Bernard Avenue is now open to pedestrians only until the Labour Day weekend to allow businesses to expand their patio areas into the parking areas along the street.

The patio expansion is to help promote physical distancing as people go out and about.

Twenty-two businesses signed on for the project, with several eateries and caf茅s setting up their expanded patios as soon as the barricades went up on June 29.

But a Bernard Avenue shop owner said the closure doesn乌鸦传媒檛 benefit every business along the city乌鸦传媒檚 main drag.

Chantal Couture owns Funktional, a jewelry and home goods store, and Frock & Fellow, a consignment shop. She said the patio expansion initiative was primarily aimed at restaurants in the area.

乌鸦传媒淚 think it was primarily to increase capacity for restaurants and then offered to us merchants to also increase our capacity but the truth is, it乌鸦传媒檚 not realistic,乌鸦传媒� she said.

乌鸦传媒淚 can乌鸦传媒檛 put clothes on the street and then still have people come and use the fitting rooms so my capacity isn乌鸦传媒檛 actually being broadened.乌鸦传媒�

Couture added setting up valuable and fragile items out on the street also adds work on her already limited staff. She said the street乌鸦传媒檚 closure to vehicles also poses some difficulties when she restocks both her stores.

乌鸦传媒淏ig transport trucks coming don乌鸦传媒檛 have easy access to the back alley. I used to get my vendors onto Bernard to supply us, now we乌鸦传媒檙e trying to make alternate arrangements. Only time will tell how effective that乌鸦传媒檚 going to be and I乌鸦传媒檓 optimistic and I certainly hope it doesn乌鸦传媒檛 dampen our potential revenue for the summer,乌鸦传媒� Couture said.

She added that she would乌鸦传媒檝e appreciated some collaboration regarding the street乌鸦传媒檚 closure.

乌鸦传媒淚n 2013, Bernard was closed for 22 months for construction and all of us were included in how we乌鸦传媒檙e going to move through this. We got to have a vote and a say.乌鸦传媒�

The City of Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 property management manager JoAnne Adamson said when staff were looking at an economic recovery program for the businesses in the area, they consulted with the Downtown Kelowna Association乌鸦传媒檚 board of directors.

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e our conduit to the business community. So it wasn乌鸦传媒檛 a one-on-one consultation with specific businesses, but more through the association itself. The initiative had to go fairly fast in terms of coming up with a program, so staff felt that was the appropriate means of business consultation,乌鸦传媒� she said.

Adamson added that the expanded space for pedestrians will benefit all the businesses in the area, including stores like Couture乌鸦传媒檚.

乌鸦传媒淥ur goal is to increase the pedestrian usage and therefore have more eyes and people on the street feeling comfortable to stroll up and down and to visit the businesses and to be able to experience the heart of downtown in a socially distanced and compliant manner.乌鸦传媒�

READ: Kelowna乌鸦传媒檚 Bernard Avenue closed to vehicles starting June 29

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