Brockton Business Newsletter - March 2020

The face of downtown Walkerton is changing, both on the street and behind the scenes. Here's the latest news about some of our movers and shakers: Rory Chapelle, owner of the former "Scotty's" building at 206 Durham St. East, has converted the building into two commercial units, each completely renovated and available for lease. Find details on Kijiji’s Commercial Space listings. Brockton's Economic Development Committee toured the building last month. His Style, one of the top men's clothing stores in the region, has been purchased by Kristen and Scott Bowman, and will re-open later this month. Children's clothing retailer Charlie Ray's has closed. We wish them well in their future endeavours.

Lee & Lynn's Clothing has moved across the street to Kisses Lifeology at 222 Durham St., where it will continue to sell its most popular brands. Kisses has renovated the space and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year! Marion Cooper, owner of Mom's Unique Finds for Mom, Baby and Child, has closed her storefront at 403 Durham St. East after almost 8 years in business. She will continue to offer her services online. Axe ‘N Gear Music has purchased the building with plans to open by April. Fork 'n Good Food, a highly rated vegan and gluten-free restaurant at 201 Durham St. East, is for sale. The owners plan to stay open until a buyer is found to continue a successful enterprise.

Do you have commercial space in downtown Walkerton that you are looking to sell or lease? Ask about our Storefront Marketing Program – a free service to help promote available properties to entrepreneurs and investors. Did you know? We also have free online listings of available commercial and office space. Contact Community Development Coordinator Paulette Peirol at ppeirol@brockton.ca or call 519-881-2223 ext 131

Brockton Façade Program

Brockton has launched its 2020 Façade Improvement Program , with grants of up to $1,500 available to Walkerton businesses looking to improve the outside of their buildings. Specific improvements eligible for funding include repainting, masonry/wood/glass repair, cladding upgrades, signage, windows and doors, the addition of awnings, shutters, trim and frontal lighting. Improvements must be visible from the street and buildings must be zoned institutional, commercial or industrial to qualify. Work must be completed the same year that the grant application is approved.

Industrial Space Available in Former Energizer Plant  Owners of the former Energizer plant at 165 Kincardine Highway in Walkerton are subdividing the 200,000 square-foot building to create smaller industrial units and office space. Five units from 31,000 to 60,000 square feet are available for lease, for $6 a square foot. The “Industrial Condos” are only 40 minutes from Bruce Power. The building includes a cafeteria, common area, loading docks, high ceilings, a substation with 4,200 amp service, full sprinkler system and ample parking. It’s zoned BP-1.

Walkerton 2020: Resilience. Innovation. Community, an event to commemorate the 20 th anniversary of the Walkerton water tragedy, will take place on Saturday, May 9 th at the Walkerton Heritage Water Garden from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Local service clubs will serve a family luncheon at the park following the ceremony, and dignitaries will be present. Public tours of the Walkerton Clean Water Centre will follow in the afternoon, from 1-3 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend this community event, to honour our legacy, the strength and resilience of our community, and the breakthroughs we have made to ensure safe drinking water across Ontario.

Brockton Purchases Land for Downtown Parkette

The Municipality of Brockton has purchased a vacant lot on Durham Street formerly owned by the Wong family to create a downtown green-space and public gathering area. The property at 312 Durham Street is in a central location and connected to a parking lot, making it suitable for an urban-style park to support downtown businesses. The Wong family ran a restaurant at that site for many years, and its contributions to the community will be recognized and incorporated into the design of the park. The municipality will welcome comments and ideas from the community about design plans for the area before it’s developed.

March 12 – Sales Forecasting and Cash Flow – Walkerton (Business to Bruce) March 24 – Branding & Branding Your Business – Neustadt (SEDC Seminar) March 26 – Spring Shopper’s Night – Walkerton BIA March 26 – How do I set my selling prices? – Walkerton (Business to Bruce) April 9 – Employment Standards Act Seminar – Walkerton (Business to Bruce) May 6 – Tourism Brochure Swap - Cargill May 9 – Walkerton 2020 Commemoration June 6 – Town-wide Sidewalk Sale - Walkerton BIA June 17 – Hawk’s Nest - Owen Sound

The Saugeen Student Start-Up Program (SSUP) is back for a second year, giving local students the opportunity to start their OWN businesses this summer! If you know an enterprising youth in grades 6-12 who wants to try self-employment, encourage them to check out the program for a chance to receive grants and assistance. Applications are due May 7, 2020. Last year, the program gave 42 students the chance to run 34 businesses in our region, from dog walking, lawn care, and babysitting services to clowning, farm-fresh egg sales, hand-made jewelry, welding, and more. Interested in sponsoring a student? Saugeen Connects has committed time, resources and cash to spark the program and is now looking for businesses and organizations to join us in investing in the Saugeen region’s future. There are three levels of sponsorship, from $300 to $1,500. Please visit saugeenconnects.com/youth or email info@saugeenconnects.com if you’d like to get involved. The deadline for sponsorships is April 30, 2020. Saugeen SSUP is run by the Saugeen Connects Partnership, consisting of Brockton, Hanover, Minto, Wellington North and West Grey, along with the Saugeen Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).

Business Grant Programs Open for 2020 The County of Bruce and BruceGreySimcoe.com (RTO7) have each launched grant programs for 2020, available to businesses and tourism-related organizations within the region. The Spruce the Bruce program launched March 1, and offers funding for projects involving: Community Signage Streetscape Beautification Façade Improvements & Sidewalk Patios Perpendicular Signage & Awnings Destination Infrastructure Collaborative Marketing RTO7 is offering a tourism partnership program for 2020/21 with funding available for the following types of projects: Video Production/Image Production Experience Development/Consumer Research/Workforce Development Storytelling Digital Advertising Social Media (Image & Video) Advertising Campaign Tourism Wayfinding, Trails & Cycling Signage French Translation Services Web Portal Development For more information on these programs and to access the guidelines and application forms, visit the  Partnership Program Page . It’s also offering implementation programs in the following categories, with a new sustainable tourism program launching this year. Click on the links for more information about each. Experience Implementation Program Festival Implementation Program Tourism Implementation Program Sustainable Tourism Implementation Program

WOWSA Welcomes Women in Business WOWSA ( Women of Wellington and Saugeen Area) is hosting an event on Thursday, March 12 th at Maclean’s Ales in Hanover to welcome local business owners and professionals to share how they got their start, overcame adversity and their recommendations on how best to celebrate successes. They will also hear from inspiring young women who are already setting new trends and paving the way for the next generation.  Economic Indicators Released for Saugeen Area Some highlights from the latest Saugeen Economy Report, issued by the Saugeen Economic Development Corp. in partnership with the Regional Advisory Committee, of which Brockton is a member: Unemployment rate still lowest in the province, at 2.7 per cent, versus 4.8 for Ontario. Social assistance down slightly from 2018 Building permits soar to $348-million in value, up $82-million from 2018. Home prices up 15.5% to an average of $395,000 Beef, poultry and egg production up. Motor vehicle sales down 4.3% Full Saugeen Economy report available online.

Municipality of Brockton | Brockton.ca

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