With the U.S. 160 construction project in full swing, the community will be hearing me sound like a scratched record repeating the same information or message.
And it may not be a message everyone wants to hear.
We need to try harder to support our downtown businesses. I was disappointed to hear, yet again, from a resident that “there wasn’t parking, so I just said forget it.” I will beg to differ with this resident.
Unfortunately for the businesses, it is not a busy time of year. Therefore, there is parking downtown and the traffic flow is no where near bad. I would challenge you to try harder.
However, perhaps many people do not know where there is parking so you can shop or eat downtown. Let’s review the parking. The overlook “one-way” parking is open for two-hour parking. Lewis Street is open for two-hour parking. There is parking at Town Park, with three lots available. There is parking in Mary Fisher Park. There is parking in Bell Tower Park. Those are all pretty close locations to just walk up to the highway and shop or eat.
OK, yes, you do have to walk farther than if you were to park on the highway. OK, yes, there are only two access points at either end of the 400 block of Pagosa. OK, yes, you do have to expend a little more effort in order support our downtown businesses. As you move east of town, many of those businesses have parking, so there is no extra effort required on your part. What can you do to commit to coming downtown and supporting our businesses? Can you commit to eating downtown once a week or even once a month? Can you ease off on the Amazon purchasing and select a unique gift from one of our downtown stores?
The businesses will be gearing up for summer and the expected tourists that will continue to shop and wander downtown. However, now that it is a slower time of year; now is your opportunity to support our downtown merchants.
Reconsider where you are shopping. We have Mother’s Day, graduation, May anniversaries and birthdays coming up. Purchase a gift certificate or gift for these events.
There are lots of opportunities for you, your business, your book club, your organization, your walking group, your study group — your anything — to make a little extra effort to help support our neighbors and friends. Please consider and be thoughtful where you are spending your hard-earned dollars. These hard-earned dollars will go a lot further if you spend them in Pagosa and, right now, if you spend them somewhere downtown.
As a reminder, there will also be the monthly Cone Zone meeting for downtown businesses and anyone interested in the reconstruction project on Monday, May 19, at 5:30 p.m. This month the meeting will be held at Mountain Pizza and Taproom at 175 Pagosa St.
We will be discussing the project, of course, as well as trying to finalize some of the incentive programs that we would like to unveil in the next month. We need the input from the business community, so please respond to the Chamber/Main Street survey and get ready to work on some shopping incentive programs.