Before Covid, Bradford's downtown core was the pulse of the town.
With The Village Inn bar and nightclub and Kensington Burger Bar on the south side of the four corners, the streets were typically packed with people every Thursday to Saturday night.
Today, walking downtown at night, there is nothing of the sort. No music, no people, just the sound of cars driving through.
Of the four corners, only one business remains open, the dental office on the northeast corner.
Where are these businesses? And why haven't they opened back up since the easing of Covid restrictions?
"It's been a tough run with all the restaurants," said Kensington Burger owner Brandon Clark.
He says he plans to reopen the restaurant but does not have a set date yet. He is still paying rent despite staying closed but has had some financial assistance with government grants.
On the northwest side of the four corners, where Rondo Bistro Cafe used to be, sits an unopened empty Captain George's fish and chips restaurant. They told BradfordToday they don't have an exact opening date yet.
Owner of the Village Inn, Stephen Dykie says he won't be opening his establishment anytime soon.
He says the health and safety of the community are most important.
"Although the governments have increased capacities in sanctioned sporting events, we do not believe the fall-winter season is the time to relax restrictions," he said. "As a safety and business decision, we will continue to evaluate the fluid situation. We look forward to safely serving our customers in the future."
Chair of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, Coun. Jonathan Scott says the pandemic has been hard on everyone, in particular the town's small businesses in the restaurant and hospitality sector.
"During the spring, on two separate occasions, I went with our MP Scot Davidson and MPP Caroline Mulroney to meet one-on-one with business owners, and to help connect them to grant and other support programs. I know some business owners have chosen to remain closed until the public-health rules are relaxed. I am hopeful that as the province moves through its reopening plan, we get clear answers and support for small businesses to reopen and go back to normal service levels very soon, including those new businesses that have yet to even open," he said.
The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury has assisted small business owners throughout the pandemic with various programs and resources, including the patio program, which saw a 22 per cent increase in participating restaurants from last year.
"As we look to come out of this pandemic, I know the phrase out there is 'build back better'. Well, we have plans to do just that for our downtown, making it a better streetscape for shopping and dining, improving and expanding parking lots, creating beautiful new public spaces, diverting truck traffic away from the downtown core, and ensuring downtown Bradford businesses can thrive. These measures are in addition to our Community Improvement Plan grants to directly support businesses with storefront renewal projects," said Coun. Scott. "I'm really optimistic about our plans to recover from COVID-19 with a focus on ensuring our downtown is vibrant, small businesses have an environment in which to succeed and we improve public infrastructure so our downtown can be a destination like Barrie or Newmarket's."
