Downtown Stouffville merchants sound off for mayor, council
Parking, signage, events criticized at potluck

YorkRegion.com
Feb. 26, 2015
Sandra Bolan

More parking and better signage for what there is downtown was the overwhelming gripe by downtown business owners.

A number of criticisms were levelled during a Feb. 10 meeting between downtown business owners and Mayor Justin Altmann.

(The Sun-Tribune, which has an office on Main Street, was not invited.)

The purpose of the meeting, which was also a potluck, was to get the “opinions, thoughts and visions” of downtown business owners, according to Altmann.

About 13 of the 44 downtown businesses were represented, according to Councillor Rob Hargrave, who attended with councillors Iain Lovatt and Rick Upton.

Getting people to realize downtown shop owners are not mall retailers but “very specialized, knowledgeable people” is a big issue for Suze Joyce, owner of The Hearty Artichoke.

During last year’s Christmas season, 28 stores stayed open until 8 p.m. on Thursdays yet shoppers “didn’t come out,” she said in an interview, noting GO train riders just went directly to their vehicles.

Charlotte Cave, owner of Chic Thrills and The Girls wants more retailers on Main Street, in particular a small grocery store.

“Food always attracts people,” she told The Sun-Tribune.

“Law offices and accountants on the Main Street don’t help us,” Cave said.

Not so, according to Anna Rose, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville’s downtown co-ordinator.

“I think people forget some of the professional services bring in quite a number of people throughout the day,” she said.

CIBC at Main and Market streets is moving to the west end this summer, leaving PACE Credit Union, a couple of blocks west, as the only downtown financial institution.

Last summer, Main Street was closed to vehicular traffic from Market Street to Park Drive a few Thursday nights for street festivals.

“I’m very against it. We don’t have the number of retailers on Main Street to warrant it,” said Cave, noting she would prefer there be fewer and better events.

“There’s confusion of what’s popular versus what is effective. Free is always popular but it doesn’t mean it’s effective,” she said, noting a lot of attendees look at what is going on in the street not at the storefronts.

She also suggested they annoy a lot of people because it backs up traffic along Main Street and the residential streets are used as detour routes.

Joyce, on the other hand, likes the events.

“Everybody has to be open for them to work. It brings more people downtown. It brings different people downtown,” she said.

Events may bring the people downtown but it’s up to shop owners to put money into their stock and storefronts to get them in the door, according to Hargrave.

“The town can only do so much.”

Hargrave admitted, however, absentee landlords are an issue.

“Their storefronts look pretty shabby,” he said.