HALIFAX –
Dartmouth Crossing is a shopping spot, Mic Mac Mall, thanks in part to the Woody the Talking Christmas Tree revival, is enjoying a bustling Christmas revival, and it seems the Halifax Shopping Center is always busy too.
So how, in this competitive landscape, can downtown Halifax attract customers?
“We are all ready to go with the Evergreen Festival,” said Paul MacKinnon of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.
MacKinnon said an open-air festival-like atmosphere is likely to attract a variety of people and shoppers to the area. He believes that the city center is poised to come alive in the coming weeks. He’s also keeping a close eye on the renovation of Spring Garden Road.
“What’s good for Spring Garden Road is good for downtown and vice versa,” MacKinnon said.
Kurt Bulger said his Spring Garden Road business is meeting about 65 percent of normal business expectations before a pandemic.
“It’s better than we expected,” said Bulger.
Bulger said that, in his opinion, the path to prosperity for Spring Garden Road merchants has not been an easy one.
“Bike lanes. They got rid of the parking lot. They changed the parking rules. They increased the parking fees,” he added.
Bulger is confident that the massive renovation of Spring Garden Road will dramatically improve the area. However, he questions the timing.
“They did everything they could to make it harder to shop downtown during the pandemic.”
Buyer Amy Tannenbaum agreed, saying blocked aisles make shopping difficult.
“If I go somewhere, I have to do several laps because I am going the wrong way,” Tannenbaum said.
MacKinnon admits it’s not easy for pedestrians in some places. However, he adds, the notion that there is not enough parking is pure fiction.
“It’s a perception. There are 6,000 parking spaces downtown,” MacKinnon said.
MacKinnon wants people to spread the word and flock to downtown Halifax during the upcoming holiday season.
Reference-atlantic.ctvnews.ca