Have You Visited Downtown Richmond Hill Lately?

From empty storefronts to bustling community events, Lena Guirguis has watched downtown Richmond Hill regain its energy. She invites residents to take another look.

By Lena Guirguis

In May 2022, we started the fit-out of what would become Flex Space Inc., our coworking and event space in downtown Richmond Hill.

I was familiar with the Village, but until then, I hadn’t really spent much time getting to know it. Suddenly, I was there almost every day, walking along Yonge Street, meeting neighbouring business owners and getting a much closer look at our historic downtown…and I’ll admit, things weren’t looking particularly promising.

We were coming out of the pandemic. There were empty storefronts, struggling businesses, concerns about crime and public safety, and very visible challenges involving homelessness, mental health and addiction. We believed in the area enough to invest in opening our own business there, but that didn’t mean we were blind to its challenges.

Four years later, I look around the Village and see a very different picture. Properties that once looked tired are being improved, with some owners taking advantage of the City’s Community Improvement Plan grants to update their façades and signage. Others are investing in renovations and attracting new tenants.

We’ve seen the City restore the historic former post office and give it new life as the Richmond Hill Cultural Centre, bringing arts, culture and community programming right onto Yonge Street, and then there are the new businesses. Eggstatic, Celestia Restaurant & Lounge, Sandwich Therapy are just a few of the newer additions to the Village. With places like 5 am Fitness Club and HEAL Wellness preparing to open, there’s even more on the way. I love seeing this kind of investment because behind every new business is someone who has decided that downtown Richmond Hill is worth taking a chance on. Of course, we can’t forget the businesses that have been here for years, particularly those that weathered the pandemic and continued serving our community through some very difficult times.

What I find encouraging is that the changes aren’t coming from just one place. Property owners, entrepreneurs, the City and community organizations are all contributing in different ways. Little by little, it’s changing the feel of our main street. But, new businesses and nicer buildings are only part of the story. We also need people. That’s something I’ve become particularly passionate about through my involvement with the Village of Richmond Hill Business Improvement Area (BIA), where I currently serve as Vice-Chair.

Over the past few years, we’ve worked hard to bring people back into the Village through events, business promotion and community partnerships, and if you were anywhere near downtown Richmond Hill on October 24, you probably saw the results! Our third annual Spooky Village was absolutely incredible, more than 2,000 children attended! We had lineups stretching down Yonge Street, around Centre Street and across Church Street. Families were everywhere, businesses were handing out treats, and when Spider-Man made an appearance, the kids went absolutely nuts! I’ve never seen anything quite like it in the Village.

At one point, looking at all those families filling our downtown, I thought about what this same stretch of Yonge Street looked like when we first started working on Flex Space. It was hard to believe it was the same place, and that’s what makes events like Spooky Village so important to me. Yes, the kids had a great time. But thousands of people also had an opportunity to explore our downtown, visit local businesses and discover places they might otherwise have driven right past, maybe they spotted a restaurant they’d like to try, maybe they found a shop they didn’t know existed, or maybe they simply realized there’s more happening in the Village than they thought.

Through events like Spooky Village, our 6 Senses Wellness Expo and other community initiatives, we’ve been creating more opportunities for residents to discover what’s right here in their own community. None of it happens without the tremendous support of our businesses, volunteers, sponsors, community partners and BIA board, but, here’s the thing, it’s wonderful to see thousands of people filling our downtown on a Saturday afternoon. The real opportunity is getting them to come back on an ordinary Tuesday. As much as we all want a vibrant downtown with great restaurants, shops and places to gather, those businesses need customers throughout the week, not just during special events, and that’s something we can all play a part in.

The next time you’re deciding where to go for dinner, why not try somewhere in the Village? Looking for a place to meet a friend for coffee? Come downtown. Haven’t explored the new Cultural Centre yet? Go take a look, you might be surprised by what’s available right here in our own backyard.

That doesn’t mean every problem has been solved. We still have vacant properties, safety concerns and social challenges that deserve serious attention and compassionate solutions. There’s more work to do, and continued investment will be important, but we can acknowledge those challenges and still celebrate the progress.

With so much conversation about Richmond Hill’s future, including plans for a new urban downtown near Yonge Street and Highway 7, I think it’s important that we also pay attention to what’s already happening in our historic core.

When we started building Flex Space in 2022, I knew we were making an investment in our business. I didn’t realize just how invested I would eventually become in the Village itself. Along the way, I’ve met some wonderful people, watched entrepreneurs take chances and had the opportunity to work alongside individuals who genuinely care about this community. I’m proud of how far we’ve come, and I’m excited to see what’s next.

So, if you haven’t spent much time in downtown Richmond Hill lately, I hope you’ll come back and take another look.

You might be pleasantly surprised by what we’ve been up to.