Downtown Stratford BIA’s Shop Main Street Canada, Support Local campaign takes off amid US tariff threats

The Downtown Stratford Business Improvement Area (BIA) launched the Shop Main Street Canada, Support Local campaign to encourage consumers to consider local businesses first and support Main Street businesses in the city’s downtown core when shopping.

"The more local shopping that we can do, we're enhancing the lives and the business of the people that we go to church with, that give to all of our charities,” said Jamie Pritchard, Downtown Stratford BIA general manager. “Their money is going back into our Stratford economy by shopping local."

The Downtown Stratford BIA provided a toolkit for businesses that include logos, social-media assets, guidelines and marketing materials to promote the Shop Main Street Canada, Support Local campaign. Both business owners and residents are encouraged to engage with the Downtown Stratford BIA, update social-media profiles, choose products and services made in Canada, support local businesses and dine at independently owned restaurants.

Pritchard said shopping local has always been important, but more people were prioritizing it when small businesses were hit by COVID-19 Pandemic restrictions. With uncertainty in the United States, including tariff threats, Canadians are prioritizing shopping Canadian and local.

As many tourists from the United States visit Stratford, especially during the Stratford Festival season, Pritchard said it’s also important to demonstrate good hospitality to visitors from south of the border.

"There's a lot of animosity towards U.S. folks right now and we have to remember it's not the citizens of the U.S. that are creating all of this,” Pritchard said. “Most of them don't realize the impact and they don't want any of this stuff to happen, so when they come to our city, we need to welcome them.”

Some of the downtown merchants expressed concern to the BIA because they carry products made in the U.S. However, Pritchard said if the business is operated locally, they still need support.

"I don't think you need to say we're not going to shop there because they sell U.S. products. We do shop there because they offer a great selection of products that you've been buying all along and you’ve just got to figure out if there's going to be an impact to the pricing on them,” he said. “When I talk about Shop Local, Shop Canadian, remember every business downtown is a Canadian business.”

More information, including a business directory, can be found online by visiting downtownstratford.ca/directory.