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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, November 16, 2012 · 4 Putting a new face on the old charm of downtown By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Hoping to attract more visitors year round, the Downtown Oakville BIA is working to revitalize the downtown business community. Visitors may have already noticed the changes -- the BIA is rolling out seasonal banners with a new logo. Throughout downtown, the BIA's new logo signs are affixed to 96 lampposts. Below the logos, seasonal banners are being hung with the BIA's promise of `Always a treat.' Visitors will notice Christmas banners that are part of the BIA's "It's a Downtown Christmas" marketing campaign. There will be a campaign for each season. The rebranding process began nearly a year ago when 14 business members came together to form Project Wings, in an effort to discover what makes downtown Oakville unique and special in order to more effectively market the area. "We want people to come downtown. We want to make it approachable for people," said project chair Kathy Thomas, a BIA board member and owner of The Bronze Frog Gallery. "The beautiful thing about this area is people will come down on a Sunday afternoon with their families and stroll the streets and just enjoy the ambiance. That needs to be protected." However, in the last decade or so, changes have come to downtown and the number of "We recognize that our traffic in downtown Oakville has definitely declined over the last five years. In order for us to survive and keep the vitality of our downtown, we needed to create and rethink what our advantage is, what is the reason people keep coming here. Quite frankly, it's the experience." Kathy Thomas, Downtown Oakville BIA "We want people to still come and enjoy the events, but we also want people to focus on what keeps this town alive and that is the merchants and the members who are here," Thomas said. She said the downtown is one of the most unique market areas in North America, with an eclectic group of shops, services and professionals that comprise approximately 400 businesses. "This is such a unique downtown. Everyone agrees, it has its own identity," she said. "It's no longer about what you can buy down here. It's about the experience of getting it, it's about the service." Thomas said some business have been around for more than 25 years and can offer customers a personalized shopping experience. For more information, visit www. oakvilledowntown.com. ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog campaigning for downtown: The Downtown Oakville BIA is releasing new branding. Here committee members Kathy Thomas, left, and Bill Rechter show off a new sign. visitors has decreased. "We recognize that our traffic in downtown Oakville has definitely declined over the last five years. In order for us to survive and keep the vitality of our downtown, we needed to create and rethink what our advantage is, what is the reason people keep coming here. Quite frankly, it's the experience," Thomas said. In the past, the BIA would market its regular events, but it did not necessarily return increased business. According to Thomas, money once spent on events marketing will be rolled into four distinct campaigns that will run longer and include the events. The BIA is hiring marketing professionals, including an ad agency, media buyer, and a marketing group.