My Main Street Local Success Stories

Billy’s Taphouse has long been a staple in the community of Essex for its unique selection of beers on tap and its fresh and local food offerings. With a staff of approximately 30, Billy’s is one of Essex’s biggest restaurants, and its location outside of the downtown core means that it draws on a wide variety of clientele from the greater community.

Prior to 2020, Billy’s was growing at an exponential rate. However, like many businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions and lockdowns had a significant impact on the restaurant’s success, with its staff rates dropping by 83% and revenues dropping by over 80%.

Coming out of the pandemic, husband and wife team Doug and Jennifer Kalapos knew they needed to reinvigorate their business to get them back on track as one of Essex’s most popular dining locations. After conducting a market study and finding that their potential customer base was much larger than they had originally thought, they decided to make their food menu a key strategic focus moving forward. 

After apply for and receiving funding from the My Main Street Local Business Accelerator, part of a $23.25-million Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and delivered by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO), Billy’s Taphouse had enough financing to invest in an expansion of its walk-in cooler. With this, the owners were able to expand and update their menu, which now provides a more diverse range of local food offerings, thereby tapping into a broader and more diverse clientele.

And indeed, the focus on their menu has paid off. While the changes are still relatively fresh, Doug and Jennifer have already noticed an uptick in business.

“Our market research found that the people of greater Essex value high-quality and local food ingredients, so we’re basically just giving the people what they want,” Doug says. “We’ve had great feedback so far.”

“In the long-run, prioritizing local food sources will be worth it,” adds Jennifer. “Short-term, though, it can be expensive. But we are proud to not only be serving the community food that they want, but also to be supporting and getting connected with other local businesses.”

Although Billy’s is outside of Essex’s downtown core, the town’s business community is strong and inclusive. And while the COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on so many of Canada’s small- and medium-sized businesses, Billy’s is just one of many that is now coming out on the other side, more resilient than ever before.

Acorn and Oak Coffee Company

From selling coffee at local farmers’ markets to operating a full-service coffee trailer, and finally opening a permanent coffee bar in January of 2022, husband and wife team David and Rachel Aziz of Acorn and Oak Coffee Company have been roasting coffee for the people of Essex, Ontario for almost three years now — and they don’t have plans on stopping anytime soon.

Prior to entering the coffee business, Dave was a professional chef, while Rachel came from a baking background. In 2020, they decided to combine their experience with their natural business acumen, founding Acorn and Oak Coffee Company.

“It started off as something fun,” Dave says as he takes a sip of his own freshly roasted Mighty Oak Espresso Brew. “And even though we’re growing and have plans to expand, it’s still fun to wake up every day and do what I love, with the person that I love — that hasn’t changed.”

And expansion is certainly the name of the game for Acorn and Oak. Thanks to funding from the My Main Street Local Business Accelerator, part of a $23.25-million Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and delivered by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO), Dave and Rachel were able to purchase a second state-of-the-art coffee roaster: the Coffee-Tech Solar Shop Roaster. With this addition to the team, they have now doubled their coffee production.

“The new coffee roaster has been a game changer for us,” says Rachel. “Our business started primarily as a coffee roastery, and that is still our primary revenue source. So increasing production is essential if we want to remain a sustainable business.”

Although Acorn and Oak’s coffee bar has now become a staple of the Essex downtown core — located in the Rec Health & Fitness Studio — Dave and Rachel are no strangers to the wider community, either. Having operated at farmers’ markets for years now, they have a strong belief in the importance of community.

“Coffee brings people together,” says Dave. “I think that’s why we got into this whole business in the first place. And through our production and distribution channels, we’ve gotten to know a ton of other businesses in the community.”

The My Main Street Local Business Accelerator program aims to revitalize downtown cores and main streets such as that of Essex. Rachel says she’s noticed a difference since increased attention, funding, and support has gone towards the town’s downtown core.

“Downtown just seems to be buzzing,” she says. “It wasn’t always like this. And the more we expand our production, the bigger the network and community we create with other likeminded businesses. It’s really exciting.”

Dave and Rachel are busy with their production operations, full-service coffee trailer, farmers’ markets rounds, and permanent coffee bar at the Rec Health & Fitness Studio. But they have even bigger dreams down the pipeline, and thanks to the funding from the My Main Street Local Business Accelerator that allowed them to double their production, those dreams are getting more achievable day by day. 

Sanford & Son Supermarket

Serving the people of Harrow, Ontario since 1981, Sanford & Son Supermarket is an independently owned grocery store that offers quality items at an affordable price. As the only grocery store directly located in the town of Harrow, owner Dane Sanford is very aware of the line he must walk between offering local, high-quality products while still remaining competitive with the large chain box stores that are just a 20-minute drive away.

Appealing to an older customer base, Sanford and Son offers special services that directly benefit community members, including a carry-out service for individuals with mobility limitations, as well as an in-house butcher for a more boutique shopping experience.

Like so many businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic’s restrictions and lockdowns impacted the operations of Sanford & Son Supermarket. Coming out of this three-year downturn, Dane and his colleagues decided that a rebrand was in order. 

After applying for and receiving funding from the My Main Street Local Business Accelerator, part of a $23.25-million Government of Canada investment through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and delivered by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO), Sanford and Son now had the money to offer an exciting and revitalized shopping experience to the people of Harrow.

Funds went towards replacing the exterior’s blue colouring with a new, forest-green awning. And, in the spring, world-renowned artist David Durkatz (a Harrow local!) will paint a large, colourful mural on the exterior of the building, which will tell a story about the supermarket’s history — from 1981 to today!

“We really value the history that Sanford and Son has with the town of Harrow,” says Dane outside of the now revitalized supermarket. “But there’s no harm in a rebrand every now and then, right?”

Market research conducted by Sanford and Son found that the people of Harrow want to shop local. Even so, in the globalized world of today, this can be difficult.

“Anything we can do to encourage the community to shop local, we should do,” says Dane. “We want to offer the best quality of products at the most affordable prices possible to the people of Harrow, all while providing them with an enjoyable shopping experience. The rebrand sends the message to Harrow that we, as a community, are stronger than ever.”

The My Main Street Local Business Accelerator aims to drive business and vibrancy to local communities across Southern Ontario, especially in the aftermath of COVID-19. As a community staple, Sanford and Son Supermarket’s rebrand will do just that.