When Jeremy “Stinky” Peterson opened his own sports bar, Stinky’s on the Stroll, in 2019, he saw it as a love letter to his hometown. Five years later, and the love affair may be coming to an untimely end.
“I’ve raised my prices, but I can’t justify it to myself that I'm going to have to start charging you $10, $12 for a bottle of beer,” Peterson said. Despite strong snowfall to start the season, “the current business environment is very challenging for entrepreneurs, especially small, locally owned businesses,” said Louise Walker, executive director of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce.
Looking back to the summer, Tourism Whistler said room night bookings were down three per cent in May compared to the same month last year; June was down six per cent; July was flat; and August was up three per cent. September bookings were up nine per cent, bolstered by visiting conference groups, while October was flat with last year.
“Maybe three years ago or pre-pandemic, you might see visitors coming and they are purchasing an appetizer and a bottle of wine, and now maybe they’re passing on the appetizer and having a glass of wine,” Fisher added. “We are definitely seeing different expenditures in different sectors.”