The Fergus BIA has dressed up the St. David Street bridge with flower boxes and banners, encouraging people travelling through town to “Stop for the Shops, Stop for the Grand, Stop for the Pipes, and Stop for a Pint, Stay for the Night”.
“Virtually everyone travelling through Fergus goes over the St. David Street bridge, especially this year,” stated Jackie Fraser, Fergus BIA Chair.
“We are encouraging them to stop to check out our unique retailers, have a meal at our great restaurants and pubs, stay over at our comfy bed and breakfasts or inns, or simply enjoy our scenic riverscape, architecture and culture.”
The Fergus BIA is vigorously promoting this message on-line as well. They’ve overhauled their website at www.downtownfergus.ca and have put significant time into their social media presence including Facebook and Twitter.
“It’s been really exciting to see people stating that they plan to come and visit Fergus on our Facebook page, based on what they see there,” added Fraser. “Downtown Fergus is very photogenic and we have so much to offer.”
Buskers, pipers and face painters have been entertaining downtown shoppers on Saturdays throughout the summer.
The BIA recently launched a video competition to get some material to promote Fergus, while creating general buzz surrounding the competition itself.
The Fergus BIA is a volunteer board of downtown property owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals passionate about the future of downtown Fergus.
The BIA derives its income from special tax levies downtown property owners pay in addition to regular property taxes.