More than half a dozen businesses in the downtown core are on the move, but the reasons why vary as much as the businesses themselves. 聽
On one hand there are several businesses that are downsizing, citing a prolonged downturn in the economy and a change in shopping habits. On the other hand, a number of businesses in town are expanding, hiring more employees and opening up new shops and restaurants.
Over the past week the 51暗网 visited eight locally owned businesses to find out where they are moving and why.
Freewheel Cycle
After 26 years in business Wendy Hall and Chris Peel are packing up their bike shop and moving down the street to 606 Patricia Street, next to the Jasper TD Bank branch.
It鈥檚 the fourth time the couple has moved since 1983 when they opened up their business behind Online Sports and Tackle, before the Earls building was constructed.
鈥淥ur lease came up and it was just good timing,鈥� said Hall, adding the downturn in the economy didn鈥檛 help.
鈥淭he rent on this building is very reasonable for what we have, we just can鈥檛 afford it anymore.鈥�
The new location will be significantly smaller than their current spot, however they will have an offsite location in the industrial area for bike building and storage.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be the exact same thing we have, just on a smaller scale,鈥� Hall said, adding they have been in the same location since 1994.
Like several other businesses in town, Hall said the 2008 economic recession followed by the drop in oil prices has hurt their business鈥檚 bottom line.
鈥淭he bike industry has changed quite a bit, but it鈥檚 also the economy, Albertans are hurting,鈥� said Hall.
鈥淧eople are still coming here, but people aren鈥檛 spending. They are eating and sleeping, which they have to do, but they aren鈥檛 buying the extras that they used to.鈥�
If all goes according to plan, the new store will open on May 1.
Gravity Gear
Like its neighbour, Gravity Gear is also on the move, hopping across the street to open up a new storefront at 625 Patricia St., beside the Jasper General Store.
Owned by Dani Diduck and her husband Dale, the new store will be roughly the same size as their old one, but will significantly cut down their overhead costs and increase their visibility.
鈥淲e had an opportunity, our lease was up and we believed that after 17 years it was time to make a move,鈥� said Dani.
The Diduck鈥檚 originally opened up their store in 1991 and over the past 26 years have move three times, making this their fourth relocation.
鈥淲e use to be downstairs in the basement of Freewheel where their service shop was and then we were over at the husky building,鈥� she said, adding they were always closely associated with Freewheel Cycle, moving beside that store in 2000.
鈥淲e will miss them, but we鈥檙e happy for both of us,鈥� said Dani. 鈥淎 lot of times we were seen as the bike store tucked into the corner.鈥�
To make room for their new digs, the Jasper General Store has also shrunk in size, splitting its store in half.
A big reason the couple decided it was time to move was because of sagging sales, which they blamed on a lackluster economy and the rise in Internet shopping.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a recession,鈥� said Dani.
Dale agreed, adding other financial stresses such as the increase in minimum wage and the rise in rental costs, have also had an impact on their bottom line.
鈥淢om-and-pop shops are on the brink, but we鈥檝e seemed to have found a little bit of a window to operate and stay alive, but for a lot it鈥檚 tight,鈥� said Dale.
Slice and Dice
Slice and Dice might be one of the newest stores in Jasper, but the family owned business has operated in Canada since 1901, making it one of the oldest companies around.
Owned by Boris Bukovec, he represents the fourth generation of his family to create handcrafted knives and opened up shop in Jasper in June 2015.
With business booming, he has set his sights on expanding his retail space and intends to move into 610 Patricia Street, the former home of Jasper Jewels.
鈥淭he three years that we have been in Jasper we鈥檝e seen that we have to grow,鈥� said Bukovec. 鈥淲e鈥檙e pushing customers out of the store.鈥�
He acknowledged that the economy has been tough on some retailers, but said for the most part his business has been fine.
鈥淭he only time we feel it is when we do the trade shows,鈥� Bukovec said, adding he expects business to be booming this summer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be crazy as hell.鈥�
Elysion Florals
Jasper鈥檚 only flower shop has also been feeling the economic pinch lately, forcing it to downsize.
鈥淰isitors are broke so they鈥檙e not shopping,鈥� said Colleen Chalifoux, owner of the floral shop.
鈥淚f they鈥檙e not shopping then we can鈥檛 afford the rent and fill up our stores full of stuff waiting for people to buy it.鈥�
To cut costs and adjust to the softer economy, she recently shrunk the size of her store, which is located along the pedestrian walkway behind Tim Hortons.
鈥淭he economy will come back, but it鈥檚 not going to be this year so we had to make some tough decisions in order to stay in business. This flower shop has been here for 24 years, the locals don鈥檛 want to lose it.鈥�
Despite the tough economic times, she said she is hopeful this summer will be better.
鈥淲e are optimistic that the things we bring in will cater to what people are needing, buying and want to spend money on,鈥� Chalifoux said, adding she鈥檚 also noticed a drop in the amount of business she gets from weddings.
鈥淲hen people get married in Jasper and they have to pay $10,000 for their wedding dinner and hotel rooms, something has gotta give, which are usually things that are not essential, like flowers.鈥�
Gold brown聽 - New Italian bistro
In an effort to capitalize on this summer鈥檚 crowds, Bukovec also has plans to open up a new panini-espresso bar called Gold Brown, located along the pedestrian walkway that connects Connaught Drive and Patricia Street.
The restaurant will serve Italian street food like paninis as well as Italian coffee.
鈥淲e like real coffee, we don鈥檛 like watered down coffee,鈥� Bukovec said, with a chuckle.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a big company in town here selling lots of coffee and we鈥檙e addicted to it and we don鈥檛 really know why, but for the same price or maybe for a little bit more you can get real good coffee and I think that鈥檚 worth it for the customers.鈥�
He said he expects the bistro to open by the May long weekend with 25 seats inside and a 35-seat patio. For those in a rush, people will also be able to grab and go.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to bring more life to the street,鈥� said Bukovec. 鈥淧eople are attracted to noise and people are attracted to smell, so if they smell and see something that other people have they will come.鈥�
Snowdome Coffee Bar
When Shelley and Sam Koebel decided to add a coffee bar to their laundromat in 2004 they had no idea that 13 years later they would be opening a second coffee shop to keep up with demand.
With no time to lose, the couple is already in the throes of renovating the empty store at 607 Patricia St., above their laundromat.
As the owners of the building, they had tried to find a viable tenant to lease the space, but after sitting empty for years they decided to make it their own and expand their business.
鈥淚t鈥檚 over capacity down there, we just can鈥檛 keep up,鈥� said Shelley.
The layout for the new shop will include an expanded coffee bar as well as an expanded sitting area. They also intend to hire at least four more people.
Both Shelley and Sam said they were optimistic that the influx of visitors this summer would bring more foot traffic into town, which could translate into higher sales. They hope to open the coffee bar by the summer.
Jasper Jewels
Philippe Plourde has seen his fair share of economic cycles over the past 25 years, but knew last summer was going to be tough because of the dismal weather and poor attendance at the Calgary Stampede.
Owner of Jasper Jewels, Plourde and his wife moved their business from Banff to Jasper six years ago, but still use the Calgary Stampede as a bellwether of the economy.
鈥淲e base our economy on the Stampede and when the Stampede is bad we know we鈥檙e going to have a bad season,鈥� Plourde said.
鈥淭he first couple of years were terrific years for us because as a master gold smith I was pulling a lot of people from an untapped region, which is Edmonton,鈥� said Plourde. 鈥淏ut two years ago when the oil industry went into the toilet the justification for all my expenses weren鈥檛 met and we noticed the entire market structure changed.鈥�
Despite having a dismal fall and winter he isn鈥檛 giving up.
Instead of downsizing, he and his wife are quadrupling the size of their store, moving into a 2,000-square-foot retail space at 400 Connaught Drive between Rocky Bear gift shop and Jasper Pizza Place. They also intend to hire four extra employees, doubling their staff.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in the downtown core here and for the last six years I see the same faces go by everyday, they go to the pharmacy, Macs, the banks, but it鈥檚 not the jewelry buying people that I need,鈥� said Plourde.
He said his new location on the corner of Connaught Drive and Pyramid Lake Road is much busier with a steady stream of tourists walking from their hotels in the east end of town to the downtown core.
鈥淭he passerbyers are ten-fold what they are downtown. These people are tourists, they鈥檙e not locals.鈥�
Making their decision easier, the couple already had 2,000 square feet of furniture in the basement of their old building in Banff and rent per square foot was also significantly cheaper.
Despite predictions that there will be a record number of visitors in Jasper this summer, Plourde isn鈥檛 overly optimistic it will translate into a bumper season for retailers.
鈥淭his year is going to be cheap tourism,鈥� said Plourde. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get all the tire kickers, all the people that didn鈥檛 want to pay or couldn鈥檛 afford the gate. It鈥檚 just going to be a ton of those people.鈥�
The new location opened on April 1.
The Whisky Jack Grill
When it comes to the restaurant business few people know their way around a kitchen quite like John Riedler.
After establishing Fiddle River and the Raven Bistro, the 58-year-old chef recently decided it was time for his next culinary adventure: The Whisky Jack Grill.
Located where the former Tonquin Prime Rib Village used to be, the new eatery is nearly triple the size of the Raven Bistro, however size wasn鈥檛 the main driving force behind his new investment.
According to Riedler, it was a combination of circumstances that led to their decision.
鈥淲e had a purchaser for a restaurant that we put our heart and soul into and then the Tonquin came along.鈥�
The new restaurant is about 4,700 square feet and includes enough space to seat 200 people indoors and 72 people outside.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see the Tonquin as one big room as see it as four little restaurants,鈥� said Riedler.
鈥淚n the summer time I can open it up and feed 200 people and in the winter time I can make it feel and look like it鈥檚 a 40-seater little bistro off in the mountains.鈥�
In addition to moving locations, he also intends to completely revamp his menu focusing on Canadiana cuisine.
鈥淭he dishes are going to be cheaper and more simplistic. It鈥檚 going to be straight forward, really good bistro fare, but maybe not quite as much flare,鈥� said Riedler.
He said the price points for meals will be anywhere form $5 to $7 cheaper than at the Raven Bistro, which was known for its higher-end meals.
鈥淚鈥檝e never had a burger on the menu, for example, so I鈥檓 going to have a burger,鈥� said Riedler.
He said a big reason he chose to focus on a simpler, straightforward menu was because of the softer economy.
鈥淧eople don鈥檛 have the disposable income they once had.鈥�
The Whisky Jack Grill is slated to open during the first week of May.
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
