Fangliang Xu, Centretown News
Tourists explore the Sparks Street pedestrian mall.The Sparks Street Business Improvement Area is breathing new life into the street scape, six months after receiving funding for a beautification plan.
Les Gagne, executive director of the Sparks Street BIA, says this year’s Poutine Fest and Busker Fest drew their largest crowds to date. Businesses in the area have also experienced record-breaking days, for some their highest in 22 years, he says.
“We’re still not without our own challenges but I think there’s a breath of fresh air here. There’s a real strong vibe,” says Gagne. “Overall, I think there’s a level of confidence that we might not have seen on Sparks Street for many, many years.”
Over the last six months, the BIA has spent between $50,000 and $100,000 of their allocated budget on opening up the entrances to the mall by removing the concrete semi-circles at each intersection, and bringing in bursts of colour with bright flowerbeds and artificial trees.
The Sparks Street Mall has also replaced the covers on its light fixtures with clear instead of white frosted glass orbs, which distinguishes Sparks Street from the rest of Ottawa, Gagne says, highlighting the new Sparks Street ‘S’ logo placed under each light.
Local businesses, such as The Snow Goose, a family-owned gallery specializing in Native arts and crafts, are noticing the benefits of the changes.
“It’s really livened the street up and I think with the festivals they’re having it’s increased traffic on the street, which makes the street more vibrant,” says co-owner Ian Wright. “The actual work that they’ve had to do to put these things on the mall has been very . . . low impact on us.”
Work is also beginning this week to replace Sparks Street sidewalks with maple leaf-imprinted cement tiles for Canada’s Walk of Fame, recognizing important Canadian humanitarians.
The BIA is working through a list of nomination for the Walk of Fame, including former CTV Ottawa news anchor Max Keeping. They expect to announce the first group of inductees in May.
Sparks Street is doing a lot to raise its profile in Ottawa by introducing new events and reaching out to different communities and organizations throughout the city, says Jantine Van Kregten, an Ottawa Tourism spokeswoman.
The BIA has worked with the Mexican embassy for the Festival Mexicana held at the beginning of September, and will launch Rib Festival’s fall counterpart, Ribtober, this weekend.
“I think where Sparks Street faces challenges (is) in getting people to stop and stay and eat and drink and party and do more on Sparks Street itself and in their businesses,” says Van Kregten.
Despite the closing of Holt Renfrew, Gagne says that he’s excited for a new wave of retailers to take up residence on Sparks Street, including the popular Expedition Shoppe, which is relocating from its store in the Byward Market, as well as a new restaurant in 2015 from Matthew Carmichael, who runs El Camino on Eglin Street.
“I think it’s nice that we’re giving people an alternative to what Ottawa has maybe had to offer in the past, so I think there’s a real sense of optimism and excitement to where we’re going and what we’re building,” says Gagne.