Starter Company Plus Showcase Returns To Celebrate Local Small Businesses

Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) will host their Starter Company Plus Showcase on Feb. 28 at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre; celebrating the program’s successes in launching and growing local small businesses.

photo courtesy of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development.

The Starter Company Plus Program launched in 2017 and have assisted over 215 local entrepreneurs and more than 174 small businesses to date; creating over 200 jobs in the local economy.

After a hiatus due to COVID-19, the event will celebrate participants and grant winners from the seven intakes of the Starter Company Plus program that occurred from 2020 to 2022.

The Peterborough & the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centre (BAC) delivered virtual entrepreneurship and small business training to 86 individuals in the City of Peterborough and Peterborough County during the pandemic. The participants have been eagerly anticipating the return of the event which celebrates their successes through their businesses.

PKED says more than 24 businesses are confirmed to participate, with more to come. Businesses ranging from culinary, wellness and local goods to tourism experiences and professional services will showcase their products and services while networking amongst fellow local entrepreneurs.

Staff and board of directors at PKED are inviting members of the media, community partners and stakeholders to attend and show their support for the small business community from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the 28th. To register for the event and view the list of participating businesses, visit their website.

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Ontario Announces Support For Small Businesses

The Ontario Government announced an Ontario COVID-19 Small Business Relief Grant for small businesses that are subject to closure under the modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen, on Friday. It will provide eligible small businesses with a grant payment of $10,000.

Eligible small businesses include:

• Restaurants and bars;

• Facilities for indoor sports and recreational fitness activities (including fitness centres and gyms);

• Performing arts and cinemas;

• Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos, science centres, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens and similar attractions;

• Meeting or event spaces;

• Tour and guide services;

• Conference centres and convention centres;

• Driving instruction for individuals; and

• Before- and after- school programs.

The Ontario government is also providing electricity-rate relief to support small businesses, as well as workers and families spending more time at home while the province is in Modified Step Two.

For 21 days starting at 12:01 am on Jan. 18 electricity prices will be set 24 hours a day at the current off-peak rate of 8.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, which is less than half the cost of the current on-peak rate. The off-peak rate will apply automatically to residential, small businesses and farms who pay regulated rates set by the Ontario Energy Board and get a bill from a utility and will benefit customers on both Time-of-Use and Tiered rate plans.

Online applications for the previously-announced Ontario Business Costs Rebate Program will open on Jan. 18. This program will provide eligible businesses that are required to close or reduce capacity with rebate payments for up to 100 per cent of the property tax and energy costs they incur while subject to public health measures in response to the Omicron variant.

Eligible businesses required to close for indoor activities, such as restaurants and gyms, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 100 per cent of their costs. Those required to reduce capacity to 50 per cent, such as smaller retail stores, will receive a rebate payment equivalent to 50 per cent of their costs. A complete list of eligible businesses will be provided prior to the launch of the application portal.

The Ontario Government is also introducing a six-month interest- and penalty-free period to make payments for most provincially administered taxes, cutting wholesale alcohol prices to provide approximately $60 million in annual support to restaurants, bars and other businesses, and extending COVID-19 paid sick days until July 31, 2022 to keep workers safe and ensure they do not lose pay if they need to miss work for reasons related to COVID-19.

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Local Businesses and Chamber of Commerce Join Forces To Encourage A Hometown Holiday

The Hometown Holiday campaign, organized by four local chambers of commerce is underway, and encouraging Peterborough and the Kawarthas to support local this holiday season.

“Shopping local is one of these things that we look at as an investment in our communities,” said Joel Wiebe, Peterborough Chamber. “It goes back into all of the things we enjoy about our community.”

He also notes it is a different experience shopping at a local business.

“What we pride ourselves on within our local business community is the customer service. There’s places you can go in and get good quality recommendations, you don’t have to be there for hours, you get what you’re looking for.”

Bob’s Watch Repair has been located on Park Street N. for over 50 years and has seen the rise and fall of many small businesses in Peterborough.

“It’s the same as it always has been, small businesses keep money in town,” said Lauren Falls, Bob Watch Repair. “They keep people employed and they keep the town lively”

In addition to Bob’s Watch Repair, McKnights Fashion, Floral & Gifts has been a mainstay in Peterborough for many years.

What began as a grocery store over 100 years ago has morphed into a one stop shop for gifts, flowers and even clothing.

Christmas is a busy time of year for McKnight’s, according to owner Sam McKnight, but this year is turning out to present different struggles than other years.

“I’ve got Christmas stuff coming in in January that I’ve already paid for, but won’t be able to sell,” he said. “I’m sure I’m not alone in that.”

Because of supply chain issues stores like McKnight’s have been experiencing delays in delivery.

“After the lockdown we need the revenue, I don’t think there’s many small businesses that will be able to go on without it. This is a year that’s not about thriving, it’s about surviving.”

Also noticing supply chain issues is local business Basket Express.

Basket Express provides gourmet baskets with most goods curated from within a 100 km radius of Peterborough.

"Getting things from overseas is a struggle right now, so everything has to be local” said Reni Rausch, owner. “Customers really appreciate local goods, especially in the last couple of years. People are willing to pay a little extra because for local you have to, there’s so many more costs associated with a small business.”

Save Our Soles (S.O.S), an independently run women's boutique located at 384 George St N knows just how much local businesses contribute to the community.

“Shopping local is important for numerous reasons: local fills the store fronts; local supports youth sports and activity programs; and local employees, well, locals,” said Shelby Leonard-Watt, owner S.O.S. “We know that we can’t be all things to everyone. All we ask is that as a local downtown business we are your first thought, and stop, and then when you can’t find it locally, then go online. It shouldn’t be the other way around.”

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Former Trent Student Founds Website Incentivizing People to Shop Locally

In an innovative and creative way to incentivize people to shop local while promoting small businesses, former Trent student Nick Mitchell founded a new community engagement project called “Take a Challenge, Make a Change" (TACMAC).

Mitchell has been a lifeguard instructor in Kenya and a chef in British Columbia. Photo Courtesy of TACMAC.

Launching this Thursday, the website encourages participants — primarily post-secondary students — to engage in fun challenges to earn discounts or rewards and support charity while supporting small businesses.

Challenges are complete by posting a picture of themselves at the establishments on Instagram with the hashtag #TACMACJACKPOT. Anyone who enters will be registered for a weekly jackpot for a chance to donate $100 —money supplied by TACMAC — to a charity of the winner’s choice.

The charitable idea stemmed from Mitchell’s time working at One Roof Community Centre. It inspired him to create a business dedicated to giving back to the community. The inspiration for creating TACMAC came from his time at Trent where his friends and classmates knew of very few places to spend time and shop in town and go to the same place repeatedly.

"I’ve come across so many of my fellow peers who time after time say there's nothing to do in Peterborough," said Mitchell. "The response was that they didn't know this (certain places) even existed."

Some examples include having a home cook-off with a friend based on one ingredient from The Food Shop or purchasing crickets from the House of Scales and make a meal from them.

TACMAC creates an outlet for students to experience Peterborough outside of the ‘campus bubble” according to Mitchell.

Photo Courtesy of TACMAC.

Businesses can register themselves through TACMAC’s website for a small fee to allow customers to take part in their challenges. The incentive is another way for entrepreneurs to promote and advertise their businesses.

Mitchell says the timing of TACMAC could not be any better since some people are unsure of what is open or closed during the current stages of the pandemic.

"It just gives people a clear-cut path to activities in Peterborough," said Mitchell. "There's probably going to be a lot of confusion to what's okay. When they see it on the website, it kind of reduces a bit of the anxiety."

Over 20 businesses have registered for TACMAC.

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Local Group Creates Video Highlighting Small Businesses During Pandemic

Small businesses have been negatively affected by the pandemic but entrepreneurs Kyle McDonald, Mike Watt and several others wanted to highlight their importance with a heartstring-grabbing video released Monday.

The video, “For SmALL of Us” showcases the importance of how small businesses play a role in local communities. While it is easy to tell everyone to shop local, the video wanted to spread the message to emotionally connect with their audience while preventing the saying from becoming cliché according to both entrepreneurs.

“We’ve seen a million things to say support local and shop local, you can only say the same thing for so long,” said McDonald, owner of Pioneer Inc. “They just push it aside and it falls on deaf ears.”

“It’s about reframing the message about giving small businesses the first opportunity,” said Watt, owner of Providence, S.O.S. Save Our Soles, Flavour Fashion and PTBO Northern Originals. ”I never hear about how Costco is what makes Peterborough so great. It’s the bridal shop you got your wedding dress or the suit you got married in or the coffee shops that you sat down at.“

The 60-second video does not mention Peterborough so it could be used universally. Photo Courtesy of Kyle MacDonald.

The video’s idea was inspired by Watt after a conversation with his wife —who co-owns S.O.S. with Watt — and when Premier Doug Ford and the Government of Ontario announced a month-long province-wide shutdown that extended into six weeks that took effect early April.

Hà Nội House and St. Veronus Café and Tap Room were some of the businesses that were portrayed in the video. Photo Courtesy of Tyler Tindale

The rapidly-changing pandemic rules have forced these small businesses to be creative and innovative just to stay afloat said Watt.

“Everybody is struggling in their own way right now and the creativity is out there,” he said. “People are doing podcasts, interviews and doing these side hustles to bring all these businesses to light. People are seeing how are they are going to survive in this third wave.”

Sam’s Place in Downtown Peterborough on Hunter Street is shown here. Several shots of downtown were taken to compile the video. Photo Courtesy of Tyler Tindale

While the 60-second video contained all shots of Peterborough, the city’s name was not branded so it could apply to all small businesses as opposed to just one place. It has received heavy positive feedback and the message has spread very quickly according to Watt and McDonald.

“Likes are fine (on social media) but shares are what make a difference,” said McDonald. “On the other side, it has made a resurgence and has our city gone up in local business.”

“It’s been awesome. People are really embracing it and sharing it in and out of town. It’s doing what we wanted to do,” said Watt. “We wanted people to have a passion for this town and other towns and have people recognize that this is a conversation.”

The video was branded by brand developer Bryan Sage, videographer Jeremy Kelly did the editing and photography was by Tyler Tinsdale. Klint Davies wrote the script and Mike Judson of Pure Country 105 did the voice-over.

“We have to ramp up to a point in June where we can open. Hopefully we can open and hit the ground running and willing to shop and support these businesses,” said Watt. “We want to start the conversation. It comes from a place of encouragement and our city. We want people to think about our businesses.”

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[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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