Xmas literally is THE big time for downtown-shops. And what with most attempting to sell stuff differing little from that of stores to their left and right in a very compact area: it would seem logical to show it off most advantageously i.e. for maximum profit.
Nelson's same old sad green-and-red-plastic-fantastic street-decorations and few colored bulbs never contributed to anyone's shopping-high. That ultimately being the (profit-)goal of it all.
While having potential customers finance such or similar new lighting and decor through their taxes is bizarre - without such lights, etc. these same people seem to find it impossible to psych themselves into stores. Go figure!
According to Mayor Kozak, on this topic in the Star, Dec 13, 2017,
"... the City purchased lights for businesses downtown to decorate their buildings, ... but (most of them) are not plugging them in, and I don't know why."
Why doesn't she, with jazzing-up Baker at Xmas an issue every year! When were these lights handed out? Why didn't the City step on this ages ago? How about finally assessing what's going on light-wise with businesses and - if need be - kick some butt! Keeping in mind: downtown-businesses habitually are more inclined to take than give.
For shopkeepers genuine festive emoting isn't part of it: that's just a come-on to get locals to spend much money on much stuff they wouldn't buy if it weren't for the pressure of the 12 Days of Christmas. When my true love gives-gives-gives to me-me-me! And vice versa. And everybody.
One would think that with e-shopping cutting into their business, shopkeepers would be eager to do whatever it takes to make up for that by promoting themselves any way possible.
Eh, Chamber of Commerce!
Like - in order to beat the competition - all shop-windows without exception should be spectacular. You don't achieve spectacular profits with sparse Walmart-inspired outdoor lighting/decorations. In larger cities anywhere stores will outdo each other with magical window-displays and store-fronts. A tradition. And people will go from store to store to ooh-and-aah. While in that swoon - allowing themselves to get lured inside.
There are official competitions in which onlookers judge windows and store-fronts to then choose the winner.
An event like this could become an annual Nelson thing, hello Nelson and Kootenay Lake Tourism! With serious local and tourist money to be made!
As already suggested in posts years ago: Xmas windows and store-fronts of individual businesses could be guided efforts comprising the Cultural Development Committee in all its manifestations, the Arts Council, Columbia Basin Trust and the Downtown Business Association. While mostly paid for by the owners.
According to Pam Mierau, Development Services, in the same Star item, the City has "... a general lighting plan for the downtown as well as a holiday lighting plan."
While it makes sense to wait for these, one needs to be concerned with the possibility that the "holiday lighting plan" will be Xmas-specific: tax-payered and clearly only for the material benefit of downtown-merchants and 2 months tops per year.
Yet multi-purpose, year-around festive lighting would be good. Sooo - "holiday" meaning which or what? Victoria? Eid al Fitr? July 1? Chun Jie? Hanukkah?
Or only (glossed-over, crassly commercial) CHRISTmas!
Shopkeepers -
You want to make money-
You've got to spend money!
Yours!
Image Credits:
Jun Ong, Penang/Malaysia
Pam Mierau, Development Services
pmierau@nelson.ca
Deb Kozak, Mayor
dkozak@ nelson.ca
Council
nelsoncouncil@nelson.ca
Colin Innes, Public Works
cinnes@nelson.ca
Tom Thomson, Chamber of Commerce
tom@discovernelson.com
Dianna Ducs, Director
dianna@nelsonkootenaylake.com
reminds me of the city internet, nobody asked they put it in, who signed on? At what cost to the taxpayer? Castlegar polled its business community, it never happened over there. Maybe a poll of the business community here about "free" lights from the taxpayer would have been the smarter choice. Nelsonfibre someone suggested to me a $2M waste.
ReplyDeleteBack in the '80's, the city had a good set of lights that went on all the light poles on Vernon Street. Simple, yet bright, large and effective and left an iconic memory in people's minds. They could be reused year after year. I doubt that they cost very much in terms of relative to overall budgets. It seems like we get less and less every year, to the point where, this year, it feels like getting a lump of coal in my stocking. Potholes, inadequate snow removal, garbage only taken away every fortnight (and sticker tags we pay for on top of everything else). What is worrisome about Xmas lights coming into the purview of the executive is that almost everything else they've touched has become a disaster or a fiasco. Xmas lights are a simple thing and could easily just be handed over to public works with a small budget. And, the cost to light an LED bulb is so much more less than an older type of incandescent. Again, the city has dropped the ball, let something slide, and then tried to blame someone else for the issue (in this case business owners).
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