On Friday, November 24 th Summerland celebrated the 30 th anniversary of the Festival of Lights . With the District of Summerland as our partner in the delivery of the festival, we were able to program 3 different stage areas this year, provide a new program/map handout and create improved safety measures. According to reports from merchants and a record 50+ vendors, there were more people than ever before, many of them from out of town and everyone had a stellar evening.  It could not be done without the hard work of Chamber and District staff and the generous contributions of our sponsors. Please take a look at that list here and consider sponsoring the festival next year yourself.

Our local merchants play a key role in showcasing Summerland. Our merchants win and keep their customers through offering beautiful and unique products in a boutique environment in a beautiful town setting. They do it with terrific service and a delightful shopping experience. They know many of their customers personally and they are difference makers in our community.

Over the past few years we’ve seen how these merchants have taken over our downtown streets. Stores are filled with designer fashions, gifts and collectibles, antiques, craft and hobby supplies, jewellery, and the most delicious food.  So filled in fact, that there is only one empty downtown building still available for a new storefront to open.  

American speaker Roger Brooks is well known in Canada and the US for his work in downtown revitalization in communities large and small. He has found that there is a 10/10/10 rule that operates in successful downtowns. You need to have at least 10 boutiques (we have many more than that), 10 eateries (we’re very close), and 10 places open in the evening (something to aim for). Downtowns support their merchants by animating their spaces with activity that brings people. Events like Light Up are one option for this and go a long way toward introducing our town to newcomers.

However, in order to really support our merchants and create a vibrant downtown, we need to find ways to bring more people into the area on a regular basis. Brooks recommends having something going on at least 200 days a year, even in a town that experiences winter. 

We have some ideas for this and the new Housing, Tourism and Downtown Revitalization task forces will be working on this in the coming year. We’ll be talking about their progress in the New Year. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support for our work.

Christine Petkau, Executive Director