Bussiness point

HUNTSVILLE —G8 world leaders came, they didn’t see much and then left having said hardly a word to the good folks of this picturesque Muskoka town.

Even U.S. President Barack Obama, known as a fairly nice chap by all accounts, roared out of town in a tightly secured motorcade without even waving to some 300 people line up waiting for a glimpse of the world’s most powerful leader.

the G8 leaders left many shopkeepers with very little to show for an event that was supposed to put Huntsville on the map. What it did was drain money from their tills.

While they aren’t the types to sing the blues, store owners and managers estimated their businesses were down by as much as 50 per cent over the week preceding the summit.

“Most businesses were down. We are down 25 per cent easily. My buddy owns the local grocery store, the Independent, and they were down over 50 per cent,” Andy Cooke, the longtime general manager of the McDonald’s restaurant on the Main Street in Huntsville, said Saturday.
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“In our business a dollar lost today is a dollar lost forever,” said Cooke, who was quick to add that it’s the long-term benefits of hosting the G8 that many are hoping will pay dividends.

“It’s short-term pain for long-term gain,” he said, adding the town has already benefitted from a new arena courtesy of the more than $50 million in G8 money poured into Huntsville and environs.

Several storekeepers said that from a business point of view, it was a perfect storm—Huntsvillians left and cottagers and tourists stayed away for fear the hype about protesters rioting would come to fruition. Direct Marketing Services Provider.

Turns out it didn’t, but the economic damage was already done.

There was the odd store that cashed in. At Soul Sistas café, Obama muffins were a big hit. Owner Lorraine Morin said she couldn’t make them fast enough. At Big Bear Outfitters, G8 t-shirts flew off the shelves and the owner Britt Stevens boasted the best June ever.

On Saturday morning, some tourists were milling around but the shops for the most part were quiet as a church.

“From a business point of view, it wasn’t worth it at all,” said Chase Wilson, assistant manager of Algonquin Outfitters, noting the store, which would ordinarily bring in about $20,000 a day, dropped to $5,000 during the two-day G8.

“It’s slower than usual. Traffic wasn’t as busy as it should have been. Days where you are doing a decent amount of money, you’re not.”

Wilson said the whole thing was “absolutely” anti-climatic

“It felt more like a music festival … more than something where the world leaders were showing up,” he said.

Once people started to realize that protesters dressed in black were not going to pounce on the town, there was almost a collective sigh.

“We actually had a pretty good day yesterday. I think people started to relax,” said Terry Glover, owner of the Big Bead craft store, who is also co-chair of the town’s business improvement association. Media Marketing Agency.