The Huntsville Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce (HLOBCC) has a new home, albeit a temporary one. With the lease at its 8 West Street North location coming to an end and its hopes for space at the Huntsville Train Station dashed thanks to mould issues, Chamber staff needed to set up shop somewhere else in a hurry.
In a new agreement with the Town of Huntsville, the Chamber will be occupying space in the Huntsville Civic Centre until the end of May. It has leased a 325-square foot room on the main floor adjacent to Club 55 and across the hall from the Centre’s washrooms. The space will serve a double purpose as the Chamber’s office as well as its downtown tourism services location, although Executive Director Kelly Haywood hopes to partner with Town Hall and utilize some of the foyer space in front of Partners Hall to deliver tourism services once they’ve settled in.
“It’s a smaller space but it’s a great opportunity for us to regroup,” said Haywood, who said the Chamber is still seeking a new high-visibility location to grow into. The office in the Civic Centre will officially open September 1 and will be open from 8:30 to 4:30, Monday through Friday.
The Chamber will be leasing the space at a rate of $300 per month, or $8.30 per square foot. If they stay beyond May 31 without a new lease in place, the agreement calls for a doubling of that rate to $600 per month.
Earlier this year, the Chamber opened a tourism information booth on Highway 60 next to 3 Guys and a Stove restaurant, hoping to draw visitors downtown who might otherwise bypass Huntsville completely. It will remain open until Thanksgiving and then will shut down for the winter.
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I just travelled across the country to Victoria and back by car. It took the month of August and we camped most of the way back and forth. Tourist information was very important to our trip. Not only was the information valuable but so were the washrooms. When you are travelling long distances or wanting to explore an area there has to be an easily accessible information gathering place that comes with washrooms. Very important that its a quick in and out process.