Townsman, 1991-04, Page 10Federal Business Development Bank,
she conducted five seminars for the
business community dealing with sub-
jects such as customer service and
consumer relations, keeping business
in Seaforth, staffing for the '90s, and
store design and layout. This year she
organized one on advertising and pro-
moting businesses.
She also produces a monthly
newsletter for thc businesses, bringing
people up to date on the activities of
the BIA executive, giving information
on busincss changes and promoting
upcoming seminars or promotion
activities.
For the Economic Development
Committee she works mostly as a liai-
son between existing manufacturers.
Thc committee invites one manufac-
turer to each meeting so the commit-
tee can understand the needs of that
busincss. Thc Industrial Committee
created a map of all the zoned high-
way commercial and industrial land in
town and found a surprising amount,
although most of it was unscrviced. It
also surveyed the current industries to
sec whcrc they get their inputs, ctc.,
hoping there might bc an opening to
attract other industries in related
areas.
***
Walking down Scaforth's Main
Strcct with Cathy Vida it's obvious
she has made an impact in the town in
thc less than two years she has been
there. Pcoplc stop to talk about per-
sonal things or about busincss. Shc
has noticed a change in attitude over
thc period. "Pcoplc arc finally calling
me about anything," she says.
"They're viewing me as a resource." It
makcs it easier when people contact
her, she says because although she
like to drop in and chat with mer-
chants, she just docsn't have the time
to do that and still get all the other
work donc.
She's noticed other things too, sub-
tle things that perhaps others outside
thc community wouldn't notice. She
feels the busincss community has
become more aggressive in going
after busincss. Morc stores, for
instance, arc now open on Wednesday
which was traditionally a closed day
in days of old. It is a change of atti-
tudes, she says, that is the biggest
8 TOWNSMAN/APRIL-MAY 1991
change that has taken place.
Bob Fisher agrees, noting there's
much more co-operation between
businesses although, he admits, there
are still merchants "who'd like to see
it (the BIA programme) blown out of
the water". Even those who don't
agree, however, still usually get
involved in community promotions.
There definitely is a better feeling
about Seaforth these days both on
Main Street and off, he says and
whether it is a result of the Main
Street programme or just because the
merchants got their act together, he
can't say for sure.
***
Tom Lemon's office upstairs in the
town hall in late 1987 looked like it
might have been the office of a Victo-
rian architect. Sketches of 19th centu-
ry storefronts were everywhere. This
was part of the hidden agenda of Her-
itage Canada through its Main Street
program me.
Lemon spent hundreds of hours
researching the history of the beauti-
ful buildings along Main Street. He
was helped by a wealth of old pho-
tographs about how the stores looked
when they were first built. Many did-
n't look that way anymore after vari-
ous "modernizations". Much of the
look Main Street had been dictated
over the years by the latest fashions in
retail store -front design and the elo-
quence of salesmen selling glass and
aluminum materials. It was the aim of
Heritage Canada to show building
owners how beautiful their buildings
could bc if the "improvements" were
stripped away and the natural beauty
of the architecture showed through.
Tom Lemon's detective work about
the original appearance of buildings
was combined with research on the
modern use of the building in prepara-
tion of drawings of each business to
let the owner see how the building
would look if returned to its original
design. each presentation contained a
photo of the store today along with a
sketch of how it could look. Each
would be left with the owner when the
programme ended in the hope the
changes might be made.
One of the sketches in that pile in
1987 was a drawing of how the Box
Furniture Store could look. It was a
classic case of how what had seemed
like an improvement at the time, had
stolen the original grave from the
building. Today that drawing has
come to life as the most visible of the
results of the Main Street pro-
gramme. Last year Gary and Barb
Betties took the big step and returned
the Box store to its original design.
Because it is such a large store, taking
up four original storefronts, it sets the
tone for one of the town's busiest
blocks.
The Town of Seaforth itself helped
set the tone when it commissioned a
local architect to recreate the Victori-
an porch on the town hall from origi-
nal photographs of the building. The
reconstruction was not without con-
troversy in the town but its comple-
tion in 1987 was a bold statement of
what could be done. The town also set
aside $200,000 of a $260,000 Pride
grant from the provincial government
for Main Street improvements.
Other projects may not have been
as grand as the town hall porch or the
improvements the Betties have made
but they are changing things, says Jim
Crocker. Some merchants, Cathy Vida
says, are staging improvements, doing
a little at a time until they can afford
to finish the job.
***
The goal of the Main Street pro-
gramme to build economic viability in
the community has been sorely tested
in the recent recession. While
Seaforth often seemed to be cushioned
from other down -turns for several
months with this one "it was just
bang, and it was here" Jim Crocker
says. Like every other municipality
Seaforth is going through tough times
but Crocker thinks things might be
worse if not for the positive atmo-
sphere that has grown up in the last
five years. Bob Fisher agrees. "There's
more vitality, more life here," he says.
During the 1981-82 recession there
were 11 or 12 empty stores on Main
Street with about half that many this
lime around, he says.
Cathy Vida says there isn't a big
problem filling empty stores now. She
has people coming to her regularly
with inquiries about getting retail
space in town. "Things don't sit
(empty) very long."
1