Lethbridge is home to many businesses where community support is important to keep their doors open. Of course, there are busier seasons than others, but that doesn’t mean shopping local should be seasonal.

According to Regulatory Services with the City of Lethbridge in March 2023, as of 2022 Lethbridge has a total of 3,735 licensed businesses. That includes all commercial, industrial and home-based businesses within the city limits.

Cyndi Crane, Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce CEO, is proud of Lethbridge and the resilience small businesses have shown during the rebuild from COVID-19.

“This past year was a year where people got to breathe a little bit and relax.” Crane also added the past year gave individuals a chance to do some reflection.

“We made it through a really rough bump. There will be more bumps, but I think, it really forced us to take threats and turn them into opportunities.”

Last fall, downtown Lethbridge went through various construction projects for the expansion of bike lanes and parking.

One of these revitalization zones just so happened to be in front of small business owner Audrina Steciws shop, Décor Out The Door. Steciw mentioned that due to parts of the road being closed, she couldn’t draw in near as many customers as normal.

“That sort of put a big break in my business. Because even though we were technically open, the street wasn’t.” Commonly, people didn’t know if the shop was open, or just didn’t bother checking, all because of the construction blocking the way.

Another challenge businesses could face is location. Depending on where your shop is located, really decides who you might attract.

“We have a big city and if you live on the west side, sometimes you stay on the west side,” says Crane. “Finding that location that speaks well to what your business does is important. For Steciw and Décor Out The Door, community support is huge.

“Because we’re just retail, most of my customers that really like the store recommend us to friends.”

Another thing Steciw sees as a positive is the stores neighbouring businesses. “I’m on a street with like-minded business owners who generally are supportive of each other, which is good.”

The City of Lethbridge is a bustling hub for small businesses. Despite many challenges businesses might face, shops are tackling their adversity head on. Whether you are thinking about starting a shop of your own, or planning to see what the city has to offer, don’t forget to support local.