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Don't forget your Holiday Decorations at IC Greenhouses
Check out new prints and mirrors available at Chester's Prints
Harbour Rose Gets Ready for Christmas Click here
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Click for BIA Map and Directory
Book for Christmas at Crabby Joe's
Enbridge Sponsors the Santa Claus Parade
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Kincardine BIA preserves and promotes a vibrant downtown |
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Downtown Kincardine, looking north
Downtown North End |
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Stroll through downtown Kincardine and you'll
notice the quaint heritage atmosphere of this busy commercial core. Its catchment base runs from Durham Market South to Broadway, and from Princes Street west to the lake, and includes 150 businesses, everything from financial, accounting, real estate and legal services, to restaurants, gift shops, retailers and hairstylists. Chaired by Margriet Van Erp, the BIA executive includes Brad Kirkconnell, Heather Shewfelt, Gabrielle Nagy, Tonya Schmalz, Guy Anderson, Jim Tripp and Jacqueline Faubert. They meet on the third Monday of each month, at 6 p.m., at the Kincardine Public Library. Their role is to encourage community involvement and ownership, preserve and enhance the downtown character, ensure economic vitality, promote downtown assets, keep the downtown safe, and make it easier to get into and around the downtown and to live downtown.
This plan won the BIA a prestigious award, for market analysis and business opportunities developments, from the Ontario BIA Association. The key recommendations in the report are aimed at encouraging economic development, marketing the downtown, managing the downtown, and addressing social and cultural issues. An update at the September Kincardine council meeting, indicated that the municipality needs to approve its signage program so people can find the downtown from Highway 21 in order to enjoy the shops and attractions. More work is required on street cleanliness and removing weeds around the downtown buildings. Business owners and building owners will be urged to do their part to keep downtown Kincardine inviting and welcoming. This year the BIA released an illustrated map and directory, providing a unique, personal look for the downtown area, complete with a listing of all the BIA members. Every year, the BIA sponsors several events to promote the downtown. This year's Spring Fling was popular, with more than 10,000 ballots submitted and five winners announced each week. The ballot question, "What do you like best about downtown Kincardine?" received a wide range of comments. Top responses were the names of businesses and storeowners and staff, as well as products, the cleanliness, the quaint downtown and super-friendly people. The Calypso Street Market Festival was Aug. 2, with a flood of people through downtown, enjoying the music and the sales. The Artful Hands show and sale Sept. 11-13 was also a hit, with more than 500 people attending the event at the Walker House. The fall and Christmas line-up includes the Falling Leaves promotion, Sept. 27-Oct. 3; Call In and Win, Oct. 17-31; Home Town Christmas Nov. 28; and the BIG Christmas Giveaway, Dec. 5-23.
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The BIA continues to encourage business owners to participate in the municipality's facade improvement program. Last year, 10 businesses applied for and received grants totalling close to $30,000. There is money still available to BIA members, providing half the project costs to a maximum of $2,000 per 50 feet of frontage. The funds can be used for such items as painting and/or cladding of buildings, signage upgrades and replacements, frontal illumination for signage, masonry repair, awnings, shutters, trim, glass repair, vinyl graphics, wood repair, and replacement of windows and doors if returned to their original look. Contact Stephen Murray at the municipal office for more information, 519-396-3468 or smurray@kincardine.net
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