If the Sparks Street Management Board has a vision of an uncluttered, pristine street, it is well on its way. Soon, there will be no kiosks, no pedestrians, no shoppers, and no tourists to speak of or to bother the board.
Its recent decision to ban independent vendors from setting up kiosks on the street is the final nail in the coffin of the character and charm of a street that has been suffering a long, long time.
In its infinite wisdom, the board made a decision not to allow vendors to set up kiosks on the street during the summer months.
The reason? The board has a clean and pretty vision for the street and the messy, eclectic tents and tables the vendors use to display their wares are not part of that plan. After public outcry and criticism, the board amended the decision and now says it will allow owners of shops already on the street to set up tables outside to draw customers into their stores.
The evil outside vendors who lend character to the otherwise boring concrete haven, draw tourists to the downtown core and create a unique English-market feel to the street are removed for the sake urban aesthetics.
Contrary to the wisdom of the board, the street vendors don’t take business from stores. If anything, the vendors increase business.
Street vendors add character and bring tourists and locals onto the street. By ridding Sparks of street vendors, the board is also ridding the street of its vitality.
For the Sparks Street Mall to survive, there needs to be people willing to shop there.The prime shopping target is tourists and their money, especially since Sparks is so close to Parliament Hill. And tourists aren’t looking for expensive suits or CDs or books. They’re looking for souvenirs of their trip to Ottawa, which both street vendors and many Sparks Street merchants are selling.
But for tourists to be on the street and spending their money, there needs to be something to attract them to the street in the first place.
Street vendors provide the right amount of intrigue and character to attract people who may otherwise skip the street. It’s hard to pass a street vendor without pausing, but an empty street is easy to avoid.
Street vendors were one of the things that made Sparks unique, but without them, it’s just another downtown street.
A big congratulations to the Sparks Street Managment Board for the latest in a string of bad decisions. It may have finally accomplished the unthinkable — killing Sparks Street.
— Rachelle Diprose and Brandy Zimmerman