SYDNEY, N.S. — The Sydney Downtown Development Association is turning to the people as it searches for the best business mix for the downtown shopping core and people are responding.
Less than 12 hours after a survey on the business mix subject was launched, more than 500 people had completed it and its social media reach had extended past 12,000.
“Within 20 minutes we had almost 20 responses so that is pretty exciting,” Michelle Wilson, the association's executive director, said about the survey launched at 4 p.m. on Feb. 18.
“And I received a message from somebody who is curious about opening a business. It is going to be super interesting to see these responses.”
The survey was launched by the association in collaboration with the Cape Breton Partnership. It's being referred to as a "proactive approach to attracting the best retail mix for downtown Sydney."
Some 40 options are covered in the five-minute survey and Wilson said efforts were made to be both inclusive in potential business suggestions and broad in nature.
Ideally, she said they’d like to attract businesses that are the brainchild of local people. That’s not to say they wouldn’t also like to attract branded companies but her research has shown that a focus should be placed on local entrepreneurs.
“I always use businesses like Selkie’s and Doktor Lukes as examples that really give you that experience you can’t get anywhere else in the whole wide world. We really need more things like that in the downtown.”
Survey results are expected to ‘arm’ the association and potential business owners with plenty of valuable information to help them decide to set up shop downtown or not.
“If somebody is looking to open a small business in downtown Sydney, maybe they don’t have a business degree and maybe it is just a passion for something, well we can say, ‘according to this survey of 1,000 people, 90 per cent said they are going to shop there weekly in this type of business.’ That is kind of the angle.”
Information can also be distributed to property owners who may be looking at somebody’s business plan and trying to figure out if they will be a good tenant or not.
“We will have the data as well to say ‘you know what we’ve done the work’ also and ‘this is the support behind this type of business.’”
Go online to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WQSZBX8 to fill out the best business mix survey.
Survey participants will be entered in a draw for two, $100 downtown dollar gift cards.
The survey is part of a number of initiatives the association has launched or is preparing to launch including a project aimed at promoting streetscaping beautification and placemaking among its member businesses in the downtown core.
Project: Makeover Downtown Sydney was launched Monday and through it, the association will be offering to help fund projects that will improve the exterior appearance of buildings.
The beautification and placemaking program guidelines will be available to members and artists by contacting the SDDA office and through its Facebook page.
Greg McNeil is a business reporter at the Cape Breton Post.
