ESTEVAN — The Downtown Business Association (DBA) is always looking for ways to promote the diverse companies that are located in the central part of the Energy City.
Robert Godfrey said the DBA showcases the opportunities for things to do in the city, whether it be retail, restaurants, beauty salons, entertainment, or health and lifestyle.
“If you want to find the best of Estevan, you’re going to find it in the businesses in the Downtown Business Association,” said Godfrey.
Twenty-five businesses are currently part of the DBA. Most of them can be found on Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Streets. Godfrey said the majority of the businesses in that corridor are part of the association.
And they represent a variety of companies, ranging from marketing and printing to welded products, office supplies to pharmacies, beauty and salons to travel agencies, clothing retailers to jewelers. And there are restaurants in there as well.
“What we’ve seen in the past couple of years is a lot of the businesses that weren’t previously members signed up to join, and I think that’s a result of some of the great promotions that we’ve had,” said Godfrey.
Many of the promotional efforts are relatively new. There has been the weekly Thursday Night Markets in the parking lot behind RBC that have attracted vendors and shoppers. The first night market of the year will be held June 29, and the last will occurr Aug. 17. They run from 6-8 p.m. each week.
“It is a great opportunity for local vendors to come together and show off all of their products and meet new customers. We also have live entertainment at every single market, which is a great draw and makes for a really fun evening,” said Godfrey.
Their largest event of the year is the downtown street dance in July. It has been held in the 1100-block of Fourth Street, with the stage and dancing area set up on the street and the alcohol sale area in the Tower Café’s parking lot. This year’s dance is set for July 22. Performers will be announced soon, Godfrey said.
“We’ve got a couple of really incredible acts that are going to be performing on the stage, and of course it’s a great night of dancing and visiting with people from near and far,” said Godfrey.
A street fair in August provides a lot of value to merchants as well, he said, with different activities for the whole family, lots of shopping opportunities from DBA members, food vendors and a few other vendors.
And in the past couple of years, the DBA has hosted A Miracle on Fourth Street in an effort to get people spending more time downtown for their Christmas shopping. Godfrey said it really is a lot of fun. The weather has been great, too, which has helped entice people to enjoy the activities offered for people of all ages.
The DBA is always looking at ideas to grow a Miracle on Fourth, so if anyone wants to partner with them for activities, that would be great. Godfrey suggested a parade or fire pits downtown.
“In the last two years, we’ve put a big push on growing the events and the public awareness of the business association and their members, so that has definitely helped with getting new members signing on,” said Godfrey.
The DBA wants to show people from within and outside of Estevan all the great shopping opportunities that exist here.
“Our Downtown Business Association members put a lot of work into creating fantastic shopping and dining experiences, and we just want everyone to go check out these stores in person,” said Godfrey.
“You’re going to get top-tier customer service. You’re going to find an amazing selection of products and services from all of our members, and I think you’ll just be really impressed with how much you can do and how much you can get here locally in Estevan, and that’s the big part of the DBA is promoting everything these members do.”
The strength of the downtown businesses and the events that are offered have resulted in growing awareness about the value of the DBA as well.
“We’ve heard it so many times during the events that we’ve run, how impressed people are with the businesses downtown and the DBA. The DBA is a great example of the community spirit of businesses in Estevan, and the DBA is an organization made up completely of local business owners.”
They put in the work for the events and provide opportunities for having a great time in Estevan, and people have said they’re thankful for the businesses and the DBA for all they provide to the community.
As more events and opportunities occur, more people will be aware of the DBA and its members, he said.
