Street festivals are a popular way to celebrate the culture of a neighbourhood and as importantly, drive more business for merchants. But as Vancouver areas host more such events, the question becomes whether festivities are drawing customers away to other neighbourhoods.
In 2005, Commercial Drive was the original neighbourhood to host a car-free day; 16 blocks were transformed into a vehicle-free zone for tens of thousands of people. This June, the annual Car-Free Vancouver Day festivals are expected to draw thousands more to the Drive, but they are also celebrated by three other city neighbourhoods: Kitsilano, Main Street and the West End.
“We used to have more store traffic during events, but now that the city has so many festivals, we’ve noticed a drop in our business the last couple of years,” said Sonia Kalathil, owner of Kali, a boutique shop on Commercial Drive that sells clothing, textiles, jewelry and home decor.
Kalathil, who lives near the Drive, opened her shop 19 years ago and has seen the area change along with the number of events and the needs of her clientele. Years ago, her main customers were young women who lived in the neighbourhood. Today, it attracts families and women of all ages.
“We’ve been a part of the community for so long, we’ve seen many transitions.”
Depending on the season, business on the Drive also fluctuates. “During the World Cup in 2006, we were very busy,” said Kalathil, who would like to see events that focus on educating people about the unique culture and history of the Drive and attract more people from the suburbs.
During events, merchants along the Drive pull out all the stops to attract more customers. Joji’s Salon Life stylists hand out food or cups of tea to passersby or cut clients’ hair on the sidewalk to bring in more business.
Sally Traynor, co-owner of Joji’s, noted that the City of Vancouver wants neighbourhoods to triple the amount of security during events in the aftermath of the Stanley Cup riots. The costs are being passed on to merchants who now have to pay a $300 fee to host a kiosk on their sidewalk during events.
“If we were selling clothes or food we would make lots of money during an event, but we aren’t cutting that much hair on the sidewalk to make it worthwhile,” said Traynor, adding that they did not secure a spot on the sidewalk for the salon.
One of the most well-known festivals along the Drive is Italian Day, which is celebrated each June to honour the neighbourhood’s Italian roots. It’s a time “when everyone can be Italian for a day,” said Federico Fuoco, board member of the Commercial Drive Business Improvement Association (BIA) and owner of Federico’s Supper Club.
“The BIA works with the merchants and businesses because we all have a stake in maintaining our thriving community,” he said.
According to Fuoco, last year’s event drew 60,000 people to the family-oriented car-free celebration, including people from the West Side, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Burnaby and Coquitlam.
“Events bring in more people from other areas. They are family-friendly and a great way to build more community support from the Lower Mainland.” How does the BIA feel about neighbouring communities hosting similar events?
Said Fuoco: “Competition is healthy.”
On the west side of the city, the recent Greek Day on June 24 brought thousands out to Broadway, west of MacDonald, for music, food and activities. Establishments enjoyed the rush of additional foot traffic, but did people stop into the local retail outlets for a look?
“During the festival we had sale tables outside to entice the crowd into the store,” said Kelly McKinnon, co-owner of Kidsbooks. “People who are drawn to the event are often not our regular customers, so it gives us a chance to showcase our store to people who will hopefully become new regular customers.”
McKinnon added that the result is a small ingress into a market not normally seen in the area.
“After the event we do see repeat business from these new customers.”•
