Stoney Creek's Downtown: Part Six, What Does a Downtown Need to Have?

Many of the changes downtowns have been undergone over the time-frame in question are related to the shifts the retail world has experienced, which can be summed up in a handful of words:

-Malls; the integrated shopping experience.

-Big-box outlets; Volume, volume, volume...and discounts.

-Conglomerates; less players, lower costs, more behemoths.

-The Internet; one-click shopping.

All of these have affected the traditional downtown, a city's main street. Stoney Creek is no different.

Here's a profile of downtown, circa 1965:

A florist’s, a grocery store, a movie cinema, a coffee shop/diner, a real estate/professional building, two banks, a general store, a gas station, a hardware store, a bakery, a gas station, a dry cleaners/laundromat, a drug store, a television/stereo/electronics store, a barber shop, a variety store, a fish&chip shop, a bowling alley, two furniture stores, an old-style, bricks-and-mortar post office, a butcher, a jewellery store, a sporting goods store, a tailors and a haberdashery shop...and a car mechanic’s garage.

Here's what it looks like today:

A spa, two banks, a stationery shop-cum-post office depot, a restaurant, a sports bar, an off-track betting facility, a drug store, a pharmacy, a pet grooming service, a women’s clothing boutique, a salon, a spa, a doughnut shop, a denture specialist, a purveyor of cupcakes, an abuse-counselling service, a lawyer, a barber, a tailor, an insurance broker, a doctor, a dry cleaner, a laundromat, massage therapist, a Royal Canadian Legion, a medical services complex...and a car mechanic’s garage.

And here's an off-the-cuff, definitely incomplete 'master list' of potential businesses and service providers no matter where you go in most of the western world:

Health food store, organic butcher, organic produce, bike shop, bakery, outdoor clothing, kids' clothing, fine dining, pet supply store, book store, pizza joint, fish & chip shop, pita place, music shop, diner, bank, shoe repair, general clothing, china & the such, cinema, spa, bank, bar/pub, a drug store, pet grooming service, furniture, ice cream parlour, cigar shop, women’s clothing boutique, doughnut shop, coffee shop, denture specialist, counselling services, lawyer, barber, tailor, insurance broker, doctor, dentist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, dry cleaner, laundromat, senior center, medical services complex, wine shop, cheese shop, coin and stamp shop, comic shop.

Having lived in various communities in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., I feel fortunate to have seen a small assortment of the possible combinations of services and features that can make up a thriving downtown. (I'm using this 'downtown' reference loosely. It can be an area, a single street, a neighbourhood. The physical parameters might vary, but the function remains the same: it's where people come together to shop, to eat, to be entertained, to recreate.)

So; think of your favourite downtown. Your favouite town centre. Your favourite main street.

How does Stoney Creek's compare?