Thai Plaza and Interlake Brewing in Gimli are two of the businesses along the west side of First Avenue that are in favour of having a summer street market to enhance economic opportunities for business owners in Gimli and to showcase local crafts, products and food.
Thai Plaza owner Sumalee Phanad and Interlake Brewing co-owner Kristin MacCary formed a delegation at council’s May 22 meeting, asking council to consider temporarily closing a portion of the west lane of First Avenue on weekends in the summer.
First Avenue has a parking lane and two additional lanes between Goldfield Drive and Centre Street.
The temporary measure would allow 12 parking spaces to be turned into vendor stalls where merchandise could be displayed and sold or allow for the expansion of restaurant patios. The closures would occur on weekends (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays) in June, July, August and on Sept. 1.
Phanad said council didn’t approve their proposal.
“It is disappointing,” said Phanad, who opened her store in 2010 and sells authentic Thai clothing such as colourful summer dresses and poncho scarfs, accessories and also operates a Thai food restaurant. “Businesses see a lot of foot traffic for the summer attractions in Gimli, and our businesses would benefit from a market.”
In a written submission to council, Phanad said the benefits of a market would include attracting more people to shop in Gimli to “experience the hospitality of the business sector in this community,” as well as to enjoy other prime Gimli assets such as its summer festivals.
She also noted the brevity of the summer tourist season, “crucial months” that many stores in Gimli rely upon in order to generate enough revenue to continue to operate year after year or to sustain their businesses throughout the shoulder season when visitor numbers decline.
Phanad said the idea of creating a vendor market on First Avenue has been discussed for at least a year with council but there’s been no movement as “concerns” cropped up.
“The idea is good. And they’ve [council] been talking for a year and it didn’t happen. I wanted to do my part because they’ve been talking about it for so long. And this year it would be good for us. There are farmer’s market and other markets and we wanted to do something. [Council] talked at the election about wanting to make a change, and I know the business people are very busy now and there’s no time to put their foot down. So, I put my foot down to act with Interlake Brewing to get things going,” said Phanad. “We offered this at no cost [to the municipality], but they cannot because there are so many concerns, so many rules.”
Interlake Brewing supports the idea to have more space created along the very busy First Avenue corridor.
Visitors and locals often queue for restaurants during peak times, including when Gimli’s signature events such as the Gimli International Film Festival and the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba bring thousands of people to town from across the province and beyond, as well as during regular concert offerings on the Harbour Bandstand. With Gimli Beach and Lake Winnipeg a regular draw, First Avenue’s west-side sidewalk can sometimes become so congested that pedestrians regularly step into the street to get past queues and shoppers.
With the American tariffs and stricter travel guidelines keeping Canadian feet on home soil, tourist hotspots such as Gimli and other Interlake towns could see increased visits this summer.
“We as a business see the potential in this idea, and we’re hopeful something will happen in the future because this is a great way to attract more foot traffic and give vendors the opportunity to showcase their products in Gimli,” said MacCary whose brewery and restaurant offers craft beers, food, a rooftop patio and engaging events. “There’s enough parking in Gimli. I think the details have to be worked out, but I think we’re positively moving forward.”
MacCary added that a street market would give small business owners who can’t afford a brick-and-mortar store more visibility and boost local the economy.
The RM’s manager of community relations Christine Payne said there were “good questions” and “healthy dialogue” between the delegation and council members, but council didn’t approve the proposal as presented and “more feedback” was requested.
The Express reached out to councillor Richard Petrowski for comment on using a stretch of First Avenue for a vendor market. He said the idea is not completely out of the question.
“Council has discussed the partial road closure of First Avenue in the past and is still open to the possibility, but we don’t want to rush into anything without doing our due diligence,” said Petrowski, who was absent from the meeting with leave.
