The business community of Spryfield unjustly suffers from an image problem that says it isn’t a great place to do business, say many in the community.
“Come on out and have a look for yourself,” says city councillor Steve Adams. “Don’t believe what you read, don’t believe what you hear.”
He encourages those people who have doubts about doing business here to talk to people who live and work in Spryfield, as well as those who operate businesses there.
A 2007 report by the Greater Halifax Partnership identified a number of advantages to setting up shop in Spryfield. They included its strategic location “between the urban core of Halifax and the fastest growing suburban residential areas,” lower commercial leasing costs and excellent transportation infrastructure.
One proponent of doing business in Spryfield is Iris Shea. Up until five years ago, she and her husband owned the Subway restaurant on Herring Cove Road. It was one of three Subways she and her husband owned and operated.
“Everybody said it would never fly,” she recalls regarding the pessimism she encountered from people outside of Spryfield.
Shea and her husband ran the business from 1993 to 2005.
“It was a very good business for us,” she says, adding it was one of the busiest locations in Metro.
The business community in Spryfield is continuing to get better, says Adams.
“Up to five years ago, there were a number of boarded-up buildings,” he says. “Fast forward to today, there are no boarded-up buildings in Spryfield. There are two vacant lots on the Herring Cove Road, and both of those have been purchased with the hopes of development. The Spryfield mall has been purchased. Right now, all of the retail space has been accounted for and there’s some office space available. Most of the other buildings are at capacity.”
