By Pepper Parr
August 24th, 2021
BURLINGTON, ON
An event application has been received by the city for a Christmas market that will make use of the Elgin Promenade from December 9th to 12th.
The White areas designate space that the applicants want to use for an annual Christmas Market. There would be live music on some of the evenings.
No one seems to know who submitted the application – the Gazette was told that it was not the BDBA Burlington Downtown Business association. The membership there must be just short of livid.
After a very tough year and a half a glimpse of hope and someone wants to set up shop and take business away from the downtown merchants?
Brian Dean – Executive Director Burlington Downtown Business Association working the phone.
Really nice idea – just not this year.
The merchants on Brant and John Street and other locations in the downtown core are just beginning to recover from the terrible winter, spring and early summer – this is not the time to kick these people in the shins and allow someone who doesn’t have any skin in the game come along and scoop the business.
Brian Dean, Chief guru of the Burlington Downtown Business Association must be howling.
No name that we can see on the document that were sent to people living in the immediate area identifying just who is behind the idea.
And not a peep so far from the Ward Councillor or the Mayor?
The Elgin Promenade is at the top right – the Elizabeth Street Parking lot stretched out behind.
Not now? Really? There is no better time.
Maybe the insitu merchants can join in and come out of their buildings. My younger daughter was just commenting yesterday at how the downtown core misses out on so many opportunities by being stuck inside traditional bricks and mortar stores. The downtown merchants do not mark calendar events like Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Haloween to dress up the downtown to attract people. The Village Square could turn itself into a Christmas Market, or at Haloween time turn itself into Haloween Town, with maybe empty stores being turned into short lease pop-up Haloween stores. Surrounding merchants would set up sidewalk sales tables, The more people attracted to the downtown the more likely the insitu stores will benefit