in that area and that usually is what makes or breaks a
business in a bad economy,” says Saddy. “I see a huge rebound
in the past two, three years for us. But before that, we had seven
years of trouble pretty much and we survived through that just
through customer service and going out of our way for our
clients and our city as much as we could.”
Having been personally invited to have a location in the
mall, Saddy says it was a great stepping-stone for his company.
“We wanted to give more convenience to our clients. Some
people can’t make it downtown, some people have issues
parking and some people just live on that side of town,” says
Saddy.
Since Saddy is the owner of both locations, he gets to reap
the benefits of both situations. In the mall, he gains more foot
traffic and downtown, he gets the customer familiarity.
“When someone comes in, they come to you specifically.
So it’s nice to have that where we know it may be not as easy
to park but people will go out of their way,” says Saddy.
Hanis says owning a business in Windsor is generally
difficult, especially in downtown Windsor. He says there just
isn’t as much foot traffic anymore. But it’s not just small
business that struggle. Hanis points to a few stores that have
closed recently in Windsor. such as Target, Future Shop and
XS Cargo, and says it doesn’t matter if you’re small or large,
you can still close down.
“Even when I go to the mall, I see one store, somebody
opened one store. After six months, the store is not there.” says
Hanis.
It’s also important to remember that local jobs are local
jobs. Even when a chain’s CEO is far away in Toronto or New
York, the person behind the counter earns and spends right
here in Essex County. With more than 150 stores, estimating
at least seven employees per store, Devonshire Mall alone
employs more than 1000 people. Add in the area’s other large
malls, big box stores and department stores, and that’s a lot of
people working. This year’s closure of Target and Future Shop
added hundreds of people to the unemployment rolls –
something none of us would wish on anyone.
Small businesses are the backbone of the Canadian
economy; in 2012, they made up 98 per cent of businesses
operating in Canada. But the malls and power centres have
their place too. Rather than aligning with one or the other, as
a consumer, the most powerful solution may be to find a
balance between supporting all types of business in
Windsor-Essex. From the corner cafe to the chain restaurant,
from the downtown boutique to the Bay, it’s all fuel for the
economic engine that powers our communities.
Point to ponder:
For every $1 spent locally, 45
cents is reinvested into the local
economy; for every $1 spent at a
national chain, only 15 cents is
reinvested back into your local
economy
May 2015
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