Member News Update – October 19th 2020

Mill Creek Mural, Holiday Lights Extravaganza, Shop Downtown Orangeville.ca & more!

This week, the OBIA and its’ Better Together Task Force unveiled a 20ft mural at 5 Little York Street.  Depicting the flood at Mill Creek in 1890, this photograph celebrates Orangeville’s history with a fun twist! Can you spot the ice cream cones? Special thanks to Mill Creek Gardens for their enthusiasm in agreeing to let us use this location, the Museum of Dufferin for this great photograph and Tom Wray Photography and Printing for the installation. Warm temperatures are on the way for Friday so grab an ice cream and have fun posing with some former Orangeville residents!

Holiday Lights Extravaganza 

November is creeping up quickly and that means that Christmas preparations are already underway for the Town of Orangeville, the OBIA, and many of you! The Town of Orangeville is planning a Holiday Lights Extravaganza to celebrate the festive season this year in various locations. The Holiday Lights Extravaganza will replace the traditional Santa Claus Parade due to Public Health restrictions around gatherings of people during the COVID-19 pandemic. In conjunction with the Orangeville Business Association and the Optimist Club of Orangeville, holiday lighting displays will be created in various parts of the Town and a digital (GIS) map of all locations will be available to residents and visitors to view the displays from the comfort of their own vehicle. We encourage all of you to participate by lighting and decorating your storefronts. In doing so, you will literally, put Downtown Orangeville on the map!  Consider some seasonal greens in an urn, a wreath for your front door, some twinkle lights in the window and placing your holiday items front and centre.    We will be sharing some decorating ideas over the next few weeks to help your windows and storefronts really shine, stay tuned! The BIA is also sourcing a 30-foot Christmas tree for display in front of Town Hall.   You can read more about the Town’s holiday plans, including a drive-by Santa tour here.

Starlight Shopping

Beginning November 12^th, we’ll be promoting that Downtown Orangeville is OPEN LATE on THURSDAY and FRIDAY NIGHTS for holiday shopping.   More details coming soon but you may want to start thinking about shifting your hours or hiring additional staff to make the most of these special shopping nights.

Get online - Join ShopDowntownOrangeville.ca NOW to capture those holiday sales!

With the majority of people shifting to online shopping for the holiday season (as many as 93% according to one survey!), it’s imperative that our downtown businesses have an online presence -  a platform to connect with customers, an opportunity to showcase products and to sell on a trusted site, and a safeguard in the event that in-person sales are not possible. The simple fact is this: if you are not online, you will lose sales to the companies that are.   Why take that chance?   Remember that there are 2 ways to join and it is completely free – the BIA covers all start-up and monthly fees.

1. Create an online storefront and sell your products on Shop Downtown Orangeville

or

1. Create an online storefront and link to your existing online store

We can help you figure out which option is best for you, and you don’t even have to be computer savvy or have an abundance of extra time at your disposal because we’re offering additional support over the coming months including: one-on-one appointments to formulate a plan for your online shop, determining which products would be a good fit and how to present them, assistance with product photography, uploading the product listings, writing descriptions and more. Next week we will be sending out an email with further details on how to get started (or how to improve your existing Shop Downtown Orangeville page).  Don’t miss it!  In the meantime, check out Go Yoga to see how great your online store could look! https://shopdowntownorangeville.ca/pages/seller-profile/goyoga

Public Health Guidelines for COVID-19 Testing in the Workplace

WDG Public Health have updated their guidelines for COVID-19 testing in the workplace.   Access the COVID-19 self-assessment tool, find out who can and should get tested, and when an employee can return to work after testing positive, here.

Are you Open?

In the ever-changing landscape of COVID-19, many customers are still wondering, who is open and when?    Can I walk right in or is it by appointment only? Are you still offering take-out and curbside pick-up? Clearly stating this information on your social media pages and on your Google Business Page listing is so important! It is vitally important that you update your hours on the following platforms: -Your Google Business Page -Your Website -Facebook -Instagram -Answering Machine -In-store signage -review sites (like Trip Advisor, especially for restaurants) -Town of Orangeville’s Business Resiliency Map.  After you've done this, it's a great idea to “Google” your own business, and see if you have listings anywhere else that you may not have realized! Note - if you “Google” your business and you see a note on the listing that says 'claim this business' it means that your listing is not being managed by YOU! If you haven't claimed your page, and would like some assistance in doing so, please contact me for assistance!

Transit Transfer Station Update

In case you missed Alison’s email earlier this week, we want to thank all of you who wrote to council, telephoned, signed the petition, and showed up for Monday’s council meeting.   Thanks to your efforts, Orangeville Council directed staff to put the design and implementation of the downtown transfer station on hold until Monday, November 23^rd while the safety study is being completed. While this is really good news, it is not a reversal of the decision to locate the transfer station downtown.  As such, we encourage everyone who has not already done so, to contact Council with your comments regarding the downtown transfer station location.  Simply email Council at council@orangeville.ca AND councilagenda@orangeville.ca.    Thank you for your support!

Upcoming Event: Virtual Economic Outlook Summit

On Tuesday, October 27, join business owners and community leaders at the Virtual Economic Outlook Summit. This year's event will feature a keynote address by James Marple of TD Bank Group. He will share an analysis of the international, national, and local economies, focusing on the impacts of the global pandemic. A panel of three local business owners will also share their stories of resilience: - John Voight of Technicor Precision Plastics -Shelley Wishart of GoYoga Orangeville - Milena Parreira and Derek Train of Temple Nutrition Register now for this free, virtual event at orangeville.ca/EOS2020. Have a great weekend!