BRZ awards celebrate downtown business

By Lethbridge Herald on August 9, 2024.

Herald photo by Alexandra Noad - Nathan Scarrow, BRZ ambassator, welcomes everyone out to the Celebrate Downtown Awards at Festival square on Thursday

Alexandra Noad – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Downtown Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) hosted their third annual Downtown Awards on Thursday at Festival Square.

Downtown BRZ was established in 1987 and is a not-for-profit organization which provides public advocacy on important issues affecting the downtown core.

The Downtown Awards celebrate the achievements of businesses who make a difference in the community. There were eight awards to be won.

The evening started with a three-course meal provided by local restaurants: Sisters Pub and Grill, Telegraph Taphouse and Streetside Eatery and a cocktail hour sponsored by North and Co.

The first award of the night was the Heritage award, which is given to a business, organization or individual who has contributed to preserving the history of downtown Lethbridge.

The winner was Lethbridge Historical Society for the work they have done to promote the history of downtown by hosting various tours and even creating signs in downtown alleys named after people who have contributed to Lethbridge.

Belinda Crowson, president of Lethbridge Historical Society, says they are currently working on creating a tour for the project as well as hosting several other tours throughout the year for Lethbridge Historical Society Members.

The Community Contribution Award is given to a business, organization or individual who contributes to the downtown area to make it a better place.

This year’s winner of the Community Contribution Award was given to the Allied Arts Council for their advocacy for artistic opportunities, projects and programs to make Lethbridge a vibrant city.

The Downtowner Award, which is given to a business which lives, breathes, and promotes downtown as their way of life, was given to the videography duo Studelbrand who not only supports local businesses downtown, but they also recently hosted a film event showcasing the downtown.  Their projects can be found on Instagram and YouTube.

Cookie Crimes received the Tourism Advocacy Award, which is given to an organization dedicated to improving visitor experiences to the downtown area. Cookie Crimes has supported various events in the downtown core including sourcing their ingredients for their ice creams from the Downtown Farmers’ Market.

The Downtown Event of the Year was given to Sixth Street Block Party, which took place June 15. The event closed several streets and had local businesses participating to bring the community together for a day. The organizers say while it was a lot of work, seeing the community come together made it all worthwhile and they plan to continue to host a similar event every year.

Downtown Lethbridge is home to many local businesses and organizations. The BRZ wanted to recognize a business who opened their doors in the last year. The winner of this year’s New Downtown Business of the Year Award was given to Paper and Pen, a stationary shop who opened their doors at the end of May.

An entrepreneur’s life is not for the week. Cafe Noir, this year’s recipient of the Downtown Business of the Year Award, started off in a 600 square foot space in Monroe Studios on the Southside. They then moved to the back of Herbal Apothecary, which was still a hidden spot. Finally, after four years, they moved into a space of their own.

Amber Marrow, owner of Cafe Noir, says winning the award was a shock as both of her previous locations were hidden gems, but the overwhelming sense of support from the community is what makes Lethbridge such a great place to have her business.

“The support has been kind of overwhelming, which is a fantastic problem. But yeah, it’s just a lot of love from everyone, and I appreciate it,” said Marrow.

The People’s Choice award was the only award to receive votes from the public. What started off as 14 nominations, was narrowed down to six by a committee based on the reasons for nominations. The nominations were than taken to social media for a 16-day voting period which received a total of 400 votes. This year’s winner of the People’s Choice Award was given to Salty Clothing Company.

In her acceptance speech, Nichole Fiedler, owner and operator of Salty Clothing Co. said she is finally doing something she loves. She added how special it felt winning an award where people voted for her business

“It feels really special, especially when people vote for you,” said Fiedler

Sarah Amies, Executive Director of the Downtown BRZ, says the downtown core wouldn’t be the same without the dedication of business owners and organizations who are passionate about making downtown Lethbridge a vibrant place.

“Showing your absolute support of the Downtown BRZ and our beautiful, historic, thriving, vibrant downtown core. Where the heart of the city of Lethbridge beats loud strong and proud.”