Down on Main Street? Not so fast — new St. Catharines program could have things looking up - StCatharinesStandard.ca

Sarah Yurkiw started Ruby Red Beautiful on James Street five months before the pandemic hit. While business supports are needed, she's feeling optimistic about the bright future of downtown St. Catharines.

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Though St. Catharines’ business areas have been battered by a two-year-old pandemic, a scene played out across the world, some see an opportunity in the months ahead.

That opportunity will come, at least in part, from some demographics that may not have previously been as well represented in the entrepreneurial world. A new program being offered for the downtown and Merritton business communities could spur that on. Called My Main Street, it offers free support from a dedicated paid staff person as well as grants to help new and existing businesses in both business communities.

“We're seeing a lot of entrepreneurs step up through COVID,” said Rachel Braithwaite, executive director for the St. Catharines Downtown Association. “We’re seeing entrepreneurs come forward looking to start their own businesses.”

One person who started her own business just before COVID-19 reared its ugly head is Sarah Yurkiw, who opened Ruby Red Beautiful on James Street five months before the pandemic hit. Yurkiw was a finalist in the Win This Space contest, and her business sells cruelty-free beauty and care products and well as creations from local makers. She said supporting the business community at large is important as we muddle through the pandemic.

“I was open for five months when the pandemic hit. So, what kind of support couldn’t we use?” she said. The first couple of years of business are usually touch and go, and that’s without a global catastrophe thrown into the mix.

But Yurkiw is optimistic that the My Main Street program will help. Marketing is huge, she said, and while Facebook and Instagram promise millions of eyeballs, those eyeballs are very often glazed over as they scroll through post after post. Breaking through and making a connection with a potential customer takes more. She believes that some of that may come in more traditional forms of marketing.

That’s where the program comes in. There will be a paid staff person for each community, downtown and Merritton, doing market research and providing those insights to business owners for free. That’s important, but it’s not what many involved are most excited about.

“I think the most impactful piece is that they're focusing on certain demographics that have really been hardest hit through the pandemic and that are often overlooked and don't often receive the support that everyone else does,” said Braithwaite.

Specifically, the program will focus on BIPOC, women-led and LGBTQ+ businesses.

“Often a lot of the supports that come out from the government don't reach everybody, and there's a lot of people that fall through the cracks. So I think this is one way they're trying to rectify that a little bit.”

Yurkiw, a queer woman, said bringing awareness to some of those groups is important, and pointed to the holiday BIPOC vendor market hosted by Black Owned 905 as an example of the opportunity that’s there if these communities are better supported. That event, held before Christmas, brought dozens of entrepreneurs to the downtown. Some of those could develop a successful storefront in St. Catharines with the right support, Yurkiw said.

Samir Husika, downtown development officer for the city, said supporting BIPOC, women-led and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs was a priority when they applied for the program.

“The changing dynamics that we're seeing in downtown, in Merritton, they're getting younger, they're getting more diverse. And so this program is seeking to support the businesses and entrepreneurs that we’re seeing in those communities,” he said.

Applications for the two positions are currently open, and Husika said they hope to have the ambassadors up and running in a month or two. He encourages entrepreneurs and those that want to get started to visit mymainstreet.ca/accelerator-program.

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STORY BEHIND THE STORY: COVID-19 continues to hit the business community hard, and some businesses more than others. Luke Edwards spoke with owners and representatives about what impact a new program will have on some of those entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs.

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Down on Main Street? Not so fast — new St. Catharines program could have things looking up - StCatharinesStandard.ca
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