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This article was published 15/9/2017 (1101 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to put things into perspective, which is exactly what Robyn Sneath provided the local business community regarding Brandon’s downtown core on Thursday.

Speaking to a Brandon Chamber of Commerce audience at the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre, Sneath outlined her and husband Jason’s efforts downtown and encouraged others to see the potential that they’ve found in the area.

Pumped up following Sneath’s presentation, Brandon Chamber of Commerce president Tami-Rae Rourke said the couple’s efforts to help renew the city’s downtown were "absolutely" in keeping with those of her organization.

"We need to support it and get involved and help her out," Rourke said, adding that she planned on meeting with them in the near future in order to see how the chamber might assist in developing their ambitious visions.

Milling around with people who’d lined up to speak with her following her presentation, Sneath said she was encouraged to see others enthused about the city’s downtown.

"I’m hoping it will inspire other people to se what is actually possible in the downtown, and then they might start to see it in a different light and see the possibilities that are there," she said.

MATT GOERZEN/THE BRANDON SUN A packed room full of Brandon Chamber of Commerce members came out to listen to Robyn Sneath speak during the first luncheon of the season on Thursday.

Although the Sneath family relocated to Brandon less than four years ago, they’ve already managed to set up four companies, including Fraser Sneath Coffee and SKIN Clinics on Rosser Avenue, Bowerbird Holdings and Sneath Projects.

These last two businesses centre on property development and construction, which have been working toward the renewal of a handful of historic downtown buildings.

This summer saw the Sneaths open Prairie Lofts; eight high-end apartment rentals that line the top floors of two historic downtown buildings.

Meanwhile, several businesses are itching to get into another historic building they’re renovating at the unit block of 10th Street, including a bakery, bridal boutique, photographer and various others.

During her presentation, Sneath said there is plenty of potential in the city’s downtown core that not everyone seems to recognize.

Between Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College, she said. "There’s already a critical mass of vibrant young adults living in the city. Downtown needs to do a better job of attracting them to live and work and play right in the heart."

Her dream vision of Brandon’s downtown would find it full of people living, working, eating, shopping and cycling along the south side of the Assiniboine River. Condominiums would overlook the river valley and the area would be made more affordable and business-friendly.

MATT GOERZEN/THE BRANDON SUN Robyn Sneath speaks to a packed house at the first Brandon Chamber of Commerce luncheon of the season on Thursday.

While longtime Brandon residents might get tied up by their memories of what Brandon used to be, Sneath said they should be considered just that — memories.

"Obviously, it will never be again what it was, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be something, maybe even better," she said.

Brandon’s downtown is a unique centre, in that it will never attract the big box stores that appear in other areas of the city, and it still carries a number of historic buildings.

There’s much that can be done to create a bright future for the city’s downtown, with the Sneath couple playing an ongoing role in the effort.

Even so, Sneath took a moment during her presentation to remind the audience that although she was invited to speak during the luncheon in order to share her story and insights, she and Jason have been far from alone in working toward the same goal.

Although they’ve been getting attention as the "new kids on the block," she said. "There are many, many downtown champions who have been at this far longer than we have. We’re only one small piece of the puzzle."

» tclarke@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB