'The heart of our city': Downtown Winnipeg businesses welcome revitalization, BIZ initiatives

Trying to fill empty downtown business spots CTV's Alexandra Holyk has more on what Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is doing to attract businesses to vacant spots in the downtown.

The Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone (BIZ) is hoping to fill empty store fronts and contribute to the redevelopment of the city’s downtown core.

Earlier this year, the BIZ launched a business attraction committee to help bring in new companies, retain them and limit the number of those leaving the area.

According to the BIZ’s policy and economic development director Rhiannon Hayes, ground floor vacancy rates are sitting at around 30 per cent, with more than 20 businesses opening this year.

“Before we were at double the amount of closures than opens,” said Hayes. “That gap is starting to shrink and so we’re really hoping that some of our efforts will keep shrinking that gap.”

Commercial real estate experts say in order to decrease the gap, the number of downtown consumers must increase.

“You have a lot less foot traffic downtown, then you have less retail traffic and then it’s hard for them to survive,” said Wes Schollenberg, the managing director of commercial real estate agency Avison Young.

Schollenberg said that survival also relies on residents.

“When you have people living downtown then they have a demand for retail,” he said. “Once you know that demand for retail, you get more retailers.”

The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ said it plans on tackling the lack of residents living downtown and calls on all levels of government for their support.

“We would just want to see more folks living downtown and having great places for people to visit, shop and eat at,” Hayes said.

'These stores are our local heartbeat': Downtown business owner

Charla Smeall and her family own Sk8 Skates on Main Street – a skateboard shop based in Winnipeg’s downtown for more than 30 years.

“I just really believe in a strong downtown,” Smeall said. “It’s like the heart of our city.”

Smeall took ownership of the store in April 2020. She said the pandemic hit her business hard, but it may have hit the downtown area even harder.

“It has been extremely difficult for us these past couple of years,” Smeall said. “There’s a lot of empty storefronts downtown because they can barely sustain it.”

Smeall said she looks forward to the new changes coming to the downtown core in the future. But for now, she is asking community members to skip the suburban malls and support the stores that still call downtown home.

“These stores are our local heartbeat with really unique artisans,” Smeall said.