Considering the report about Ontario in the Creative Age that came out of the MPI yesterday, and some interesting data that I came across browsing the web the other day, I thought I’d mash up some ideas and observations about youth enterprise and creative clustering emerging from youth scenes. Let’s see how they fit. While this might work better with a map, I hope that you can follow along.
So, about two years ago, the crew that I do Time Kode with (our monthly soul shakedown in Ottawa) found a spot off the beaten path to do our parties – an unsuspecting Eritrean community center called the Eri Café found at the intersection of Preston (Little Italy) and Somerset (China Town). If anyone reading knows/has been to Ottawa, they know that this intersection is quite a ways away from The Market area, where nightlife and commerce is traditionally clustered. Since we started the party, our enterprise has only picked up more steam and has really helped to put the Eri Café and that area in general on the map in the city with all of the traffic that we drive through there every month.
What I find interesting is that subsequent to – but not necessarily directly related to – our setting up shop there, more youth enterprise began to emerge along the Somerset strip. The Lay Up, an urban couture boutique successfully opened and has been building great momentum, as well as The Umi Café, a fair trade co-op that has become increasingly popular as a place that builds community between like-minded people. My roommate, who is here from Germany for six months working as an intern for Environment Canada, found it without my instruction and has been frequenting it on a weekly basis.
All of these enterprises emerged out of the same creative scene in Ottawa – young urban artists turned business people. Most of us are under 30, and most of the people that we service are in that same age bracket, or can be described as youthful.
As I was thinking about this and knocking around the web, I thought about both the report from the MPI about creative density and innovation, and a blog entry that I stumbled upon that sought to break down some data to better understand the relationship between age and entrepreneurship. Both the findings of the report and the analysis of the data on the blog seem to combine to describe the phenomenon on Somerset.
Which brings us back to Ontario in the Creative Age. The emergence of these clusters of youth enterprise really demonstrates the value of creativity and management, even when an enterprise isn’t delivering a physical product. It also demonstrates how creative density can spur enterprise.
Can you think of any examples in your own regions where you’ve observed something like this? And how do you think this type of activity can be encouraged and not squelched as the economic climate begins to set in?
And now, with Black History Month in mind, some music.