Our uptowns and downtowns help to showcase a story about our community – who we are, who we were and how history has shaped us. They directly reflect the pride, prosperity and investment of our cities. We can visit our main streets to explore our community’s unique culture and learn about its personality. They are a place of shared memory and experiences and a hub where our community comes together to live, work, play and grow.
After years of ION and streetscape construction, Uptown Waterloo was just moving into recovery mode when the pandemic hit us. As you can imagine, our main street businesses have been devastatingly affected by COVID-19. Forced closures, social distancing and safety protocols have left our small businesses financial fragile and struggling to understand government aid programs. Some have closed or moved and we are sad to see them go.
But, not all has been lost. Many of our retail, food and service establishments quickly modified their business plans – finding alternate ways to serve their customers. Curbside pickup, takeout, deliveries, menu updates, by appointment only, online selling, increased cleaning and sanitation, PPE, plexiglass barriers, face shields, masks and hand sanitizer and have become the new normal. Uptown businesses are doing everything in their power to stay open and importantly, doing so in a manner that helps keeps their customers safe.
Near the beginning of the pandemic, we began to notice a trend focused on “choosing local.” People in our community knew that if they didn’t step up and support our local businesses, they wouldn’t be around long.
And, for that, we say thank you Waterloo Region and keep up the good work!
Thank you for making it a weekly priority to order takeout from your favourite Uptown eatery. Thank you for making a shopping appointment at your favourite Uptown retailer. Thank you for writing a fabulous Google review for your favourite Uptown establishment. Thank you for visiting one of our expanded Uptown patios. Thank you for taking extra time out of your day to line up outside our stores. Thank you for visiting our new, Uptown Open-Air market. Thank you for booking a rendezvous at your favourite Uptown salon, spa or barber. Thank you for making purchases online from your favourite Uptown business. Thank you for supporting Uptown – we’re so glad to have you back.
