Kayla Simmons, owner of Mixers Bar and Lounge in downtown Houston, is proposing a new way-finding sign to help visitors locate businesses in the town’s core and support local economic recovery.
Her proposal is to place a large billboard, listing downtown merchants, on the grass where the intersection of Poulton Avenue and Highway 16 used to be. Simmons plans to present her proposal to the District of Houston at a council meeting April 15, along with a petition with names of local supporters. Her proposal and petition can currently be seen and signed at Mixers Bar and Lounge.
She said it's essential to downtown businesses that highway traffic be made aware of the businesses downtown, especially since the intersection was closed, because that reduced visibility and access to downtown.
“It was unsafe," Simmons acknowledged of the intersection, saying it was ultimately a good thing that it was closed. "However, it was the downtown direct access from the highway.”
Simmons said that several downtown businesses have resorted to putting up temporary signs on the highway, but when she tried the same last summer, she was approached by a District representative and told her sign's placement violated a bylaw.
After being referred back and forth between the Chamber of Commerce, the District of Houston, and the Ministry of Transportation, Simmons said no one could provide clear guidance on where to install directional signage.
“Nobody had any information for me to get way-finding signs to direct people from the highway into the downtown core for my business,” she said.
“I just want a space for my own sign,” Simmons said. “Other merchants have loved the idea so far… I’d have no problem finding a way to finance this billboard for visibility and paying a little rental fee.”
Simmons opened Mixers at the age of 28 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has weathered both the end of pipeline construction and the recent mill closure. “We’ve done pretty well coming out of it this spring,” she said. “We’re gearing up for a really good tourism season this year.”
She added that a recent Petro-Canada billboard in Vancouver promoting Houston has already drawn in visitors, which shows the value of directional signage.
“We’ve already had travellers who have seen these signs and made a point of stopping and spending the whole day in Houston,” Simmons said. “It really just goes to show the impact of having proper visibility.”
