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Sopris

VOLUME 2, NUMBER 19 • JULY 1, 2010

Last weekend's Lobster and Music Festival is one of a number of downtown events this summer that have stirred up complaints from downtown business owners. Photo by Jane Bachrach

Caught in the pincers Downtown businesses say summer events may hurt more than help By Terray Sylvester The Sopris Sun

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he summer event season has stirred up frustration among some downtown business owners. They say street closures and sidewalk markets are inconveniencing their customers and adding more competition downtown when times are already tight. But at the same time, the merchants seem reluctant to lose the vibrancy that such events bring to town, even if it doesn’t directly benefit their bottom line. They’re pushing for better communication from the town when such events are in the works. Business owners hit their boiling point after Main Street was closed for two weekends in a row in early June. First, the Valley Cruisers car show came to town on June 4 and 5, then a bicycle race called the Street

Fight Criterium took over the downtown core on June 12, closing several blocks to traffic throughout the day. On June 12, comments began to fly across the email list of the Downtown Preservation Association. “I spoke to a customer on the phone yesterday who specifically said she would like to purchase a pair of earrings but was not going to come into town because of the closure,” wrote one business owner. Another typed,“What does it take to get the town to communicate in advance and let us help plan things with them?” Still, few of the emails were completely negative. “If out-of-town organizers want to host here, we have to have a more con-

certed effort to get the word out,” wrote a Main Street chiropractor. “I believe these events are of great benefit to the town. … They create a buzz. What’s needed is a little more organization.” “All in all we lost a few costumers and gained a few,” wrote the owner of one downtown eatery. “The street closures add great charm and character to Carbondale; if it were up to me, I would make the entire downtown area a pedestrian mall with environmentally friendly street trolleys.” Chris Chacos, co-chair of the Downtown Preservation Association, said that many of the complaints seem to be stimulated by the recession. “The town has done a lot to try to perk things up. … It comes down to this situation because of the economy,” Chacos said. “Anything that shakes the atmosphere, it’s very threatening. People aren’t just hanging BUSINESSES page 9

Town owed $88K in taxes

Tall buildings bound for Village

Local biz, global buzz

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