The Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) is excited to welcome back its Solo Date Days digital passport program for a second year! 

The first year for this initiative was so successful we just had to do it again! The Solo Date Days pass takes you through Burlington Downtown on a journey of self-discovery and appreciation. Stop in at 17 different downtown businesses and enjoy some shopping and pampering while discovering and supporting local. 

The pass is free to sign up for and easy to use. Once you have signed up for your pass, you will receive an email or text notification to your phone, allowing you to easily save the pass to your phone’s home screen. Simply open the pass when visiting a participating business to check-in and start your experience! Participating businesses include retail businesses, personal and wellness services, casual dining and more. 

Grab a sweet treat, shop handmade goodies, get your fit on, or book a pick-me-up at the salon. Spend your days exploring a variety of experiences, from shopping to dining, relaxation to wellness, all in your own backyard. The beauty of the pass is that users can make it their own. Craft your own day of self-appreciation and care, based on what works for you. With 30 days to utilize your pass, the options feel limitless. 

Contest prizing is available to those participating in this pass. Each check-in and redemption, at each store, is assigned a points value. For example, 150 points for a check-in and 100 points for a redemption. Users collect points as they work to complete the pass. Every 1,000 points collected can be exchanged for one (1x) entry to a random draw to win one of 3 (three) $50.00 Downtown Gift Cards, redeemable at over 70 businesses in Burlington Downtown. Each check-in and redemption gets you a little bit closer, what’s not to love? 

“The Solo Date Days pass encourages residents and visitors alike to enjoy some pampering and self-love while supporting downtown businesses,” says Alison Policicchio, Marketing Manager for the BDBA, adding “whether you’re ending a long week, getting ready to start a new one, or just looking for some quiet personal time, there is a stop on this pass for everyone. You get all the feel-good vibes while making a powerful impact in your community, and that’s really something.” 

The Solo Date Days pass will run from June 1st, 2023 to June 30th, 2023. Sign up today for free at: https://burlingtondowntown.ca/solodatedays2023 

The Burlington Downtown Business Association (BDBA) has kicked off patio season with the installation of new walkways/pedestrian by-passes throughout the Downtown small business community. Over 125 meters of new public infrastructure has been built in five strategic locations throughout the BIA (Business Improvement Area). 

The by-passes will accent areas with a significant concentration of eateries, including: Pine Street, John Street, Elgin Street and along the north dining corridor of Lakeshore Road. These custom-built new walkways are designed to elevate the dining experience throughout the core as they safely navigate patrons and visitors throughout our heralded dining district. 

Each walkway system will feature a pair of stand-alone planter boxes, with seasonal plantings, to beautify the experience. There are ten planter boxes in total, stationed at the entrance and exit points to the wooden walkways. Each walkway will work to attract thousands of diners, visitors, and residents throughout the City of Burlington’s confirmed patio season: May-October 2023. 

”These “pop-up” features have actually taken months to design and finance though they are being installed over the course of one day. Downtown dining is intimately linked to our brand, tourists and locals have come to view our small business waterfront community as a Mecca for dining in Halton Region. As they should, we have well over fifty exciting restaurants and eateries to explore. These installations fulfil two important parts of the BDBA’s mandate- beautification and enhancing public infrastructure, and we’re doing it all in a stylish way”, said Brian Dean, Executive Director of the BDBA. 

Liza Bouchard-Bain, Chair of the BDBA Board of Directors agrees. “We could not wait one more season to showcase a centrally-managed, world-class walkway system. For too many seasons our patio experience has been tainted by orange barriers demarking the public/private rights of way. We received significant feedback that this made for a poor aesthetic when enjoying a meal outdoors on a warm summer evening. The Board listened and responded with an elevated look and feel on nearly every street corner.” 

The new walkways have also caught the attention of sponsors. Good corporate citizens The Kuchma Team, Paradiso Restaurant, and, Stoner & Company Family Law have signed up to add their names to the flower boxes bookending each walkway. 

This post is provided by Burlington Economic Development. If you are a small business in Burlington, Ontario, this post is for you!

It’s Small Business Week! While it’s critical to support our small businesses all year round, this week we take the opportunity to celebrate our small businesses and showcase their resilience. Burlington Economic Development is committed to supporting small business through programs like Digital Main Street.  

As businesses across Ontario reimagine their operations in a post-COVID retail environment, local Burlington business owners are looking for tools to help transform their digital strategies to reach new customers through online channels. Administered by the team at Burlington Economic Development, the Digital Transformation Grant from Digital Main Street has been a valuable resource for many small businesses across the city. This vital grant funding supports various digital marketing initiatives, website design or improvements, social media, productivity software, and more. 

Social media support and adoption of software is one area that the Digital Transformation Grant supports. Tara Lester, owner of The Olive Oil Dispensary, is one of the many small business owners in Burlington that has been able to tap into the program. “I applied for this grant to improve my digital presence on all social media platforms,” said Lester. “This grant has allowed me the opportunity to expand my business social awareness and increase my sales though a more complete and unified social presence.” The COVID-19 pandemic brought on unprecedented pressure for small businesses to take their businesses online to accommodate things like curbside pick-up and delivery. The Digital Main Street program directly addresses this need. 

In Downtown Burlington, Shirley Cope, the owner of The Knitters Boutique Inc., had the opportunity to hire support for social media through this grant funding. The increase in her revenue came quickly. “Receiving the grant has helped tremendously,” Cope explained. “I have been able to hire help with Instagram and with rebuilding my website. Almost instantly, sales came from Instagram posts.” Shirley also offered vital advice for other small business owners, saying that, “More than ever an online presence is imperative. Do your market research and know your target audience and reach out to them.” 

Businesses can also use social media to expand brand awareness. Melanie Bianco, from Aldershot Dental Hygiene, shared that, “social media is a wonderful tool to get your name out locally”. As a grant recipient, Bianco is planning to use the Digital Transformation Grant funding to aid in the expansion of the business, and Bianco is looking forward to expanding to provide services to seniors in long-term care homes. 

The Digital Transformation Grant is also available for owners looking to offer website and e-commerce solutions for their businesses. Aldershot Foot Clinic’s updated website will be ready next week, which they hope will result in more traffic and online books, according to owner Heidi Moris. Moris is also excited about using a portion of the grant for advertising in order to help clients know they are there and how they can help. 

Small business owners across Burlington looking to reach new customers through new or redeveloped digital strategies can learn more about Burlington’s Digital Service Squad services here. Applications for the $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant are open until October 31, 2022. 

About Burlington Economic Development 

Burlington Economic Development (Burlington EcDev) is an arm’s length agency of the City of Burlington that works to attract high-value companies to Burlington, support the expansion of existing businesses, and encourage the start-up and growth of new companies. Burlington EcDev delivers a range of services to help businesses achieve their goals. To learn more, visit http://investburlington.ca.