Uptown New Westminster is going digital to create a stronger identity for the neighbourhood.
Bart Slotman, president of the Uptown Business Association, said businesses started the process last year, when they joined forces with the Hyack Festival Association to host Uptown Live.
The street festival featured performances by indie bands, demonstrations and other activities on uptown streets following the Hyack International Parade.
"People know what uptown is," Slotman said. "We are trying to create a more cohesive identity."
In addition to hosting the second annual Uptown Live event on Saturday, May 25, a committee has been hard at work on plans to develop a new logo and website.
"What we know is a lot of our customer base is online. We see a strong need to connect with them online," Slotman said. "MyUptown.ca is really a community website. It's not simply businesses. It's really a community website."
MyUptown.ca includes sections on food and drink, health and wellness, live and work, recreation, services and shopping.
"It's a cool website. It has tons of information on all the business and services provided. It is not just retail or business. It has information about recreational and cultural activities," Slotman said. "It becomes a community resource."
Uptown businesses range from national and regional chain stores to independent and mom-and-pop operations.
"You will see the diversity of the uptown as a neighbourhood, how much it has to offer," Slotman said of the website. "This is still a work-in-progress. We will try to build it in the coming months."
The newly launched MyUptown.ca already includes 60 listings, but it's expected to grow to 150 or 200 in the months to come.
"It's an attractive website, but it's really a community resource," Slotman said. "Hopefully it will help make people realize what a diverse and complete community the uptown is."
Many of the listings include photographs of the businesses and the people who work at those services.
"There's a lot of graphics - a lot of people, a lot of pictures, a lot of smiling faces," Slotman said. "There's a picture of the business owner - you have a face to a name."
Following the May 25 Uptown Live event, the Uptown Business Association will hang new street banners that support the goal of creating a strong identity for the neighbourhood.
