BIA sees strong start to Open Air Dunlop program
Now in its second weekend of the season, officials with the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA) say the Open Air Dunlop program is off to a strong start.
The program, which officially launched for its second year on June 12, sees Dunlop Street closed between Mulcaster and the Five Points intersection on Saturdays throughout the summer.
"Our businesses are really just loving seeing the customers come in, smiling faces, happy faces, and you know sales are up," says Kelly McKenna, the executive director of the BIA. "Theyve had their doors closed for months, and last week when we opened up, they said it was some of the best sales they've had in over a year.
One of those business owners is Jill Dyck. For the last 17 years, Dyck has owned Bohemia Barrie, which has seen many iterations over those years, now operating as a coffee shop. After a challenging year, she's welcoming the increase in business.
"I've kept going throughout this whole thing. But it's not the same," Dyck says to CTV News. "Keeping going is not the sort of a celebration. And this is the first celebration that we've really been able to have after this long pandemic."
Dyck admits that she initially wasn't supporting the program when it launched in the summer of 2020. However, she says her opinion has changed.
"I think this is really the right direction to go for downtown Barrie," Dyck says. "It just allows people to relax more and see what's down here and be acquainted with the people that have businesses down here, the little cute places that you wouldn't normally see if you were walking by them."
For more information on the Open Air Dunlop program, you can click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.