets are located in direct competition to the downtown core, as Canmore’s Thursday market is. The shopkeepers I have spoken with tell me the Thursday markets decrease their business and pull customers away from their stores.
When this happens, you take away from independent businesses who are paying rent, taxes and surviving during the -30 C January deep-freeze, to allow people (many not from here) to piggyback off the few good months we have.
Some downtown businesses will be greatly affected should this action proceed. Access to The Sugar Pine Company, for example, will be basically closed off on the best day of the week.
This action is a slippery slope from food to clothing to generic trinkets. We already have the vacant lot with the ice cream bus, clothing stall and eatery taking away from stores who pay rent and taxes and strive to provide excellent products and customer service year-round. This action invites any standard of retailer to parachute in for our high traffic, good months and take away from local retailers trying to provide consistency, choice and quality products.
I won’t even get into the parking and traffic flow issues. I am asking council to please vote this down in favour of your Canmore businesses that are here all year. Our Main Street retailers will suffer if a market and road closures are allowed on the busiest day of the week.
Cayley Breeze,
Canmore
