By Stephen Vance, Editor
It’s hard to believe that it is already that time of year again. Time for the snow to fill our driveways, for wreaths and ribbons to be installed on downtown light standards, and time for the community to gather along Sykes Street for the 25th year in a row for the BIA holiday Window Unveiling event.
That this event has become Meaford’s unofficial launch of the holiday shopping season is somewhat ironic given the number of empty shop windows in our downtown core. In fact, while gathering together some photos from previous years of the Window Unveiling event, I was struck by how many of my photos were of windows of shops and businesses that no longer exist.
Many of our readers will likely remember some of those businesses that have come and gone in just the last few years: T-Zone, Support Therapy Aqua Massage, Blossom Health Club, Evolve Toy Store, The Flower Studio, the Pink Rooster, Fotos and Flowers, amongst others.
That is a significant amount of turnover for a small town; then again, at least in Meaford people seem to keep trying to make a go of a downtown shop, whereas many other small towns have given up on their downtown or business area. The big box stores and the Walmarts of the world have turned small town, mom and pop operations into a less than desirable endeavour.
Those most likely to succeed are also those most likely to fail – niche businesses selling products or services that the huge corporate operations don’t offer. If they are lucky, the niche product or service offered by a mom and pop shop comes along with a large, under-serviced market that is more than happy to support their business. If the product or service is too niche, on the other hand, it doesn’t really matter if the big stores don’t offer it, there aren’t enough people looking for it to help the business survive.
As many of our readers know, we have long been strong supporters of shopping local. Some have even suggested that I am a little militant about shopping close to home, and I rarely find myself in a store outside of Meaford to make purchases – though I concede that is becoming more and more difficult as we lose more and more shops. If you need bed linens in this town, there’s really only one option, and if they don’t have what you need, you might be forced outside of Meaford’s borders. The same can be said for men’s clothing, children’s clothing, and a host of other consumer items.
When small towns began losing their small-scale manufacturing bases, the shops were one of the first victims, aside from the former employees of course. And while towns like Meaford have a seemingly never-ending supply of creative and ambitious entrepreneurs, the fact is that the shrinking local workforce combined with the rock bottom pricing on offer from the corporate stores means that all the creativity and ambition anyone can muster is of little help.
In some ways it is depressing to consider that people would rather drive a half hour away from home in order to pick up not just the frills, but the basics. On the other hand, the financial realities of 2014 almost dictate that people seek out the lowest prices possible, even if it means burning fuel to find them.
Without any real economic development initiatives in Meaford, we are destined to have a boarded up downtown such as you can find throughout the United States, and increasingly in Canada. And while the current drop in fuel prices makes exploring beyond Meaford’s borders when the shopping need arises, perhaps the best thing that could happen for small town businesses like those found in Meaford and across the country (as well as for our environment on the whole) would be a $3 per litre price for fuel.
A $3 per litre fuel price might sound outrageous, especially given the current pricing reprieve, but it could be here sooner than we think. Perhaps it will be a blessing in disguise when it does arrive.
When you roam Sykes Street on Saturday night admiring the beautiful window displays created by our very own friends and neighbours, consider skipping a trip out of town for your holiday shopping. If you can’t find it here, perhaps you don’t even really need it.
Local entrepreneurs, and our environment, will thank you.
