City storefront grant a bid to boost business, fill London downtown vacancies

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 04, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

As a caller concern proprietor successful downtown London, Jason Kenny is staring down a agelong database of start-up costs he'll request to screen successful bid to gully customers into his Richmond Street store. 

"There was a batch of fees for the signs and the permits," said Kenny, proprietor of Vape All Inc.

He bought an existing concern operating retired of a storefront connected Richmond, just northbound of York Street. Shortly aft that purchase, helium relocated his retail store to a vacant storefront abstraction a fewer doors north. 

The caller store is successful a amended bigger location. However, the determination has generated caller expenses for upgrading the storefront and signage.

For now, helium has to trust connected agleam yellowish printed signs to fto passersby cognize he's unfastened for business. Kenny is besides engaged ordering a lit storefront sign, but that comes with a price tag of astir $2,500.  

'"[The costs] could decidedly halt idiosyncratic from opening up a store," helium said. "Any benignant of assistance would help."

The City of London is looking to supply assistance for store owners similar Kenny, who are staring down immoderate costly outlays successful bid to convert vacant bureau spaces into a viable business.

Currently, earlier the council, the Vacant Commercial Space Fit-Out Grant would reimburse store owners up to 50 per cent of the outgo for upgrades in formerly vacant spaces, including signage, lighting, awnings and different upgrades. The assistance volition screen up to a maximum of $50,000. City unit expect the program, which is an upgrade to different assemblage betterment program grants, volition outgo astir $975,000 a year.

Storefront upgrades tin astonishment caller concern owners

Kristin Nielsen is seat of the Downtown London Business Improvement Area. She said storefront upgrades in new retail spaces are the benignant of disbursal that tin drawback immoderate caller concern owners by surprise. 

"It tin beryllium 1 of the past things you consider, and it tin beryllium amazingly expensive," she said.

Nielsen said promotion and entree to specified inducement programs are the cardinal to their success. 

"Incentives similar this are large if radical cognize astir them and cognize however to usage them," she said. "They person to beryllium accessible and promoted." 

The programme would necessitate immoderate legwork for the concern owner. The exertion for the assistance would person to beryllium tied to a metropolis gathering licence if 1 is required. Also, any enactment being submitted for the assistance would necessitate 2 quotes. The concern proprietor has to beryllium connected a lease for the abstraction with a duration of not little than 2 years. There are different required documents, and metropolis unit person to sojourn the tract earlier and aft the enactment is done. 

Mayor Josh Morgan touted the inducement program successful his State of the City code arsenic a mode to capable bare downtown spaces. London precocious earned the dubious favoritism of having much vacant downtown bureau abstraction than immoderate different city. 

A metropolis quality merchandise said the program, if approved, could enactment arsenic galore arsenic 75 projects successful the halfway by the extremity of 2027. 

Aaron Bakker owns the DugOut Vintage covering store. He had a storefront connected Dundas Place for 5 years earlier moving his concern to Covent Garden Market past month. He besides has a determination astatine the Western University campus. 

He feels the grants volition connection immoderate help, but helium said concern owners are dealing with tremendous challenges astatine the core. In his case, Bakker said the Dundas Place upgrade didn't present connected each that was promised.

"The marketplace has been a satellite of difference; it's nighttime and time here," helium said. "There's truthful galore caller radical who person travel already." 

Bakker is successful favour of broader steps to respire caller beingness into the core, including escaped rent for caller businesses, which would necessitate enactment from spot owners. 

The inducement program volition travel earlier the city's Planning and Environment Committee connected Tuesday. If approved there, it volition spell to afloat assembly for a ballot connected April 22.