A proposed zip line running along the street, different festivals throughout the year and the upcoming launch of valet parking are all recent projects aimed at making Sparks Street a more vibrant area. Now, there is a new initiative for the rejuvenation of the downtown shopping district: Startup Canada on Sparks Street.
The national entrepreneurship organization Startup Canada and the Sparks Street BIA have joined forces to advance rejuvenation efforts. As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, hundreds of entrepreneurs from across Canada gathered on Nov. 21 to share their ideas of what they think would improve the street.
“Sparks Street is entering a new entrepreneurial age,” says Paul Brent, the communications strategist and former CTV Ottawa anchor who chaired the event.
“We’re committed to making Sparks an entrepreneur-friendly area,” explains Les Gagne, executive director of the Sparks BIA. In order to do this he reached out to Startup Canada, the mission of which is to stimulate entrepreneurs for beginning businesses.
The organization does this by giving entrepreneurs the tools and networks that they need to take their businesses to the next level. Startup Canada has branches in communities across Canada, including Startup Ottawa.
Jason Daley, co-leader of the Startup Ottawa, says Sparks Street is still trying to deal with the “4 o’clock syndrome.” He explains that there are many businesses that close at 4 p.m. and stay closed during the weekends.
“There should be around the clock work to make Sparks Street a vibrant, creative entrepreneur business district.”
But what would this mean for shop owners? Ian Wright, owner of the Snow Goose Gallery, doesn’t think it will bring more people into his store. “But just having the people out on the street and making the street vibrant is important to us (shop owners),” he says. “I have seen a lot of improvements in the last year. Les is bringing a lot of creative ideas to the street.”
One of the new ideas is to create a campus for start-up businesses on Sparks Street to co-share working space – a place where entrepreneurs could come together and share their ideas as they develop.
“Sometimes entrepreneurs work at start-ups in a basement,” says Daley. “If they would have a place where they could come together, it would be more inspiring.”
Wright says he thinks it would be great if the entrepreneurship week event brings fresh ideas to the street. “Obviously, I don’t want anyone competing with me directly if possible,” he laughs. “But the more businesses and the more people that want to come down, the better.”
One of the speakers at the Startup Canada on Sparks Street event was Bruce Firestone, the founding owner of the Ottawa Senators and executive producer of Exploriem. The non-profit organization develops start-ups and other enterprises by providing entrepreneurial services to its members.
“Sparks Street needs to look more like Manhattan,” he says. “There should be activity 24/7 and we shouldn’t be shy about animating Spars Street.”
Firestone notes that creative ideas help to get people downtown, “including the idea of a zip line through the street,” he says. The outdoor activity was proposed earlier this year as a way to allow residents and tourists to glide down and have a different view of the pedestrian mall, either from Metcalfe to O’Connor streets or from O’Connor to Bank.
Gagne confirms this and explains that the proposal hasn’t been forgotten.
“The launch of the zip line is being pushed forward to next year, probably July,” he says.