WATERLOO -- Post-secondary schools in Waterloo Region are set to move most of their courses online for the fall semester, and fewer students on campus could mean fewer customers for local businesses.
Due to their proximity to the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, restaurants and bars in Uptown Waterloo are expected to take the biggest hit, thinks CEO of The Truth Beauty Company Jennifer Freitas.
“Students are such a big part of that restaurant and bar culture that makes up Uptown Waterloo,” says Freitas.
The expected change is forcing businesses to think creatively to maintain whatever revenue they can.
Alnoor Keshvani, the owner of Loop Clothing in uptown, is focusing on an online push as well as trying to increase the shopping experience in store.
“The student clientele is going to have an impact,” says Alnoor Keshvani, the owner of Loop Clothing in Uptown Waterloo. “But the shift for us has always been to evolve without clientele.”
Tracy Van Kalsbeek, the Executive Director with the Uptown BIA, says a lot of businesses are growing their online presence.
“Businesses are very busy on their e-commerce platforms and on their social media,” Van Kalsbeek told CTV News in an interview. “We’re encouraging people to help them keep their doors open in some way shape or form.”
But as she points out, businesses in the area have overcome quite a bit recently.
“Uptown Waterloo is getting off of five years of construction with the LRT and streetscaping,” Van Kalsbeek says. “Our businesses are a resilient lot.”
With reporting by Carmen Wong
