Timmins duo wins chance to expand their business for free

In an effort to increase the number of businesses in downtown Timmins, the local business improvement association (BIA) ran a contest offering entrepreneurs a chance to win free office space for a year.

However, winning the space was no easy feat -- the contestants said they had to work for it.

Over the past few months, contestants took business courses and pitched their business plans.

Out of around 20 contestants, there were five finalists and one winner.

The BIA announced the winner earlier this week: two local men who created a social media platform in 2020 to entertain and inform followers.

Kinz and Klomp, owned by Jamie Klomp and Mark Kinsman, said they will use the space to expand.

Kinz and Klomp, Jamie Klomp and Mark Kinsman, are the winners of the Timmins BIA contest 'Win This Space.' June 10/22 (Lydia Chubak/CTV Northern Ontario)

"It’s definitely going to be a live talk show here, right downtown Timmins," winner Jamie Klomp said.

The first Win This Space contest was developed by the Town of Uxbridge's BIA, the Rural Ontario Institute said in a case study on the initiative. It has since been adopted by several other municipalities.

Cindy Campbell, the executive director of the Timmins BIA, said it offers small businesses a chance to get off the ground.

"For the opportunity to have a rent-free storefront space and to be able to attract your customers to that space for one year, to build that client base to attract that client base, that’s life-changing," Campbell said.

"They have $35,000 in rent and the rest of it is in supplemental prizes. There’s a marketing package; there’s advertising packages; there’s information technology packages; there’s a bookkeeping package for a year."

While there were several possible locations throughout the downtown up for grabs, Klomp and Kinsman said their spot on Third Avenue suits them best.

They got the keys on Friday.

"It’s a small lottery ... This is not only going to benefit us but again, benefiting the downtown BIA. We want to be downtown and here we are," Kinsman said.

Campbell said the benefits go beyond just the winners.

"All of a sudden, you’ve got the money you need to support your family, to support your business, to contribute to the community, make charitable contributions. It's big for everybody," she added.

Campbell said some of the contest participants who didn't win are still going ahead with their plans to open while others said they are going to tweak their ideas and re-enter next year.