Within the last couple of months, there seems to be business closures all over the North Country, and this is becoming much too evident in Canton as well. Places like Hot Tamale, Sposa Bella and Family Dollar are approaching the end of their time as businesses locally, leaving many vacant buildings and a loss of variety of businesses. This is damaging to Canton, for it leaves the area with a lack of things to do and places to shop for local college students from St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton.
People assume that it is difficult to open a business in Upstate NY, but Elizabeth Pier, a New Orleans native brought the “Big Easy” to Canton and she found that, “it’s not that they are difficult. I think they’re growing and they’re trying to figure out how all this is going to work,” according to WWNYTV. The Club is no longer a restaurant in Canton, the old McDonald’s still has not been bought and the Jubilee Plaza still seems to be practically empty.
This will be a challenge to address, but people think that the biggest thing the people of Canton must work on is finding businesses to bring in that will support students from St. Lawrence and SUNY Canton, making sure they provide them with things to do once they arrive for each school year. This will take innovation and cooperation between community members, but will be well worth it if we put in effort.
Last fall, the Dairy Queen that was being remodelled in Canton was burned down by a former employee. Due to this, it is looking as though it will not be finished anytime soon, and people are afraid that it may never be reopened. According to North Country Now, as of November of last year, the village of Canton was seeking around $270,000 to rebuild the Dairy Queen, and was hoping to do so by applying for a Federal Community Development Block Grant. This will probably not cover the entire cost, but will help with construction. If rebuilt, Dairy Queen will create an upward of 18 new jobs, while also providing local college students with another spot to eat.
Some funding is anticipated towards this, and funding was also granted to Hawkshaw Mead Works, Grasse River Outfitters and Millenial Currency, which are all startup businesses. More funding was also give to help support current businesses as well, one of them was the Luna Boutique, which is a popular store that many local college students shop at, according to North Country Now. This will be a long process, but it will be valuable to bring more business to Canton, and the community is hopeful for the future!