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Share your Ideas: What businesses or local services do we need in Rossland?
Submitted by EDTF Rossland on Wed, 31/03/2021 - 7:20am
Did you hear? Rossland ranked #5 in Canada’s livability report as awesome…
Why did we rank so high????
Growth??? Huh? That piece - the “potential for growth” really tweaked the minds of the Economic Development Task Force (EDTF), a group of volunteers interested in economic development in Rossland, who are tasked to think, engage, collaborate, listen and consider what additional economic development opportunities there could be in Rossland.
So, we decided to reach out to you Bhubblers - to find out your thoughts too…
Tell us what businesses types are missing or what local services you go elsewhere for.
We have other initiatives underway related to existing business so for this bhubble conversation we’re interested only in new businesses. We’re not interested in gripes or improvements to existing businesses.
Instead, give us some ideas to chew on. Tell us what business types could be attracted or started up in this area. More or different businesses in town could be what you need to make your life here in Rossland even more awesome.
Thanks in advance from your friendly neighbourhood Economic Development Task Force. Town: Rossland, BC 
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Great initiative! Here are my thoughts as a newer resident to Rossland: A larger hardware store, more healthy dining options, more doctors offices, a local composting pick-up system so that we can compost without creating a local attraction for bears & pests and/or throwing out our food waste.
Classes or seminars for new residents on what to expect to see living here, bears, coyotes, cougars, etc and how to co-exist safely and properly without the need to put down animals. I've lived here a long time and never had any issues, thats why it bugs me when animals do get killed.
More daycare capacity.
Affordability - HA! Rossland is a terribly overpriced place to live. That really made me laugh.
But ya, why not push for growth and make it even more unaffordable to live here. . . . . . .
We didn't make the metrics for that livability report, we're just curious to dig in a bit more.
Growth doesn't have to mean bringing new people to town. We pose the question to generate healthy discussion about what Rosslanders could use or would like to see!
This could even be just be about giving your neighbour an idea for their next side hustle or re-affirming a budding local entrepeneur that there is a need for what they want to start.
Agree more healthy dining, and child care.
I'd add a more accessible and bear friendly garbage, recycling, and compost option.
Veterinary Services
I agree with Breanna, D.W., and Krispe. Also a dental practice would be useful.
I agree with more childcare options.
Agreed 100% with more daycare capacity for children under age 2. Currently it is my understanding that Golden Bear is the only one that will take youngsters, and they have a capacity of 12.
A car wash
I will push childcare as well. The number of new families is growing and it is very difficult to find childcare, even looking beyond Rossland.
Childcare for sure. We're currently looking in Trail for that, which is a shame because neither of us parents work down there.
Heathy dining & vegetarian cusine.
Wildlife friendly garbage and compost disposal; another lunch spot; better and more bike locking spots downtown; a public washroom downtown - one of those self-cleaning jobbies that we have seen and used in our travels abroad
Less growth. We do not neeed any drivers for growth. It is already happening.
Liscened childcare center for kids under 2. Also, an Indian restaurant.
Another vote for childcare for young children, we have been on the waiting list for golden bear for over a year
Another vote for childcare for young children, we have been on the waiting list for golden bear for over a year
All the votes I can give for a composting program :)!
More (female) GPs or nurse practicioners in the immediate area would be great - although I understand that's a challenge with small (and big!) towns everywhere.
I also think more local 'handy people' services (or promoting existing technology - apps like "Upwork" that allow customer & service provider to connect through the use of better technology.. sorry Bhubble) would be welcome for small/odd jobs.
A gardening store/centre.
Car wash!
Lingerie/hosiery store with a tapas/wine bar. Dreaming big :))
residential bear proof garbage cans provided to all residents(I believe Banff does this), compostable garbage pick up weekly, weekly recycling pick up, rest of garbage could be picked up biweekly.
car wash
I agree with Tasha. Fernie also has residential bear-proof garbage cans.
Compost service/program would be great. Affordable veterinary services, garden center green house and more home hardware supplies. And a car wash would be nice.
Agree with almost all of these! Composting centre or service, healthier/more varied food options, and a vet!
A good shoe store (again - so sorry the last one left, even though it was very successful.) And shoe repair and re-soles, including Birkenstocks (also sad that one closed due to retirement.): could include leather repair of all kinds and sewing repairs of packs, jackets etc.
@Snowisgood - what a brilliant idea! Shoe repair, yes! Repair instead of replace.
And having said that: how about a small appliance repair? Or someone who is willing to tinker on things to see if they can be repaired?
Yes to the composting centre too and as I said before, PLEASE someone open a car wash (I know there is one at Rossland Collision but I don't know why they closed it.
Mexican restaurant with great salsa. I love our present restaurants but there is a lot of crossover in their menus. It would be nice to have a place or two that are "now for something completely different." Maybe an Indian restaurant?
A vet would be great; there are quite a few vets in the area that are not taking new clients and with the number of pets in Rossland, I bet a vet would have a full practice in no time at all.
A small plug here for Buttercup Refill (i am not associated in any way) - a young woman who is doing refill for all kinds of cleaning products, both household and personal. If she got enough business, who knows, maybe she could move into a store front (doing it from her home for now).
I’m wondering if some of the services people are requesting on this post are because they actually can’t get access to that service in our area or because they just don’t want to travel to get access to that service?
If people can’t get in to see a dentist, doctor, vet, childcare, ect. then sure I guess we probably do need more of those, but if it is because you just don’t want to travel to Trail, Castlegar, Fruitvale, or Nelson, then I think you should ask yourself what type of town you want to live in. When you choose to live in a town like Rossland you choose to live somewhere without all the amenities of a larger city. That being said, you would probably spend just as much time travelling to a dentist in the city as you would travelling to Trail or Castlegar, but you’d probably be sitting in traffic!
I get it! Some days the idea of driving to Trail feels like a mission and I don’t want to go anywhere if I can’t get there by walking, but we are lucky to live in a small town that has other towns nearby with other amenities. I’ve lived up North where you had to travel 3+ hours to get to some of the amenities we have 10-30 minutes away.
I also question if some of the services listed above could survive in Rossland? We had a hardware store years ago, but with Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, ect. in Trail I question the feasibility.
I know of at least two car washes in Trail and another two in Castlegar. Two vets in Castlegar, one in Fruitvale and I know there is at least one in Trail.
I highly recommend Vince Devito Shoes in Nelson for shoe repair. I take my work boots, hiking boots and Birkenstocks there. They are great! Plus you get to go to Nelson, eat good food, take your bike! It’s nice to get out of town once in a while (I am assuming COVID19 isn’t going to last forever).
Also there are plans for a composting service, it’s just going to take a few years to implement. See here: https://rdck.ca/EN/meta/news/news-archives/2020-news-archive/cross-regional-composting-program-to-go-ahead-in-the-west-kootenay.html
It would be nice to have your cake and eat it too, but think about where all these businesses would go. There aren’t a lot of empty stores downtown right now so new places would need to be built. Where exactly are we going to fit a large hardware store?!
I think Rossland will benefit of having communal apiary or beeyard. I keep bees and the best honey I've got was honey from wild flowers of Happy Valley! If you have communal garden in Rossland a beeyard is the must to have near one! I can offer help running the apiary as I am a beekeeper.
Cross country ski shop
an Indian food restaurant
A commuity bake oven; affordable lingerie store, larger hardware store, shoe store.
The doctors in town have a many-month waiting list. I think we could use part time urgent care hours added to our clinics. The nearest is Nelson. Long way to go when sick/injured. The urgent care in Castlegar makes you triage through the ER at a private pay base cost of $1000. Nelson took care of us for $100. (Recently moved here and did not have coverage yet: would also be a problem for any tourists). Trail has no urgent care.
I have been looking for an overnight summer camp for kids. There are only a couple in the province which are not religion affiliated. I have worked at these and they are great for kids and teens. Rossland is an ideal location and would bring in kids from Alberta and the coast and create summer employement.
Love the food/yard waste compost idea. Also, I am a beekeeper too and a bee yard could involve our youth.
Thank you for asking.
Love the community oven idea, Carol! We just moved here from Nova Scotia and had a fantastic oven in Dartmouth: https://www.parkoven.ca/. Great for community building and good for local biz who can sell ingredients.
@acooke great points in general. Doctors I think are a real issue as Tamara pointed above. The closest walk-in clinic is in Nelson and due to COVID the wait time for "walk-in" appt is 1-1.5 weeks. Which I guess means that people who can't wait that long end up in emergency.
New/used outdoor gear consignment shop?
Definitely vet is my priority. Hauling unhappy pet on a round trip of 70 km is not good for the pets, my nerves or the environment.
@acooke: Driving an hour each way to Nelson and back, not to mention whatever time it takes a person to do their errands, is a lot of time and gas and money and C02 dumped into the air. For those of us who work, it is almost impossible without losing a half day of income. So environmentally and financially it is not the most desireable choice for many people.
Just a reminder in case you have not lived here for long: The shoe store that was here was very successful. The owner built a good business plan. She had additional professional goals. One was that once the store was a success, her next goal was to become a sales rep for shoes. That's what she did. So yes, there are good shoe stores in a number of places within a half-day's driving distance, but that does not mean we could not have one here also. (There have been two businesses in the same location btw since she closed down. Not shoe stores.)
Same thing with shoe repair. DeVitos does a great job, but once again it winds up being a nearly half-day trip to go to Nelson. I have talked to several cobblers who have said the key problem is this is a trade and craft that young people don't want to get into. So as the older generation retires, younger people are still focusing on university and graduating with scads of debt, rather than embracing useful trades like being a cobbler. So it is hard to sell a cobbler shop. I don't know if the former owners of the cobbler shop downtown (still without a tenant, by the way) tried to sell it or not. But they retired. It was a successful business for many years. I would rather repair a shoe here than drive all that distance. Repair, reuse, avoid buying new stuff, avoid driving - it is a bit of an environmental choice also.
I don't mind running to Trail to shop by car or bus or even bike. Castlegar is closer but transportation can be problematic for many. To run errands in Nelson ranges from a bit much to an entire day's journey if people are taking the bus.
People who are making the suggestions on this list are brainstorming. It does not mean they are "big city" people who don't belong here. Businesses come and go in town, and not always because they can't make a profit at it. Business owners make choices. The hardware store closed because Green wanted to retire. The Nordic ski shop closed because the family that owned it wanted to spend more time with each other (and skiing!) rather than all their time at the store. If people want a service or a product, and someone can successfully provide that service or product where we all can walk to it, what's wrong with that? Not wanting to travel for a serivce or product if it can be provided locally and can be reached by wakling is a legitimate reason. Just because these folks say they want something does not mean it necessarily is going to happen. It is brainstorming, which means no judgment, just lots of ideas getting thrown out there to consider. Please be a bit more generous of heart to the writers here.
Well after the snowisgood post I just had to jump in re the redpoint shoe store. Maybe not the place but here it goes. I have a significant leg length difference. A result of a reckless youth and an encouter with a guard rail on a motorcycle. James made many custom lifts for me and was a true craftsman and an artist. I haven't found anyone that could do that quality of work since. He did this for a number of people in the area and really had a positive and dramatic affect on peoples lives. I doubt that he got the recognition that he deserved. Thank you James, we miss you.
A dog/pet groomer would also be great.
Maybe a washroom!
Sorry not a business, but still needed,