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Baker Street shuffle

There is plenty of economic doom and gloom to bring summer spirit down a notch, but a closer look at business in Nelson reveals plenty to be optimistic about. In a special report we shine the spotlight on the community’s main street where entrepreneurs are making the best out of these bad times and providing plenty of positive energy.
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The economy is in the dumpster and the short-term outlook is bleak, but don’t tell local small business owners. This year’s summer buzz on Baker Street has been cranked up a notch with a flurry of business activity in the city’s core.

New shops are opening, others are moving to bigger spaces and some are getting out after decades of great service to the community. It all adds up to a new look and increasingly optimistic future for the city’s downtown.

“It’s a very vibrant time for Baker Street… the downtown is very alive,” says Justin Pelant, Nelson Business Association board member and owner of Ted Allen’s Jewellers.

The ebb and flow of retail on the city’s main drag is nothing new. Businesses open, others close and the most successful become Baker Street staples. But in the last couple months the increase in activity has been highly noticeable.

Three of the city’s longest serving Baker Street businesses have gone kaput. For a number of reasons Lyon’s Shoes, Ben Sutherland Music and McLaughlin’s Printers have all closed the books on lengthy downtown runs. All three occupied prime storefronts which have been, or are in the process of being, snapped up.

Moving or expanding businesses include Shoes for the Soul, Rivers Oceans & Mountains, Bent Over Leather, Hall Printing, Lilikoi (clothing store) and Booksmyth. Joining the fray are new businesses Lucky Cupcakes, Grasshopper Juice Bar and Vibe clothing.

“Anytime you have business people who have enough confidence in your community to invest, that’s a good thing,” says Mayor John Dooley. “There is no question we have one of the more vibrant downtown cores in the interior of British Columbia.”

CREATING OPPORTUNITY

So with all the doom and gloom across Canada and the United States, why the increased pace in Nelson? The reasons are many, but the strength of our idyllic setting seems to be at the core.

“It’s a huge move for us, but we have been really blessed with this business,” says Shoes for the Soul owner Deanna Franklin.

Now in her 13th year of business downtown, Franklin made the huge leap from tenant in the 600 block of Baker Street to building owner in the 500 block. Shoes for the Soul just opened its new location in the former Lyon’s Shoes storefront and Franklin says the ambitious move was made because the bottom line supports it.

“We definitely compete with the big city,” Franklin says of her selection. “I find in the summer that tourists come in and say ‘what great shopping Nelson has’ and they do their shopping here as opposed to their city. And they love what they see.”

Franklin’s business is a family endeavor. Her mother, father and husband all pitch in. And now that she owns the building, her sister has decided to open Vibe clothing in the basement of the 553 Baker Street location.

“In the city you find all these cheap chain stores,” Franklin says of the key to her success. “Nelson business owners have such quality and character in their buying. You can get deeper in each brand and more selection.”

Taking up the vacancy left by Shoes for the Soul at 639 Baker Street is Rivers Oceans & Mountains (ROAM).

“Is it the ideal timing… sure,” ROAM owner Rob Stojanowski says with sarcastic hesitation. “But we are operating on a seven-to-ten year basis, we are looking forward and not on a year-to-year basis. So in that sense it made perfect sense to go there.

“It’s no secret that everybody on Baker Street had a bit of terrible spring. But the long and short of it is that you can’t sit there and mope about it and say this year is a write-off. The true reality of it is that we plan to be here five years down the road. This is an opportunity we couldn’t really pass up.”

When the walls are knocked down and the renovations complete in mid-September, ROAM will have the largest outdoor-themed store footprint in a downtown ripe with similar retail. ROAM is also creating an adventure centre in the new space that will work with other local businesses and guide operations to create a one-stop shop for visitors looking into the recreation opportunities the area affords.

“I think it’s a sign of things happening,” Stojanowski says when asked if the activity is an indication that business is booming on Baker. “If you take an approach of wait and see, I don’t think much is going to happen. We always seem to be able to pull through the tough times because of the community that we have.”

And a big part of Stojanowski’s optimism is Nelson’s continual growing reputation as a hip outdoor town.

“The reality of it is that on our local dollar alone, I don’t think anybody would be making these decisions,” he says. “But based on the opportunity and potential of growth with people being attracted to what Nelson has to offer… to me it’s a no-brainer. For those who came from somewhere else, we all arrived here for a reason and that is to have the mountain lifestyle.”

Another business owner optimistically buying into the long-term future of Nelson is Linda Randall. The owner of Bent Over Leather recently purchased the Ben Sutherland Music building at 645 Baker Street with an eye on expansion.

“Moving on up… it’s going to be a better store,” Randall says.

“Whenever there is a downturn in the economy it opens up opportunities for people who are viable.”

Randall started the clothing and accessories store six years ago. During these lean times, she says the bottom line stayed “healthy” because of her approach.

“I offer something unique and different than everybody else,” Randall says. “My focus has always been that, because I don’t think you get very far being the same as everybody else.”

Pelant agrees small business owners in Nelson are able to provide an extra little touch which helps drive success.

“How many corporate stores are on Baker Street? The key is independently owned businesses,” says Pelant, who purchased Ted Allen’s a few years back.

“You look down in the States and the big chain stores are suffering… what do they offer the community? It’s a CEO that doesn’t live there and makes decisions about stores in places they don’t have a stake in or truly understand.”

NOT A SIGN OF FAILURE

Even the businesses that will no longer hang a shingle in the downtown are not telling stories of despair.

A victim of the Redfish Grill fire in the 400 block of Baker Street last year, the owners of McLaughlin’s Printers and Stationers have spent the last 12 months wrangling with insurance companies and contemplating the future. Pat and Sue McLaughlin ultimately decided to opt out of a business that had roots in Nelson for more than 75 years.

“We never even considered this as an option a year ago,” says Sue McLaughlin.

Earlier this year the McLaughlins were approached by Hall Printing, a business that offered similar services. Hall Printing wanted a more prominent location so the McLaughlin’s — who own the building at 471 Baker Street — decided to become landlords instead of business operators.

“Because of the length of time it has taken us to deal with the insurance, which still isn’t finished, we were kind of forced to evaluate our situation,” says Sue. “They [Hall Printing] approached us and it’s all good.”

McLaughlin agrees that Nelson’s downtown offers something special for both locals and tourists.

“We have tons of family that come to visit and stay with us every summer. These are people who live in Edmonton and Vancouver, and they just love shopping in our downtown,” she says. “Drive through a small town in BC and you rarely get the feeling you get when you come to Nelson. It’s a really exciting time for the downtown.”

TAKING RISKS IN TOUGH TIMES

For one of Baker Street’s freshest tastes, the vibe of the core made it easy to pull the trigger on a new business venture.

Lisa Luckett and her brother Jeremy Pawlowicz opened Lucky Cupcakes this month. Recent transplants from California, the pair has already seen brisk business.

“We see cupcakes fitting well with the state of the economy,” says Luckett. “For under $3 it allows you to buy yourself something special. It’s good in times when people are being frugal.”

Attracted to Nelson by the Waldorf school which her two children now attend, it was Luckett’s 12-year-old daughter who spawned the idea when she set up a cupcake stand in their neighbourhood last summer.

“I have never watched a single cupcake show on television,” Luckett says of the cupcake craze that has spread across North America. “So really it just originated from wanting to do something fun and beautiful and special.”

Helping push the pair into opening the store was the unique location they found in the 500 block of Baker.

“When I saw this… I thought ‘Seven feet wide. I think this will work,’ Luckett says of the small space that houses Lucky Cupcakes. “It allows us to create — no pun intended — a sweet little shop. Something more along the European lines where you are walking into a little bookstore tucked away. That is part of the charm of Europe, finding these little spaces and seeing what kind of treasures are in there.”

STILL A STRUGGLE

It’s not all sweet icing and sunshine for small business. Though Nelson might be better insulated from the horrors of the world economy, the community is not immune.

“I wouldn’t say businesses are flourishing. Things are tight,” says Pelant. “But it’s not panic time. You just have to pull in the belt a little bit.”

In recent years some of the downtown’s longest running businesses have called it quits. Some, like Sonja’s China Cabinet in the 400 block of Baker, remain but are walking the balance sheet tightrope.

“The tourism business is key to our survival… that’s what keeps us going,” says Catherine Freno, who runs the store for her mom Sonja.

Freno says the last year has been bad at her business. The vital Christmas surge was down considerably and since that boost helps fuel the rest of the year at Sonja’s, it’s currently a struggle.

“I sell nothing you need to survive in your everyday life,” Freno says with a laugh. “Thank goodness people need to buy gifts and people have babies, birthdays and anniversaries.”

Freno’s family has owned the shop since 1976, but unless business picks up she is not sure how much longer it will survive.

GUIDING RATHER THAN MEDDLING

The gang running the show at City Hall realize what an important asset the downtown has become to Nelson’s future. Mayor Dooley says the current council has spent a lot of time helping map the future of the area through the Downtown Waterfront Masterplan.

“We have a strategy at the municipal level, but we can do all the work we want and facilitate as much as possible [and] at the end of the day it takes people who have confidence in the community and recognize there is a business opportunity for them,” says Dooley.

“That said, it’s no different than any other asset we have in the municipality. Whether it’s our pipes in the ground or our hydro lines, you have to be continuously working on them. You can’t sit back.”

One of the main reasons Nelson’s downtown continues to thrive where other small communities have not been as successful, Dooley says, is the entire community takes pride in the city’s heart.

“We recognize the private ownership in the downtown core and the contribution those owners make to our community,” he says. “But I think Baker Street is somewhat unique because the whole community feels like they own Baker Street. It’s not like some other municipalities where you really can’t find the heart of your downtown. We know it’s on Baker Street. We feel very proud of it and that it’s an important legacy we were left with, so it’s important we upgrade and maintain that legacy going forward.”

Dooley is quick to point out that the city’s main street and promising retail future should not hog the spotlight.

“Sometimes we don’t give enough thought to the different business entities that are in our community,” the mayor says.

“Professional businesses like doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, forestry consultants, engineers and alternative medicine… they are a huge part of our economy. And that is actually a sector that has grown substantially over the last 10 or 15 years. It’s fair enough to focus on the high profile retail in the downtown core which is clearly important, but if you walk down Vernon Street or Front Street you will find a lot of very positive activity.”

THE BOTTOM LINE

If you are looking for easy answers to the recent activity on Baker Street, you won’t find them. What you do find is the same quality that has been at the root of the community for more than 100 years. It’s tough to make a living in these parts, but creativity and perseverance have always been two key ingredients.

“I think our economy in Nelson specifically and the Kootenay to some degree, is flourishing because there are so many small, independent business owners,” says Pelant.

“Most people realize that if you take care of your local businesses, they will in turn help take care of other parts of the economy. The money filters all the way through and I think that is something that people are pretty cognizant of in this community.”