First ever ‘curbside chat’ to explore future of downtown Vernon

VERNON – It’s time for downtown Vernon to have a curbside chat about the future.

That’s what the Downtown Vernon Association has in store as it prepares to host the city’s very first Downtown Curbside Chat Friday, Feb. 19.

Members services coordinator Dina Mostat says the collaborative meeting will provide downtown business owners and managers the opportunity to lend their creative ideas, feedback, and knowledge to help explore what downtown might look like in five years, and communicate what their needs and aspirations are. 

“We really want to encourage the downtown business community to be meaningfully engaged, get their hands deeply into something,” Mostat says in a media release. “February’s Curbside Chat will give them a channel to be creative and provide some perspective about what their needs are and determine what the business community values. We’re exploring what downtown can look like in the next few years.”

Curbside Chats will take place five times this year, with each event featuring a different topic or business development opportunity along with guest speakers or business spotlights.

“It’s all about constructive collaboration,” Mostat says. “Our goal is to make sure that our members participate in something that they feel is worth their time and that they have either gained useful information or have shared their knowledge with others.”

Friday’s curbside chat will be held at Ratio Coffee from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Downtown Vernon Association members can contact the office at 250-542-5851 or email dina@downtownvernon.com to pre-register. Seating is limited.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.