Sydney Downtown Development Association

Marjorie Fougere, president of the Sydney Downtown Development Association, remembers when the city’s core was the heart of the community. It is a memory she, and the more than 200 members of the Association, are working to make sure never fades.

“The downtown used to be the central focus of our community, but that dissipated with the arrival of big box stores and malls,” says Ms. Fougere, owner of the Finishing Touch Centre in Sydney.

“As an association,” she adds, “we realized it was not enough to promote the downtown, we had to invigorate the downtown. It was a matter of survival.”

One problem, notes Ms. Fougere, was cosmetic. “We were a little like the ugly duckling,” she says. “We had to look open for business. Once people came in our stores, they found products and services second to none.”

The retailers in the Sydney Downtown Development Association, which was established in 1989 to beautify, improve, maintain, and promote the Sydney business district, came together and developed a plan to ensure not only that the downtown would survive, it would thrive.

Called the Facade Program, the first phase supported retailers who improved the look and design of their storefront property. Work also included upgrading parking lots; improving links to and along the waterfront; enhancing the streetscape, landscaping, and lighting; and increasing signage and marketing.

“The project was innovative – and it united us with a common vision,” says Ms. Fougere. “People spent double, triple, and quadruple what they could possibly receive from the funding program. They didn’t just want to do the minimum.”

Indeed, the program was so successful a second phase was launched. “Today, the downtown looks different. It’s more vibrant, alive and contemporary,” says Ms. Fougere, who has been president of the Association for the last three years.

“Younger people are moving on to the street,” she adds. “The downtown is exciting again.”

That is, after all, the goal. For residents of Sydney and nearby communities, the downtown has always been much more than simply a place to go for the products they needed. It has been the place to meet friends, neighbours and colleagues, to wile away a pleasant afternoon, to have an enjoyable conversation over a steaming cup of coffee – and to remind themselves about what makes their community distinctively theirs.

Relighting that memory – and keeping it alive – is at the heart of the work the Sydney Downtown Development Association does. “We are revitalizing ourselves and becoming once more the heart of the community,” says Ms. Fougere.

That revitalization requires more than new signs, new storefronts, and new places to park. “Innovation is critical,” says Ms. Fougere. “If you’re not creative, you die.”

“There isn’t anything we do that we don’t say, ‘How do we do it differently?’” she adds. “We want to engage our customers, and we want to engage our community.”

Community is a broad concept for the Sydney Downtown Development Association. It stretches well beyond city limits down to the Canso Causeway. “It’s not only the downtown we need to support,” says Ms Fougere. “It’s all of Cape Breton. We’re all connected.”

She notes that while visitors and tourists are important, for the organization’s members rebuilding the downtown is first and foremost a community initiative. “Sydney retailers are unique in their commitment,” says Ms. Fougere. “We are a community of businesses that care deeply about the Island. We’re here because we love our community.”

That connection to place fuels the work of the Association. “It’s like a bit of a fever when you have a business here,” says Ms. Fougere. “You want your business to grow, but you recognize that your growth contributes to the growth of the Island.”

The giving is reciprocal. “Our strong suit is the personality of our people,” says Ms. Fougere. “We are generally friendly, kind and willing to help others. That spills over into the business attitude.

“We’re also not afraid to work,” she adds. “This is a community that has always had to work hard. But we do it with a smile.”

Of course, work is not life. That philosophy infuses the spirit of the retailers who comprise the Sydney Downtown Development Association and shapes their business practices. For example, notes Ms. Fougere, the downtown retailers have opted not to open on Sundays except when cruise ships are in town. “The decision was first and foremost a business decision, but many of these businesses are family businesses. We value our time together with family and our time outside the shop.”

Sydney was founded in 1785 by Colonel Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres, and was named in honour of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney. During their time, the downtown core was the heart of the new settlement. The Sydney Downtown Development Association is striving to ensure that more than 200 years later that heart is still beating. Strongly and proudly.

Feature story written by Donalee Moulton