A bowling alley, arcade and late-night coffee shop are some of the top suggestions the Sechelt Downtown Business Association (SDBA) has received in response to a Facebook post asking the public what new businesses it would like to see.
Theressa Logan, executive director of the SDBA, says she’d love to see a combination bowling alley/arcade/billiards hall open downtown.
“We're definitely seeing a lot of need for activities for kids. That the big want, it seems, and a need. And we know how much it rains here, so not everybody's outside on a mountain bike,” said Logan. “So how do we have activities for young people? Because there seems to be a gap there. So, that was really interesting to see.”
Hundreds of people responded to the request for input and a common thread was a need for activities for young families. Other popular suggestions included an art gallery, kids’ clothing store, a co-working space, affordable shoe or clothing stores, and a flea market in Trail Bay Centre.
Logan says with more young families moving to the Coast, there’s a real need for indoor activities for kids and the SDBA is happy to include that message in the new marketing strategy the association is working on, and then see if anyone’s interested in opening such a space.
“And there is space for that. We have buildings that have ample space to do that type of thing,” says Logan. “It’s a want, it's a need, but it's whoever's going to be that champion. What we're doing is we're trying to find that champion to come to our community and do this because they have to have a strong business sense, money and creativity, and the ability and the want to live here. So, we have to find our fairy out there that exists, someone to come in and be part of our community. Or it could be somebody that's already here.”
Logan would like to see a late-night coffee shop/café/lounge that caters to youth and adults who don’t drink.
“Not everybody drinks anymore and young people don't drink anyway, so they don't want to go to the bar. But why don't we have coffee shops that stay open past four o'clock, where there's young people and have music nights and things like that? We're just we're missing a nightlife that doesn't include alcohol.”
Logan said there are 12 empty storefronts in downtown Sechelt right now and their job at the SDBA is to get those filled. She notes, between the rents, which are much more affordable than Vancouver, and the great quality of life on the Coast, entrepreneurs and businesses should seriously consider a move to Sechelt.
“Maybe that's part of the draw. Definitely, living here is pretty magical. So, if we can combine that with a business opportunity, maybe we'll have some wins.”
Logan notes changes to provincial and local short-term rental legislation have been hard on businesses across the Coast due to the drop in tourism. She argues the plan to ban short-term rentals as a way to increase long-term housing doesn’t work in Sechelt, where many homes are vacation places that have stayed within the same family for decades.
“People need homes, that's fine, but Sechelt is unique because we have a lot of wealthy families that have waterfront homes and they will never rent those homes out long-term, because they come there for the summer,” says Logan. “So, all of that inventory is gone, where there was short-term renting. Because people were never planning to put it on the market long term, because their families come up here. All of that inventory is gone. And that is a giant mistake."
