A Kelowna small business owner says the city of Kelowna is not doing enough to make small businesses thrive in the heart of downtown, and fears it will have to close its business in a few months.
Danielle Cross, owner of Buvez, said the city she rents her unit from negligently replaced its HVAC stem, resulting in harsh working conditions. Continuous construction was allowed during the high season, leaving customers with limited parking. Several events nearby or in city parks have brought potential customers to the lake and kept people away from the city center to avoid the traffic. All of this cost her thousands of dollars.
“Obviously they want me out. I don’t know why, but you don’t treat a tenant like this unless you try to get them to leave, ”Cross wrote in an email, also explaining that the town clerk denied he wanted her out.
She said she didn’t think it was going to last much longer than a couple of months.
Mike Olsen, Managing Property Manager for the City of Kelowna, said he was surprised a story was written about it and sees the landlord-renter relationship as not an issue. He said the town was turning to Cross to meet.
The sommelier and entrepreneur said she spent three years on the 315 Lawrence Ave. thought before renting it. Now that the self-invested business is on the way out, she pondered the City of Kelowna’s commitment to small business.
“Kelowna is a black hole for small and medium-sized businesses,” said Cross.
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She said Chapman Parkade cost her about $ 5,000 in revenue to build over Pride weekend as traffic was distracted from her storefront due to limited parking. She said she understood there was construction going on, but maybe it should wait until the off-season.
“They’re either clueless or ignorant,” Cross said, claiming she never received any notice of construction.
Robert Fine, Director of Economics and Business Development, could not be reached for comment.
Larry Smith, owner of Blue Gator Bar and Grill, said 80 percent of the business is generated at night and said he had no problem with the nearby construction.
“I would be more affected than anyone,” he said. “You were pretty good.”
Mark Burley, executive director of Downtown Kelowna, said construction was “inconvenient”, especially in the summer, but “they are doing everything they can” to ensure that problems are minimal and that growth continues.
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Max Sloam, owner of Pulp Fiction, said the construction didn’t have much of an impact on his business. For Sloam, the biggest downside to its business is the Bernard-centric mentality and the larger chain restaurants that are making their way into the downtown core.
“They seem to put most of their energy into Bernard,” Sloam said, claiming the city tends to leave out the back streets.
Sloam also said a lot of its lost revenue was due to the likes of Tim Hortons and other chain restaurants that have taken over part of downtown. He said Kelowna should consider the overall downtown culture and implement a model similar to Nelson, BC
Most of the stores in downtown Nelson’s are “ma and pa” stores because their residents are interested in them, said Dianna Ducs, director of Tourism Nelson. “Those are the businesses that do well here.”
“By engaging the locals in the community … you will see your community thrive,” she said.
Ducs said there are a few fast food chains on the outskirts of downtown, but none that detract from the boutique experience Nelsoners has come to love. Residents, she said, recognize that allowing large chains into the inner city “can detract from a community.”
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“Don’t lose your heart,” said Ducs. “You will never get it back.”
According to Ducs, Nelson has a heritage working group that puts in place regulations on which signs can and cannot because of downtown buildings. “It’s an easy way to keep (chains) out,” she said, referring to a Starbucks that pulled out of a lease due to Nelson’s restrictions.
The Heritage Working Group is a committee chaired by the city council. Kelowna has a similar program called the Heritage Advisory Committee, but it could not be reached for comment.
“If we want to keep the taste of downtown (the city) we should look again,” Sloam said.
For Cross, building multiple issues has led her to focus on what’s next. She said she was proud that Buvez lasted two years, but every day looks more and more serious.
“I don’t trust (the city) at this point,” she said. “You really hurt us.”
@davidvenn_
David.venn@kelownacapnews.com
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