Comings and goings in downtown Niagara Falls

I have written extensively in the past about the revitalization of Queen Street in the heart of downtown Niagara Falls, as the venerable street has risen and fallen with the tides of public opinion over the years.  This followed, of course, decades of neglect as businesses and customers alike left downtown Niagara Falls for the outlying areas.  But a push by Niagara Historic Developments over the past several years has given many - myself included - considerable hope better times were ahead.

For awhile, at least, they were.  Businesses lined both sides of the street, with shiny new facades and a new outlook on retailing in the downtown core.  But in a way not surprisingly, one after another many of them closed up shop when the original sweetheart deal they received from NHD was renewed with more realistic lease arrangements.  The thinking being, of course, is they would extend a helping hand the first year to new businesses, and once they are established they can afford to support themselves and give back to the leaseholders for the start up help.

It was a novel approach that met with mixed results.  Initially, the new businesses did alright with the deal, but many being unable to get a foothold on the retail marketplace when it came time to actually pay full price for the space they were occupying, they just packed up and left.  The result was more empty storefronts, although at least better-looking empty storefronts.  There were many businesses I wanted to visit while down in the area but by the time I actually got around to it  the businesses in question were already gone.

I know, they can't survive without customers and if you want them to stay you have to go down there and spend some money.  I always did when down in the area, just not as often as I would have liked, since I live in St. Catharines, not Niagara Falls.  But people who actually did live in the area and elsewhere in the city seemed to ignore the downtown even after all the investment in the area, and that I find hard to understand.  It is a vicious circle, really:  you don't go down because you think there is nothing down there and when there is finally something to see and do you don't know about it and miss out and the businesses whither and die on the vine.  I don't know who you blame for such a problem, but I suspect it isn't limited to one particular group.

Adding to this situation both good and bad are a couple of recent developments that make me wonder.  I have made no secret of my admiration for the success of Paris Crepes on Queen Street, which opened about three years ago when the new business boom was in full swing.  At first, they seemed to have it all:  regular clientele, great menu and location, and regular specials to keep bringing people back.  But something was rotten, as they say, in the state of Denmark.  Last month the owners, the Clement family, arrived at the restaurant to discover they were locked out and basically out of business.  It is unclear as to why this sudden turn of events happened, as we only have the Clement side of the story so far and they claim not to know the real reason why they are being shut out.

Phil Ritchie, the smart mind who was brought on board a few months ago head up Niagara Historic Developments, has not sufficiently explained their side of the situation yet in order for us to grasp the reasoning for the closure.  But it is a tough pill to swallow for local residents who have fallen in love with the gallic charm of Paris Crepes and the exceptional food and service.  Ritchie says he will be bringing in another business to that location soon, so we'll just have to see what transpires.  Stay tuned for further developments.

The good news on Queen Street is the fact we have new tenants for the grandly-renovated Seneca Theatre, which played host to Marilyn Monroe when the film Niagara opened at the theatre so many years ago.  The Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects, headed up by Artistic Director Kelly Daniels, announced  recently they would be forsaking their downtown St. Catharines digs in the Sullivan Mahoney Courthouse Theatre in favour of the newly renovated space on Queen Street in downtown Niagara Falls.  Score one for Niagara Falls, as Lyndesfarne has consistently been able to deliver quality local theatre in St. Catharines for several years now.  But in a theatre not known for its track record hosting live theatre in the past, well, we'll have to see how things go.

I have heard various descriptions of the theatre space there, and so I am looking forward to visiting a week from Monday when Lyndesfarne hosts a get-together to get people interested in their new location.  I will report back afterwards, of course, but for now will simply say I hope all the horror stories of the past are now just that:  in the past.  Kelly and her troupe deserve the break and new beginning, so we wish them well in the new venture.

Add to all of this the fact Kelly announced her Buskerfest, killed off in St. Catharines just months ago following a hefty debt racked up after the first one last summer, will also return to downtown Niagara Falls this summer.  It is a great event and I think it might be a good fit for downtown Queen Street too, but again, we'll have to see how the second annual Buskerfest fares financially before  we count our proverbial chickens.

Kelly says the event, moved to Friday, August 31st to Sunday, September 2nd, essentially over the Labour Day holiday weekend, will be somewhat different in make up from the St. Catharines edition last August, so obviously they have learned from some of their mistakes.  I wish them well and look forward to visiting over the Labour Day weekend this year.

One odd note in the press release though:  sponsoring the event is the St. Catharines Performing Arts Centre!  How does that work out, do you figure?  The mind boggles...

Oh well, St. Catharines' loss will be Niagara Falls' gain, and we'll see how successful this new era becomes very soon.

Enjoy the weekend!

June 18th, 2012.