Another year of COVID has come and gone, but our downtown business community not only remains strong but continues to grow and prosper.
This year saw further investment in Downtown Revitalization. The Municipality of North Grenville and Council have made it clear in both their Council Workplan and through their actions, that Downtown Kemptville is a priority. The Downtown Kemptville Community Action Plan (DKCAP) and the CIP are both projects that demonstrate this, and we are incredibly fortunate to have such a committed partner to work with.
The events and programming organized by the BIA, its partners and its volunteers have made Downtown Kemptville the preferred choice as a community hub for a variety of community-based events. Thousands of people visit the downtown every year to take in everything from exhibits of arts & culture, to sporting events, to family-focused activities. These visitors spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the many goods and services provided by Old Town Kemptville BIA businesses while they’re here.
This year’s planned events and activities took a direct hit due to the pandemic, but the volunteers of our Marketing & Programming Committee would not be denied as they continued to come up with innovative programming that engaged residents and drew attention to the downtown in a way that always put public health as the first priority.
This year’s Pumpkin Trail activity that was part of our Kreepy Kemptville event allowed people to safely walk, drive or cycle to downtown to check out the almost sixty carved pumpkins that lined Prescott Street. Partnering with the Municipality of North Grenville and the Kemptville District Community Association, the September Downtown Promenade event attracted approximately 1,200 people to the downtown.
Of course, we can’t help but mention the excitement building in the community around the upcoming Kemptville Buskerfest. This event signals the return of larger scale events to Downtown Kemptville and the opportunity to showcase the wealth of talent that exists across North Grenville.
On tap for this month, there are some exciting plans in the works for a re-imagined Old Town Christmas as it evolves into a promenade-style event as we open up Prescott Street to allow people to safely walk and enjoy the many festive activities.
We are also looking forward to the International Plowing Match in 2022, and the opportunities available with such an exciting event and so many visitors on the doorstep of our downtown business community.
This year, we welcomed four new businesses to the downtown. We believe that this kind of private investment in the downtown during a pandemic comes from the perception that the downtown area is not just a thriving commercial area where businesses support each other like a family, but also a vital community hub where people meet to enjoy community events and other sports & cultural activities.
These new businesses have not only generated more digital and foot traffic to the downtown area helping to benefit the other businesses in the BIA footprint, but it has also meant approximately 20 new jobs have been created in the downtown this year.
Tourism is one subject that some may find it hard to believe us when we claim that it represents a significant opportunity for our entrepreneurial family members in Downtown Kemptville. With the recent creation of a tourism strategy for North Grenville, we believe that the Old Town Kemptville BIA is uniquely positioned to become a major partner in the development of tourism for North Grenville.
The installation of the big Adirondack chair in Rotary Park has created a unique new attraction and the Downtown Promenade in September (with another planned for December) brought about 1,200 visitors from near and far. We are even working on an Ontario By Bike designation to encourage cyclists to consider downtown Kemptville as a cycling destination. Lastly, we anticipate some serious economic activity generated by the up to 5,000 guests expected to take in the Kemptville Buskerfest next spring.
In summary, our downtown family continues to grow with new businesses, investments from the Municipality, and new attractions and events that invite tourists and locals alike to explore all that Downtown Kemptville has to offer.
