You don’t have to buy a ticket to show support for the Tim Hortons Brier, Canada’s men’s curling championship. In fact, there’s plenty of evidence in downtown Kingston to prove that.
A stroll down Princess Street can show you just how much.
In Kingston, it might take you all day to count how many local businesses are showing their curling colours. “Nobody has to do anything, but everybody is,” said Michelle Langlois, general manager and marketing director of Downtown Kingston BIA.
Downtown Kingston is the driving force behind the Kingston Curls 2020 campaign, and it’s hurrying hard. Langlois can’t say enough about the undertaking.
“It wasn’t that difficult,” she said. “We thought it would be more difficult, but I’m not going to lie, my heart squeezed a little bit to see this level of participation and people that have taken the initiative to do more.”
Those people include the owners and operations of The Rocking Horse and its curling bears, or Tara Natural Foods and its display paying tribute to the game and the 200th anniversary of the Royal Kingston Curling Club.
“I think it’s nice to support an event when it comes to town like that,” said Rudi Mogl, owner and operator of Tara Natural Foods.
“Yeah, why not? This is fantastic.”
The stores’ front window display is certainly an eye catcher with its old brooms, rocks and plenty of curling memorabilia.
Getting back to those curling bears, Monica Brown is the owner and operator of The Rocking Horse, a shop for toys that inspire and promote discovery, curiosity and imagination. Her front store window features three stuffed, plush bears, all holding curling brooms.
Brown says she’s happy to add to the downtown curling atmosphere.
“I feel like it’s a great way to show that we support the events that are coming to Kingston,” she told Global News.
“I saw lots of other retailers on Princess Street showing their support as well, too, so this is just our little way of showing our support of the event.”
Langlois says she’s more than impressed with the participation of so many businesses.
“I think it tells me they care, I think it tells me they understand, which is a big hurdle sometimes,” she said. “So we’ll see how it pans out in the end, but I think businesses are seeing the benefits.”
Langlois says it’s too early to tell, but they’re hoping between $10 million and $15 million will be pumped into the local economy thanks to the Brier.