While 2020 saw many confined to Christmas on Zoom calls, this year, people are gathering again in Edmonton.
With celebrations kicking off this weekend, businesses hope to benefit.
Katrina Petryshyn owns The Makers Keep on 124 Street. She said this year already feels so much different.
“Last year, we were focusing mainly on online, which we had never done before,” Petryshyn explained.
On Saturday, a few blocks of 124 Street were closed for the All is Bright festival.
It was cancelled last year, so this is the first time Petryshyn gets to be part of it. She’s hoping to see a lot of traffic.
“It is huge, especially this location on 124 Street. We rely on foot traffic and people walking around and noticing we are here,” she said.
More people are walking around downtown, too — and businesses are feeling it.
“It’s sort of been building a bit of momentum lately with the soccer games, PBR, Oilers games are back,” Puneeta McBryan with the Downtown Business Association said.
“We’re definitely getting used to hosting big events downtown again.”
Now add in everything that comes with the festive season — an experience 2020 did not offer.
“It just feels really exciting for people to have a reason to come back together again,” McBryan said.
“The energy around the holiday season feels completely different this year — that doesn’t mean the pain hasn’t still been real.”
This time last year, businesses were dealing with so much uncertainty.
“It was a very different feeling downtown,” McBryan said.
“Things have still been tough, but the energy and the types of conversations and the optimism are so dramatically different.”
There’s also momentum behind shopping local. The importance of that was highlighted since the pandemic started.
With a more regular shopping season ahead, business owners like Petryshyn are optimistic that thinking sticks around.
“We just hope that people continue to support,” she said.
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