COVID pulled down sales, but customers are back. And drop-offs at donation sites are stressing a diminished workforce.
retail
A Denver community forms around murals to find hope in art, friendship and “mutual aid”
When Denver gift shop owner Erika Righter asked her Facebook friends if anyone wanted to sponsor a muralist to paint Hope Tank’s front window during Women’s History month, the response showed her how powerful a small community can be. Righter, whose store’s sales plummeted as foot traffic along Broadway in the usually busy Baker neighborhood […]
Online sales boom poses challenges for Colorado tax forecasting — and for brick-and-mortar retailers
For the past several years, business at Oveja Negra in Salida has grown a healthy 15-20% a year. In 2020, Lane and Monty Willson said sales of their custom-designed bike bags tripled. And all those orders from bikepackers were made online. “We are so, so lucky to be in this position, but there are major […]
Backcountry gear is scarce in Colorado as skiers hedge against another disrupted downhill season
Sarah Hay arrived in Aspen in March, only to find resorts dormant. She tried hiking up Aspen Mountain with her snowboard, but didn’t make it far. This season, she’s ready. She was at the Cripple Creek Backcountry gear shop in Aspen Highlands recently when she heard the manager say they were down to just one […]
Opinion: Colorado’s cannabis businesses may regret opting for delivery
Are hundreds of Colorado businesses endorsing their own elimination? Denver, Aurora, and Boulder have been considering allowing licensed businesses to deliver limited amounts of cannabis to adults over 21 at private residences with a variety of safeguards. Aurora’s city council voted Dec. 7 to give preliminary approval to cannabis delivery with a final vote coming […]
Denver-based VF Corp adds NYC’s Supreme to its slick brand roster
By Michelle Chapman, The Associated Press The company that owns niche brands like The North Face and Vans is adding to that portfolio with Supreme, a slick streetwear fashion brand. VF Corp. had already been organizing collaborations between Supreme and its Vans, The North Face and Timberland brands. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed […]
Making money off masks, coronavirus-gear chain store with location in Colorado aims to become obsolete
By Markian Hawryluk, Kaiser Health News LONE TREE — Darcy Velasquez, 42, and her mother, Roberta Truax, were walking recently in the Park Meadows mall about 15 miles south of downtown Denver, looking for Christmas gifts for Velasquez’s two children, when they spotted a store with a display of rhinestone-studded masks. It’s an immutable truth […]
Recovering from coronavirus may not be such a struggle for some Colorado downtowns after all
As coronavirus safety measures forced many shops and restaurants to temporarily close in March, a private Facebook group popped up to connect business owners specifically in downtown Colorado Springs. There, they traded resources and information, discussed what each was doing to survive and talked about how the city could help local restaurants and retailers, like […]
How one Colorado business is navigating the state’s rules to reopen
By Markian Hawryluk, Kaiser Health News LOVELAND — Blush Beauty Bar hair salon had been closed 48 days, a consequence of stay-at-home orders to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic. But last Tuesday, the shop in this city of nearly 80,000, about 50 miles north of Denver, was finally reopening after the orders had […]
Coronavirus made us all “preppers.” And people who’ve been doing it for years aren’t saying “we told you so.”
Don’t say: “We told you so.” Say: “Welcome to the community.” That’s the advice from John Ramey to the growing membership of The Prepared, an online media company that helps introduce people to prepping. And readiness is red-hot these days. The run on guns and groceries have pushed millions to ponder preparedness for a crisis. […]