With the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) electing a new board of directors on Wednesday (June 10), the organization is celebrating its 45th anniversary by rolling out merchandise with the DBIA’s original logo dating back to 1981 as it prepares for a summer of special events.
Established by the City of Peterborough in 1981 to support and revitalize the downtown core, the not-for-profit organization represents over 400 downtown businesses. During its 40th anniversary in 2021, the DBIA launched its “The Boro” brand and, in 2024, moved from its Water Street headquarters to the Venture North building on George Street North.
That was also the year the DBIA hired Nour Mazloum, who started in her role as its new executive director on June 10, 2024. From introducing new community events and celebrating the opening of several businesses, to expanding its boundaries to include businesses in Peterborough’s East City, to helping prevent a threatening city by-law, Mazloum has faced two years full of both successes and challenges.
Still, Mazloum carries the same deep-rooted passion for downtown communities that she first brought with her to Peterborough from the Kingston Economic Development Corporation.
“It’s where things are happening,” she says of the importance of a city’s downtown core. “It’s where you see live music, it’s where you see art, it’s where you see familiar faces. I think wherever you go in the world, a downtown feels like a community because there’s a vibe to it. That’s why I really love downtowns and why I chose to work for a downtown.”
Mazloum is an award-winning leader who also serves as treasurer of the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association and as a director of the board of the Economic Developers Council of Ontario. When she’s not working to serve the downtown of Peterborough, she’s often enjoying it from the water.
“Not a lot of people can say that they have that good, healthy balance between their quiet activities and their big jobs, which I’m very grateful for,” says Mazloum. “I can still be downtown and do all the things that I love to do in downtown Peterborough, and also I’m able to quietly paddleboard.”
One of the things Mazloum said she would do when first joining the DBIA was introduce a free movie night, and that became a reality in the summer of 2025. For five nights last summer, Quaker Foods City Square drew hundreds of people to enjoy family-friendly films under the stars, with local businesses selling fresh popcorn and snacks, and nearby businesses seeing more foot traffic.
This year, the DBIA is expanding the series to eight nights of family-friendly movies, presented every Tuesday evening from July 7 to August 25.
“With inflation and cost of living going up, there’s not a lot of family-friendly things to do that are inexpensive,” Mazloum says. “We had, most nights, over 400 people sitting at the square watching a movie that cost us very minimal to play. We had downtown vendors set up and selling popcorn and, with the money families are saving from going to the theatre or taking their kids to do activities, they are spending it on small business. I think that’s a huge win.”
The DBIA has also announced the return of the Second Saturday Sidewalk Sales to be held on June 13, July 11, August 8, and September 12. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., a portion of George Street will be turned into a pedestrian space for shopping, dining, live entertainment, and more.
An all-new event his year will be a “coffee rave” that will held under the Hunter Street Bridge on Sunday, July 5. A DJ will be spinning tracks while coffee shops are on site selling their brew. Then, in the fall, Mazloum says the DBIA will also be looking at ways to expand the annual free “Halloween in the Booro” event.
If businesses selling out of stock during the Mac & Cheese Festival in April, despite the poor weather, is any indication, DBIA-run events accomplishing the goal of bringing people downtown and supporting downtown businesses.
“These things may be small, but they have a lot of impact on the community, and it does bring people downtown,” Mazloum says. “It also opens their eyes to other things that are happening downtown and new shops that they may not have seen before. It’s the exposure that the small businesses get, but also the exposure that the downtown gets.”
Mazloum notes that, the more the DBIA celebrates and organizes events like this, the more it can “shed more light” on the positive attributes of downtown — rather than just pointing out the problems that exist, to which she does not turn a blind eye.
“I’m not saying downtown is perfect,” Mazloum admits. “There are social issues that are happening, but we can’t just focus on that. There are also a lot of great things happening and I think there is a balance. Yes, we need to be empathetic and also we need to celebrate all the great things that downtown has to offer for families.”
That includes the increasing number of businesses that have set up shop in the downtown core in recent months. These include Birch + Bloom, a consignment boutique that opened on Hunter Street in June; Mouthy, a teeth whitening studio in Charlotte Mews; Aleppo Castle on George Street; and Malabar Kitchen, soon opening on Hunter Street.
Despite these success stories, Mazloum says people often only notice businesses that are closing and assume it means they aren’t finding success downtown. The reality, she says, is that sometimes the business owner wasn’t prepared for the lifestyle that comes with operating a business, or they’re ready to retire.
“People look at it as people don’t want to be downtown anymore — ‘Their business did not do well because downtown is bad and they closed their business,'” she says, noting that’s a misconception. “I have a number of people looking for space downtown at all times. I don’t think there’s a month in the last six months that we haven’t had a business open.”
When reflecting on her past two years with the DBIA, one of the things Mazloum is most proud of is fighting back against the proposed by-law drafted by the City of Peterborough in 2025 that would have enabled the municipality to assume administrative control of a $150,000 annual settlement payment to the DBIA — essentially threatening the autonomy of the DBIA board and undermining the organization’s otherwise positive relationship with the city.
“I think that was one of the hardest weeks working here,” says Mazloum, who was also working toward her MBA at the time. “I didn’t think it was possible (to overturn the by-law), but it was. We did it.”
The other achievement she looks back on with pride was launching a one-year merger agreement with the volunteer-run East City Village Business Improvement Area (VBIA) in 2025, which has been continued this year. The initiative has allowed East City businesses the opportunity to take part in DBIA-run programs and promotions.
“It’s one way for us to help put the word out there that those businesses exist and they’re amazing and worth a visit,” says Mazloum, noting the ultimate goal is to officially amalgamate the two BIAs. “I’m very proud of my team for helping do all the work and making sure that the businesses on both sides of the river are happy.”
Looking ahead, Mazloum says she’s excited for what’s to come at the DBIA, including drafting a new strategic plan in consultation with many businesses.
To celebrate 45 years, during Wednesday’s annual general meeting, the DBIA revealed it will be rolling out merchandise with the organization’s original, retro logo that dates back to 1981.
“Forty-five years is a lot for a BIA,” Mazloum says. “A lot of BIAs did shut down during COVID across Ontario, so for us to survive it, that’s also a celebration. We asked how we could honour 45 years, and it’s going back to our roots with our very first logo.”
For more information about the Peterborough DBIA, visit ptbodbia.ca. For more information about downtown Peterborough, including a director of businesses and upcoming events, visit theboro.ca/
