Stories about local business closures were unfortunately a recurring theme in this week's issue of the Cochrane Eagle.
First, the Canadian Italian Restaurant Group (CIRG) announced the impending closures of three Cochrane-based restaurants last week, including The Stump Tavern, the Blacksmith Pub, and PZA Cochrane.
Also last week, Local Yokel founder Todd Simmer told The Eagle he was throwing in the towel and closing his year-round farmers' market, which only opened in Cochrane last September.
In both cases, the business owners referenced difficulties dealing with the Town of Cochrane as factors in their decision to shutter their storefronts. Simmer brought up the difficult relationship he had with the Town over zoning and land-use designations (his building, which also houses his landscaping company, is not zoned for a farmer's market). However, employees from the Town insisted to our reporters that they would be willing to work with Simmer to figure out a solution – he just has to abide by the same rules as everyone else.
As for CIRG, they cited high rental costs for leasing commercial space in Cochrane as what brought about their three eateries' demise, claiming the rent they pay to operate a restaurant in Cochrane is $10 per square foot more than what they pay to rent similar restaurant facilities in Calgary.
The reps from CIRG also brought up conditions that hampered businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, such as capacity limits and the Restriction Exemption Program, as reasons for their economic difficulties. However, given those restrictions were lifted a year ago, that argument doesn't quite bear the same weight it once did.
Nevertheless, CIRG has started a conversation about Cochrane's commercial rental rates. Some of the comments about the story on our Facebook page warned that the only businesses that are able to pay exorbitant rents are big-box or chain businesses, which can push out the likes of smaller, family-run operations and impact the personal character of Cochrane's business sector.
One thing for certain is that Cochrane has lost four good businesses to patronize, which is a shame.
