Not that long ago, the downtown strip along Raglan Street in Renfrew was as bleak as perhaps bleak could get.
Multiple storefronts not just empty, but abandoned for all intents and purposes. Broken glass and boarded-up windows was a key take-away for anyone travelling along the Highway 60-Highway 132 corridor, not a very compelling place for anyone to stop and venture a stroll along the main drag.
I’m happy to say that, at least to me, there is more than enough evidence that the people occupying space downtown are taking it a lot more seriously than perhaps they once did. And by that I mean absentee building owners. To be absolutely clear, there have always been businesses along Raglan that have put their best foot forward to the public. It’s just that now they’re being joined by an assortment of others, owners, tenants, or both.
This is an excellent trend to report upon. A community’s downtown is like the cover on a book, and whether it’s fair or not, it’s usually one of the key points of judgement as to whether the place is worth a stop, a compliment, or a rating on some internet sight.
Now, we’re not just seeing the beginning of a more widespread pride of ownership, but also the emergence of a pride of presence. Businesses that understand that their storefront presence is a huge factor in how many times the little door chimes ring when prospective clients/customers enter. Quality of product and/or service is vital as well, but you’ve got to do more than just hang an OPEN sign in the window if you expect people to come in and discover that quality and service in the first place.
Where there is one, there is often two. And where two, four. And so on.
As more and more downtown businesses jump on this seemingly emerging trend, we’ll begin to see a real revitalization of the downtown core. The town, itself, is doing what I think is a fabulous job, with a recent facelift a few years back, decorative street markings and seasonal banners, street lighting that adds to the ambience of the place, and perhaps the best flower beds I’ve seen in any community.
As the four-lane highway creeps closer, we need only to see what’s happening in Arnprior to get a sense of how we might turn a downtown first built over 130 years ago and transform it into a really cool strip that’s loaded with character that embraces its small-town roots but also welcomes some of the classier elements of modern society.
A place not simply to drive through. A place to stop and take a stroll. And maybe even bring your wallet.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 