Chamber relaunch

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore’s businesses are rallying for relaunch – and the Strathmore Wheatland Chamber of Commerce is leading the charge.

The chamber, which is undergoing rebranding, is leading a boots-on-the-ground effort to support Strathmore’s businesses by visiting businesses and helping them navigate the relaunch and gain exposure on social media, explained Shawn Kisling, the chamber’s executive director.

“The number of hours and manpower we are putting into the businesses is huge,” said Kisling. “Over the last two weeks, the chamber has had directors going from business to business to check in and see how they are relaunching.”

The chamber is launching an initiative called Rediscover Local (#rediscoverlocal) to feature area businesses.

“We have so many incredible businesses in Strathmore and Wheatland County, that we want to make sure they get the attention they deserve,” said Kisling.

The chamber is not just focused on helping its members, but the business community as a whole, he said.

“We focus on every business,” said Kisling. “Even if they are not a member of the chamber currently, a business can still call us – we’re not going to turn a blind eye.

“We want to hear everyone’s voices, because collectively, that’s what’s going to really pull the business community together.”

These efforts have been impressive, said Denise Sobol-Geremia, the owner of Lil Hoots Consignment Boutique and co-owner of The Newsy Neighbour, who added she had been visited by two chamber members last week.

“That’s two people in two days from a non-profit supporting businesses,” said Sobol-Geremia. “I was just floored – it’s such a good mindset and way of doing things.”

The difficulties of operating during COVID-19 was unexpected, said Sobol-Geremia. 

“When I did my business plan and figured out all the possible things could go wrong, global pandemic was not on my list,” she said.

The physical Lil Hoots had to close, so Sobol-Geremia moved the store online. 

“I spent an entire week, myself and my children, taking photos of every item in this store and uploaded all 4,300 photos to OneDrive,” she said. 

Shoppers can now go to the store’s website, pick the items and sizes they want, then screenshot what they want in an email or Facebook message.

“It’s not the easiest way to do it, but it was the only way I could do it because of how many items I have,” said Sobol-Geremia.

Businesses must find ways to adapt to the current situation, added Sobol-Geremia. 

“If you’re just going to hope that things are going to go back to the way they were, you’re not going to survive,” she said.

Networking has taken other forms as well.

“Everyone is doing Zoom meetings or Skype or Facetime,” said Kisling. “What’s great is there’s so many different people championing that idea, from Wheatland County to the town to the chamber, to try to get that connection going again.”

Small businesses can be trusted to take the necessary precautions to keep customers and employees safe, he added.

“If someone has a small business and their family livelihood depends on the success of that business, I can guarantee that they are going to be following every precaution necessary to make sure themselves, their family and their customers are safe.”

As a business, extra precautions and controls can help build trust with customers, said Kyle Wilson, owner-operator of Beyond the Leaf and a new chamber director. The cannabis store has provided a sanitation station on entry, revamped its menu displays, performs regular sanitation and disinfection, and even installed a seven-stage air purifier.

“The obvious measures that we are taking is proving to provide peace of mind and trust with being able to come into our store without any concern,” said Wilson.

Kisling said that while the pandemic has changed business-customer relationships, there are some signs of a return to normalcy.

“COVID has put a lot of walls up – literally, with partitions,” he noted. “Now, we are slowly going to bringing those back down again. You will see some of that easing happening in businesses, eventually; people are getting a bit more relaxed.”

And the current business climate, while dire, is improving.

“There have been some closures, unfortunately, but it’s getting better,” said Kisling. “We are a little town of just shy of 15,000 people, but we’re strong.”

According to Strathmore town councillor Bob Sobol, residents can support the business community by shopping local.

“Even if there’s a product that you can drive 50 kilometres and get it for a couple dollars cheaper, it’s important that you remain in town and help these people get on their feet,” said Sobol, who added that Strathmore businesses have been constant supporters of the community and now it is time to help them back

“These local businesses that we are dealing with, they are the ones that are approached many, many times throughout the year by groups that are looking for funding for charity events or fundraisers,” said Sobol. “We have to return the good they have done in the past.”

The performance of Strathmore businesses that remained open and provided essential services during the pandemic while maneuvering the public health requirements is “a really good story,” he added. “As a community, we are very thankful for all these businesses that were able to stay open and keep supplying us with pharmaceutical products, medical products, food and other things like that.”

The recovery of Strathmore’s businesses will take time, said Sobol.

“I don’t think anybody is fooling themselves into thinking that fingers are going to snap, and we’re going to be back to pre-COVID,” he said. “It’s going to take a while, but we have to stay together as a community and we have to keep supporting our local businesses.”