Number of new businesses in Winnipeg's West End at 7-year high: West End BIZ
CBC
The West End BIZ is celebrating new businesses in the area this week, and the organization says the number of people setting up shops in the neighbourhood hit a seven-year high in 2022 despite lingering effects of the pandemic.
New Business Week highlights 56 new businesses that opened in the West End last year with the goal of attracting more Winnipeggers through their doors.
The number of new places to shop in the area is still below the pre-pandemic yearly average of 60, but there is optimism being found in the overall number of businesses in the neighbourhood.
"Back in 2015, we had 855 businesses in the zone, and today we have 870," West End BIZ executive director Joe Kornelsen told CBC.
"I would say for sure this is a change in the tides. That doesn't mean things are perfect."
During the pandemic, Kornelsen said about 60 West End businesses closed, which exceeded the number of businesses opening in the area.
Opening a business is not an easy thing to do, he said, so it has been heartening to see more people deciding to pursue the challenge than in previous years.
Desalegn Saliew was one of those people. He manages Bee Wow Convenience Store, which opened last year.
The shop on Portage and Furby offers Ethiopian goods, and Saliew said demand for them is so high that it can be hard to keep them on the shelves, but he isn't celebrating yet.
"Running a business — I'll say it's good, but you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," he told CBC.
There are expenses that the store needs to cover every single day, and he said the unpredictability of running a business can be felt nearly every minute.
Economic uncertainties, inflation and safety are his biggest concerns at the store, but Saliew said both the local Ethiopian community and Canadians have been happy to have his store around.
He's staying positive and has optimistic hopes for Bee Wow's future in the West End.
"Where else can you go? No matter what — this is where people are moving."