Now that we are nearly two years in, it’s fair to say that small businesses have borne the brunt of the pandemic. Recent findings by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business show that many continue to struggle and that one in seven independent retailers are at risk of closing.

It is all hands on deck in an effort from local businesses to adapt to a changing landscape, rebrand and encourage Torontonians to support main street.

Local Toronto businesses have had to continually adjust to the “new normal” as fewer shoppers are entering brick-and-mortar stores or attending in-person events. With that in mind, Toronto City Council recently voted in favour of a 15 per cent reduction in property taxes for small businesses that will begin next year. And although that will help, more could be done, and that includes main streets rebranding as community destinations.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our main streets and our neighbourhoods. If they don’t come back strong, we can’t come back strong,” said Mayor John Tory.

The City of Toronto has also launched a slew of programs to help local businesses this season, including the ShowLoveTO campaign that includes 280 TV spots and other advertising encouraging people to shop local.

There is also StrollTO, a program to encourage the exploration of Toronto neighbourhoods through guided walks. Part of the StrollTO program is NoVacancy, which helps local artists animate vacant storefronts.

Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) around the city have also stepped in to help.
“BIAs have had to be creative in coming up with ways to support their businesses as much as possible with lockdown constraints,” said Emma McInerney, events co-ordinator at Cabbagetown BIA. “At the Cabbagetown BIA, this has been done through new events that encourage people to shop local, disseminating information to our businesses about City of Toronto grants and funding available to them, and through expanding our social media reach and featuring our member business online.”

Here is a look at what some BIAs are doing. Get out there and support our main streets this holiday season.

Yonge & St. Clair

As businesses began to reopen and social gatherings resumed, the folks at the Yonge & St. Clair BIA were among the first to rethink how storefronts could broaden their services to attract more customers. During the peak summer months, Patio, located at 1503 Yonge St., offered indecisive diners the opportunity to order food from 11 local restaurants, which were then delivered to one of 20 picnic tables via a QR code.

That’s just one of many clever activations this BIA has utilized to draw people to this growing midtown nabe.

There are also massive street murals aplenty, including the new WaterfallYSC art installation featuring flowing metal bands fashioned to resemble water.

The Eglinton Way

Always a very active BIA with an interest in public art as a way to draw shoppers to this stretch of Eglinton in midtown Toronto, this holiday season the Eglinton Way is launching a Window Wonderland installation. The BIA is partnering with Steps, a community art organization to animate approximately 20 store windows with custom original holiday art created by local artists for all of the community to enjoy.

There is also a special promotion of gift vouchers valued at $25 each that can be used at any business in the BIA (with a few exceptions such as LCBO, Cannabis shops and Shoppers) to be used for purchases in the post holiday time January to March.

The Junction

This year, the Junction BIA is bringing back its popular holiday art experience first introduced in 2021. This year’s event runs until Jan. 2 and promises to be even more spectacular as 30 to 40 local and international artists are set to create winter-inspired artwork that will be brought to life with augmented reality (AR). The first large-scale AR display of its kind to hit the streets of Toronto, it’s a new way for visitors to explore and shop the Junction and a great reason for families to get outside this winter.

Little Italy

Nestled in the heart of College Street, Little Italy brought back its popular 12 Days of Giveaways, but this year, it’s with a little help from social media. This active BIA also launched a 10-day ice sculpture hunt that saw the Little Italy BIA “hiding” sculptures around the neighbourhood that visitors could then snap a pic of and share on Instagram.

Riverside and Queen Street West

Earlier this year, the Riverside BIA (Queen East) teamed up with the Queen Street West BIA to offer virtual walking tours that allowed visitors to peruse local public art from Canadian artists while learning the stories behind them. Queen and Riverside have joined forces again with #HolidaysOnQueen, a month-long extravaganza that began on Nov. 14.

Leslieville

Leslieville’s annual holiday shopping experience, Wanderlust, is back for 2021. The month-long event includes a Santa scavenger hunt and three weeks of deals and giveaways. It culminates with a holiday competition Dec. 1 to 13 that will see storefronts sporting festive window displays.