Your source for business and chamber news in the Greater Kingston Area Octiber 7, 2013
Vol. 2 NO. 9
A big transformation for a small town By Hiba Kesebi
Above: Gus Panageotopoulos and Virginia Thompson sit on the Donor Recognition Piece in Centennial Park, which was dedicated by Mayor Bill Lowry at the Fall Festival. Gus is the Chair of the Bath Community Revitalization Committee. Virginia is a Committee Member. Photo/ Barry Kaplan Left: Rosa Mordasiewicz, owner of Main Street Creamery Cafe. Rosa has added gourmet coffee, baked goods and hand made chocolate to the list of treats available at her shop.
Photo/Hiba Kesebi
With plans on attracting new businesses and tourists to the historic village of Bath, the Bath Community Revitalization Committee is focused on giving the village a fresh look. The Bath community has faced its share of hardship in the past, however the village is undergoing some major transformations today, according to Gus Panageotopoulos, BCRC Chairman. “Within a few months a new pharmacy will be opening at Bath. A new grocery store will open after over two years of having to travel out of town for groceries,” explains Panageotopoulos. Moreover, the community currently has 22 storefronts housing 24 businesses in the core village in addition to four storefronts outside of the core, all of which provide a number of goods and services. “It is important to stress that these numbers only include storefronts. There are many home based businesses that are not included in these statistics,” notes Panageotopoulos. He says the village has witnessed remarkable transformations in the past four years. “In that period we lost three businesses and we gained seven new businesses. Three business owners went from renting to owning. Three businesses expanded their physical space and five businesses have significantly expanded their product line.” It’s not only the development of new businesses that has helped this
transformation. The BCRC is also focused on “beautifying” Bath. The village now boasts new streetlamps, benches, flags and other decorative items. Panageotopoulos says the BCRC has also sponsored tourism oriented signage to promote the village’s attractions. Bath is rich in its historical heritage. The town has been in existence since it was settled in the late 1700s by United Empire Loyalists fleeing persecution in the United States after the Revolutionary War. It thrived for many years and was a significant town. “Many people don’t know that Bath’s economy once rivaled Kingston’s, as it was en route to Kingston eastward and Toronto westward,” says Panageotopoulos. However, new roads and railways diverted traffic and played a significant role in the village’s economic downturn. Though the village is still not what it was in the 1700s, the transformation it has undergone in the past few years has caught the attention of its residents. “I couldn’t help but smile when I overheard an old couple talk amongst themselves saying, ‘My gosh would you ever think Bath would be like this,’” recalls Panageotopoulos. For those who have lived in the village long enough, the transformation is clear, he says. It’s gone from being sleepy hollow, to shady, and now it’s starting to come alive. “We all have a sense of pride, because you can see the difference taking place.”
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