Downtown business ‘blooming’ thanks to improvement loan

Small businesses account for about 90 per cent of those operating in Downtown Lethbridge.

While owners and managers have faced different and emerging challenges in recent years, those shops are the core of the area’s character. When they see positive directions and interactions, and when the business is doing well and reinventing themselves, they will stay and contribute to the vibrancy.

For The Sill and Soil’s Michelle Robertson, several factors have converged for her in the past two years. She has re-imagined her plant shop on 6 Street, between 3 Avenue and 4 Avenue, just a few metres away from Festival Square.

Recently, Robertson successfully applied for a City of Lethbridge’s Business Improvement Loan. It provides interest-free loans, up to $20,000, for downtown businesses to improve the appearance and/or function of their business. The loan is provided in partnership between Community Futures, the Downtown Business Revitalization Zone and the City. Approved loan requests are paid out in monthly installments. Eligible business improvements include:

• lighting
• signage
• flooring
• windows
• roof repair
• accessibility
• architectural details

“Since I started in 2024, Festival Square and the BRZ’s involvement in downtown has really skyrocketed,” says Robertson. “Something like the Community Futures loan just takes away my fears of taking the leap of investing a large sum of money back into a shop. There are so many unknowns of what the cost of goods are going to be and just what our expenses are going to look like as time goes on. Knowing there's a consistent payment is a huge help. This really helped me go ahead with the project of putting some money back into the shop.”

Robertson closed for three weeks, between late July and early August. She re-opened last week with upgraded furniture and lighting fixtures. She also added new workshop tables, a fresh coat of paint and a new floral fridge.

“If I didn't have access to the funding, I probably wouldn't have spent the money on a larger piece of equipment like that, to offer a new service for us,” she says. “It's very clear what you can use this money for and how that can help. It was easy and straightforward to do and so far, no surprises. Now that we've got our storefront open again, it's just like, what a relief.”

“Lethbridge continues to offer a supportive environment for businesses of all sizes,” says Bridget Mearns, Investment and Growth Officer with the City. “We want to continue to build confidence that Lethbridge is built for business and made for living. Supporting businesses in our Downtown core, with programs like the business improvement loan, provides a real and tangible way we can help owners to make the improvements they need to better serve their customers. It’s a win for businesses, residents and the vitality of the community.” 

August marks Downtown Month across Canada. This year's theme, Embrace Downtowns, celebrates the important role downtowns and main streets play in creating vibrant, connected communities.

In Lethbridge, the BRZ continues to support and promote efforts throughout the city’s core, especially at Festival Square and 6 Street South.

“It is one of the prettiest streets in Lethbridge,” says Emily Chong, Marketing & Communications Manager for the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ. “When businesses are investing in their business, they're also investing in the community. Because Michelle is investing in her business, she's going to stay here, she's going to contribute to that look and feel of 6 Street.”

“What's nice about Festival Square is it's such a central location, so if there's something going on there, people are kind of drawn to it. From there, they can spread out and explore all the different places,” says Nathan Scarrow, Operations Coordinator at the BRZ.

Robertson says the relationship with the BRZ and business owners helps some of the past perceptions of Downtown.

“The more variety and exciting businesses that we have, the easier it is to promote Downtown. We love to support each individual business as much as we can, but ultimately, we're a collective downtown. Every business brings something nice to Downtown and being able to use that is just such an advantage,” she says. “The last two years, there's been that shift that people are a lot more appreciative of Downtown and what it has to offer. I think people who haven’t been Downtown in a while are starting to experience it in a new way. There's a lot of new business and it's really cool to see.”

More information on the City’s Business Improvement Loan, with a full list of criteria, can be found here.

For larger businesses and those outside of Downtown, the City also has its Business Development, Expansion and Retention Incentive Program. The grant-based initiative was developed with the input of local industry. It offers a property-tax-based grant to businesses, and other investors in key industries, that invest at least $2 million in new construction or $750,000 in renovation or expansion projects. The grant covers the incremental increase in property taxes due to the new investment. It starts at 100 per cent in year one, tapering to 50 per cent in year five. Local job seekers will benefit from the program too, as the creation of new jobs is part of the eligibility criteria.