For some Cochrane business owners who remain a little battered and bruised from the plummeting economy last year, the Christmas season left hope that community is king.
For some Cochrane business owners who remain a little battered and bruised from the plummeting economy last year, the Christmas season left hope that community is king.
Karrie Peace, owner of Heavenly Outhouse and Poor David's, said it's hats off to the town for the marketing whirlwind of the Shop Local campaign.
“We had customers bringing us gifts, cards, baking and hugging us … it made up for the losses over the last year - because last year was tough, ” said Peace, joking that while she is “an eternal optimist ” she is also hopeful that 2017 will be a year for businesses who are good at what they do to shine.
“Shopping local shouldn't be a guilt shop … it should be shop local because we're doing something really great, ” said Peace, an advocate for the network of Historic Downtown Cochrane businesses.
Peace said Cochrane boutique businesses like hers saw some gain from the 2016 closures of similar stores in nearby Calgary. She said people are coming to Cochrane to specifically shop for locally made, grown and honed products and that now is the time for new businesses to fill the gaps for what is missing in town rather than offering more of the same.
She added that some Cochrane businesses, specifically bars and restaurants, are feeling the holiday burn more and more - as an influx of new eateries have opened up in the Quarry site over the last couple of years, with more on the horizon.
“It was slower than the year before, ” said John Scondrianis, owner of Ducks on the Roof Sports Bar & Grill for 26 years.
No stranger to economic highs and lows, Scondrianis credits his long standing in the Cochrane community to his overall success, but has said that the margins in his business continue to shrink - heavily impacted by rising labour costs with annual minimum wage hikes.
“It was busy, ” said Amy Lay, owner of The Rustic Olive Bar - which sells imported olive oils and balsamic vinegars, expressing her gratitude for her regular clientele and the shop local buzz in town.
Lay said her business has felt the impact of the economic shift and that slow times pose challenges to businesses like hers, which has been open for roughly 18 months.
“It's been a real, honest and holistic effort from many different groups to create great, local shopping, ” said Mike Korman, manager of economic development for the town.
Korman credited Cochrane Tourism for its “Cochrane is Christmas Town ” slogan and said much of the traffic to the Visitors' Centre over the holiday season is a direct result of the ads promoting Cochrane as a Christmas destination.
He added that the Visitors' Centre, now open year-round, is becoming a “resource hub ” where people can stop by and view all major strategic documents and to learn about infrastructure and town development.
According to Korman, 200 new business licences were issued in 2016, increasing the number of business licences to 1,700; these licences include brick and mortar shops, as well as home-based businesses, both residential and commercial.
