Things are Getting (A Bit) Better

It might be a bit soon to say anything definitely, but there is a bit of light in Downtown Acton compared to what we were seeing at the end of March and beginning of April.

Let me be clear—there is a serious viral threat and there are businesses that are still closed nearly three months after being forced to by our government in the interests of public safety, but there are also a number of businesses that have been able to reopen in the last few weeks.

All things being what they are, downtown feels a little brighter and a little happier.

Two months ago, only a couple food stores and restaurants were open. Now, retail has joined them and there is the promise that other businesses will be joining soon.

Some Businesses are Struggling More Than Others

There is a lot of talk about ‘the new normal’—what it will be like for a business to run after the pandemic. It seems likely that even when virus cases drop eventually—in one of the more positive likely scenarios that we could face—businesses will need to take a variety of measures to keep both customers and staff safe. These measures are expensive and challenging for many people but for a small business owner earning a fraction of what they normally would be, it can be a very tough situation.

Salons and hairdressers are one group of businesses that have been hurt particularly badly. They’re going on three months closed and, depending how the situation develops, might have another month of two to endure. Four or five months closed? With deferred rent and a mortgage at home? That’s hard.

I have been in constant contact with my colleagues at the Town of Halton Hills, the Region of Halton, the Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Georgetown BIA, among other organizations. We’ve gone from sharing information about who is closed now to planning for how we can support businesses as they reopen. There is clearly only so much good this can do and it doesn’t make up for months of lost business, but it has felt good being able to move from a state of crisis management to being able to do those things we still can to strengthen our community.

What the BIA is Doing This Month

This month, we will be planting our flowers. I’ve had a couple people ask me when. All I can say at this point is soon. Very soon. The Downtown Acton BIA purchased a watering tank this year to change how we maintain our flowers. We’re also putting up the old “Town of Acton” signs for us to hang our flowers on. By the time you’re reading this, they might already be up. Here’s hoping. It’ll be nice to have the colour as you visit a business or go for a walk with your family.

Canada Day is fast approaching and our Mayor, Rick Bonnette, and the Town are asking we all do what we can to celebrate the day by raising our flags, as we did so well in 2017. Yes, we will be missing out on the Acton Firefighters’ Assocation’s excellent fireworks this year. It is a tragedy, but there are still ways we can safely celebrate. Even apart, we still have each other. Let’s show our spirit. We’ll get through this pandemic. It’s only a matter of time.

In the meantime, I am always happy to chat and answer your questions about our downtown. My office number is 519-853-9555, my cell is 289-890-1942 and my email is info@downtownacton.ca

Take care.

Alex Hilson
Coordinator, Downtown Acton BIA
June 3rd, 2020