The final submissions for the Great American Main Street Award have been wrapped up and sent to Washington, DC. to be judged against those of the other 9 semi-finalist communities. The 30 letters of support were a critical part of additional requirements.  Thank you to all who took the time to write letters extolling the virtues of Downtown, our community and MainStreet.  The additional requirements included 8 notebooks with the letters, a resolution of support from the City, a 5 minute video (created by Erin McDaniel Media) with interviews, maps of Steamboat, downtown, and where Steamboat is in the state, and examples of printed materials.  Now we wait to see if Steamboat is one of the five winners of this award.  The winners will be announced at the National MainStreet Conference in April.

Very often, when we talk about Main Street, the general public thinks we are only talking about Lincoln Ave.  The MainStreet district is defined as 3rd to 13th Streets and from the river to Oak Street.  Lincoln Avenue is our primary retail street, Yampa Street is becoming restaurant row with entertainment, and Oak Street is more of a service oriented street.  If one takes a closer look at Oak Street, you will see that from 3rd to 5th Street there is a “health and wellness” niche developing.  Spas, salons, massage therapists, chiropractor and holistic health (both for humans and pets), dance and fitness, and mental health services are concentrated in this area.  And, while in this area, many stop at Mountain Brew coffee cafe for a cuppa and a snack.  If you haven’t taken a good look at Oak Street lately, it’s time to do so.

Last Wednesday, while attending the Steamboat Pilot’s Coffee and a Newspaper morning chat, the free-flowing exchange of information got around to talking about second-homeowners. Scott Ford was very quick to point out that most second-homeowners consider themselves to be part-time residents, not just second-homeowners.  These part-time residents are more connected to the community than the term second-homeowners implies.  Part-time residents volunteer in the community, choose a church family, and participate in many of our social groups, such as the Over The Hill Gang.  They read the paper online when they aren’t here, to keep up with activities and news in the community.

Speaking of terminology, we then discussed the difference between tourists (kind of derogatory), visitors (better but still set apart) and guests (much more welcoming).  Steamboat prides itself on being very friendly, welcoming.  Doesn’t it seem much more welcoming and inclusive to refer to part-time residents and guests?  You may have noticed that the Steamboat Today referred to part-time residents this week in the newspaper.  I did.  Good job, Pilot!

It’s been a long time coming, but the Steamboat Farmers Market will be open for registration on Monday, January 16. Those wishing to register for the market can go to ManageMyMarket.com to get all the information on the market and to register. The wait list for last year’s market is as long as the number of vendors who were actually able to participate. In the market, food takes precedence in the market and non-food vendors will be juried for this years market. Some categories of vendors (jewelry, soap and lotions and others) will be limited in the number of vendors participating.  MainStreet members who wish to have a booth or have a representative of their products in their stores will have an advantage.

The Steamboat Farmers Market is one of MainStreet’s biggest fundraisers.  The funds from the market are used to promote downtown to our guests and locals year around.

For more information on the Steamboat Farmers Market, call Tracy at 970-846-1800 or email atfarmersmarket@mainstreetsteamboat.com

Eric Dorris is the owner of the Space Station, the convenience store and gas station at the corner of 7th and Lincoln.  In a conversation this past week, he shared what he had seen on Christmas morning from the windows of his store. He watched as people got off the bus from the mountain and began looking for a place to have breakfast.  And we aren’t talking one or two people here.  We are talking whole families. Imagine these people on vacation, looking for a place to have breakfast on Christmas morning and finding every place in downtown Steamboat closed.  Yes, Eric was able to sell them prepackaged muffins and a carton of juice, but do you think this what they had in mind for vacation?  A couple of the restaurants had indicated, back when we asked if businesses would stay open on Christmas Day, that they would be willing to try it next year, but that the plea had come to late for this past Christmas. Christmas 2012 is a full year away.  The time is now to start planning for next Christmas.  People have to eat. And people MAY want to shop Christmas Day.  It works at the mountain.  Why wouldn’t it work downtown?

Colorado Group Realty is proud to present the 5th Annual Steamboat Springs Real Estate Roundup and Expo on Janaury 24th at the Sheraton Steamboat Resort.  The event begins with an industry expo at 4 pm, and presentation at 5:30 pm given by both local and national real estate professionals. The Expo is expected to be attended by prospective buyers, part-time residents, and guests.  Booths are available to local businesses (not just real estate companies) and non-profit organizations. To register, please contact Laurie Peter at 875-2917 orlaurie@mybrokers.com.

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Friday, January 27

12:00 Noon

Old Town Pub

 $20 per person

RSVP: 970-846-1800

See the video being entered for the

 Great American Main Street Award.

Speaker to be announced.

**********************************************

Max Halterman: owner

Karen Halterman: manager

821 Lincoln Ave

970-871-7870

You have seen the blast of color through the windows of Steamboat’s newest home decor store and art gallery.  All products inside are made to Max Haltermans’s specifications in South East Asia by fair-trade artisans.  The families who make the lamps, home decor items, clothing, and original wall art are all supported by Max’s en devours.  Raised in South Routt, Max and his passion for the colors and people of SE Asia, discovered while on a post-college around-the-world trip, supports many families through his Om Gallery network.  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of every lamp helps fund educational opportunities for the artisans, workers and their children through the OmGallery Educational Fund – OMGEF.  After spending several years selling his items at craft shows, fairs and festival, Max finally settled in Santa Cruz, California, where his flagship store is located.  Now the Steamboat store and another gallery soon to open in San Francisco are expanding the OM Gallery reach.  For much more information and online ordering capability, go to www.omgallery.com

Bamboo Market opens Bambook Cafe at the Library. In the space recently vacated by Amante Coffee, Anne Halloran and the crew from Bamboo Market are offering up healthy snacks and beverages right inside the front door of the Bud Werner Memorial Library.  The cozy cafe offers a place to read your book, use your computer, play a board game, catch up with friends and enjoy a healthy snack. Seems like a good match to us.

Hungry Dog has opened a second hot dog stand at the ski area.  You love the hot dogs offered at the little kiosk at the corner of 7th and Lincoln.  Now you have the opportunity to get grab a quick dog with your choice of toppings on your way to or from the ski slopes.  Located at the base of the mountain, you can’t go wrong with one of these dogs.

The Laundry, the newest of Rex’s restaurant (Steamboat Restaurant Group), on 11th Street,  opens on Tuesday.  Located in the space formerly occupied by Giovanni’s Ristorante, the new decor is more open and contemporary with an Old World feel. Traci Clark of Finial Design(located in the Branches home decor store at 624 Lincoln) captured owner Rex Brice’s idea of the feel of the restaurant perfectly.  The Laundry is offering creative small plates for sharing.  Also being offered is a special “72 Hour Feast” which is a party for up to 10 people in a specially reserved dining room with a creative menu made especially for the group.  JJ Johnson, the longtime bartender at Mazzola’s Italian Bistro will be the onsite manager,schmoozing with the guests and overseeing operations.  Reservations are recommended at 970-870-0681.  You won’t be disappointed! -

You are cordially invited to the opening of the Mandala Yoga Boutique’s new location at 1306 Lincoln Ave from 5-7pm on Friday, January 13th, in the old Burger Express building across from Lincoln Park West. Formerly located on Oak Street, the new location offers yoga and dance wear as well as fair-trade clothing and other specialty items.  Stop by and see what the new location has to offer.

MainStreet has a board meeting and four committee meetings every month that are open to the entire membership but are typically only attended by those on the committees.  New members often ask when our membership meetings are. So, to give you an opportunity to share ideas and concerns, we are going to start holding monthly “coffee and a chat” business and event briefings on the third Friday of each month.

Learn what’s going on downtown. This business briefing will recap events from the past month, let you know what is coming up, and cover a main topic of interest.  An agenda will be published just before the briefing.  This is also a way to meet your fellow business neighbors. January 20 will be the first gathering at the MainStreet office, 751 Yampa Street, at 8:30 am. Each gathering will be an hour long. You will have the opportunity to meet with Tracy Barnett, the program manager, and members of the board.  Coffee and snacks will be available. 970-846-1800

By the end of this week we will have all the additional requirements for the Great American Main Street Award compiled and on their way to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s GAMSA jury.  Thanks to all the letter writers for the great letters of support.  Each one of the letters points out why Steamboat should be named one of the five winners from the list of 10 semi-finalists.

Also a special thank you to Erin McDaniel of Erin McDaniel Media for shooting and editing the five minute video.  With interviews from Tom Ptach, owner of the former Pilot Office Supply building (and one of the founders of MainStreet), Del Lockhart of FM Light’s, Tahnee Miller of Lyon Drug, Lizzie LaRock of the Old Town Pub, and Laurie Peter for the Steamboat Art Museum, along with footage of our downtown and some of our events, the video should help to secure our win.  We plan to show this video at the annual meeting.

All of the additional requirements must be submitted by January 13.  Then we wait.  The winners will be officially announced at the annual National Main Street Conference in Baltimore the first week of April.  We should hear just before that if we are winners.  It would be great to rally a contingent of supporters to go to Baltimore to accept the award.  Typically the winners have 10 or more people there to accept.  Keep your fingers crossed.  This award could be a great marketing tool for our community.

You have probably noticed the big MOVING SALE signs in the windows at David Chase Rugs and Furniture.  David Scully is moving his business to the Copper Ridge Business Park to make room for the newest recreation opportunity for the youth of this community.The Steamboat Gravity Centerwill be created in the vacated space at 3rd and Lincoln, offering indoor activity centers and gathering spaces primarily for teens, although there will be open activity time slots for all members of the community.  The plans call for a foam pit, trampolines, bike and skateboard courses, and climbing, as well as gathering spaces with computers, lounge areas, and a snack bar space.

With extensive research and collaboration with the teen programers from Parks and Rec, scheduling will include separate times for pre-teens, teens and adults. Teens have also been consulted to detemine what they would like to see. Equipment rentals including bikes, helmets and pads will be available.  Adults craving a climbing wall will have access during open schedule hours.  The facility will be available for rent for private parties.

The organizers have applied for the non-profit 501 c 3 status, making fundraising donations tax deductible.  Fundraising efforts will begin in earnest in the next few weeks. Stay tuned as the plans for this exciting facility are revealed.  This facility should be a terrific addition as a supervised active indoor outlet for the energy of our youth.

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Friday, January 27

12:00 Noon

Old Town Pub

 $20 per person

RSVP: 970-846-1800

See the video being entered for the

 Great American Main Street Award.

Speaker to be announced.

**********************************************

1306 Lincoln Ave (across from Lincoln Park)

970-367-6900

Currently located on Oak Street, Mandala Yoga Boutique will be moving to its new location in “The Express Building” in January.  Specializing in clothing for yoga and dance, loungewear, yoga mats, accessories, and books.  Also certified fair trade products from Nepal and Tibet, 10% ogranic cotton  and silk tie-dye scarves from Thailand.  If you need comfy clothing for yoga or your exercise class, this is the place to go.  Until the move takes place, you can find Cindy and her products at 306 Oak Street in the Steamboat Reservations and Travel building, around the front and downstairs.  Watch for Mandala’s grand opening in its new space in mid-Janaury.

Le Bateau (means “the boat” in French)

635 Lincoln Ave (upstairs next to Backcountry Provisions)

Le Bateau popped up in Steamboat earlier in 2011 and stayed under the radar.  With extensive renovation to resemble a large walk-in closet, Le Bareau has reopened with new inventory and new management.  Le Bareau features carefully selected boutique-only brands as well as brands featured in high-end department stores and suited to life in Colorado.  Most important is the fit!!  Le Bateau carries clothing from extra small to extra large to flatter your figure.  They also carry menswear.  Daily discounts up to 50% off on designer clothing.  10% for locals when you “like” us on Facebook or sign our guestbook for special event alerts.

Following the recap of all the openings, closings and moving around of businesses in last week’s Tuesday News, Joe Kboudi called from All That Jazz to remind us that ATJ has a new owner, Kim Haggarty (with Joe staying on), and lots of new lines of merchandise.  If you haven’t been in ATJ in the past couple of months, stop in and see the additions/changes.  601 Lincoln Ave right at the corner.

Have you noticed?  Lightning, the horse in front of FM Light’s, got a new saddle blanket with his name on it and a new saddle for Christmas.  The hundreds of visitors who get their pictures taken each year with Lightning will have a great new splash of color in those pictures.  Many of those pictures are sent to FM Lights each year with a note about how much the senders enjoyed Steamboat Springs.

As 2011 comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the past year downtown.  Despite the down economy, downtown Steamboat was able to hold it’s own with respect to vacancies While we are sorry to say goodbye to Cowgirls and Angels, Rustique Home and Garden,  Ghost Ranch Saloon, Old West Steakhouse and Goody 2 Shoes, we are happy to welcomeCarl’s Tavern, Om Gallery, Branches – An Inspired Collection, Calamity Pass Trading Co, Milk Run Donuts, Fixins Kitchen, Steamboat Home Consignment, Mountain Brew Coffee Shop, Acqua Spa,  Steamboat Hat Company, Robin’s Nest, Rina’s Tea Haven, Spostas World Sushi, Sambi and ART Works Functional Art Gallery. 

Wheel’s Bike Shop moved into the front of the building withBackdoor Sports. One Fine Day moved to Oak Street andQuiksilver expanded in its new location in Howelsen Place.Ski Town Lifestyle Properties and the MainStreet office vacated their spaces in Howelsen Place to make room for Quiksilver.  STLP moved next door, filling the final space in the B Building at HP.  MainStreet moved back down to 751 Yampa Street, between Sunpie’s and Sweetwater Grill, courtesy of STLP. Sweet Pea Market has become a year round operation by moving the cafe indoors for the winter.  DC/Oakley moved into the former Quiksilver space. Chocolate Soup moved all operations back up to the Mountain, making way for Bella’s Crepery, a complimnent to the popular Bella’s Wine Bar downstairs. WithEmbellishments combining with Steamboat Art Company,Straightline was able to expand operations into the former Embellishments space. Bushwackers is still in the FM Light and Sons family of stores, but is now run by Lockhart daughter, Lindsay, and her husband, Chris Dillenbach.  Chris Allen has joined his father, Tod, at Allen’s Clothingand is making some changes in the store.  It’s great to see another generation joining their parents in these long standing family businesses.  The Laundry, another in the Steamboat Restaurant Group family of restaurants is about to open the Soda Creek Building. While it may seem like musical chairs out there, the vibrancy of downtown continues to lure new business.  Downtown is the place to be!

2011 also saw a change in the noise ordinance to more accurately reflect the desire for a vibrant night-time economy.  The Hospitality Resource Panel, with the help of MainStreet, was established to engage the stakeholders in the night-time economy in working on issues of mutual importance to all sectors. Despite the fears of the bar owners that the revised ordinance would adversely impact business, the fears were unfounded.  Noise complaints have been minimal, usually stemming from people out on the street rather than coming from inside the venue.

With the completion of the Lincoln Avenue Streetscape project, focus has now been directed toward Yampa Street.  Bike lanes have been added to Yampa to help create more awareness about the active bike and pedestrian scene on that street.  Infrastructure needs (curbs, gutter, sidewalks, undergrounding of utilities) are being assessed.  Design guidelines are being reviewed and may become standards.  View corridors to Howelsen Hill are important and should be preserved.  Public access to the river is important.  To reduce the impact to Lincoln Avenue and Hwy 40, Yampa Street could become more of a festival street in the future.

Oak Street is no longer the sleepy transitional street of the past.  New businesses, like Mountain Brew Coffee Shop, Acqua Spa, One Fine Day, Kneading Hands Massage, Habitat ReStore and Spostas are all adding to the vibrancy on Oak.

Residential units in Howelsen Place, Alpen Glow Townhomes, The Olympian and The Victoria are slowly being absorbed.  More of the unsold units are in the nightly rental pool, bringing more guests downtown.  The downtown rentals have proven very popular.  Having lights on in the upper units is extremely important to a sense of livablility and safety downtown.

The Farmers Market reached capacity in its present location on 6th Street, with as many vendors on the wait list as were able to participate this past summer. The market continues to draw crowds downtown on summer Saturdays.

MainStreet events continue to grow.  The Downtown Hoe Down/Chuckwagon Chili Challenge, Sisters in Steamboat, Light Up the Night and Merry MainStreet drew more participants than in years past.  The new Downtown Chocolate Tasting for Small Business Saturday on the Saturday after Thanksgiving was a huge success!

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge brought downtown Steamboat to the world stage via video feed.  The thousands of people in downtown that day created an energy that was hard to match, and drew people who would never visit Steamboat in the winter to experience our town.  While retail and restaurants didn’t experience the business they had expected during the event, the days following proved to be successful.

And, MainStreet Steamboat has been named as a semi-finalist in the Great American Main Street Awards.  It’s been a great and very busy year for MainStreet and for downtown.  Here’s to even bigger and better 2012.

It’s not too late to get us a letter of support to send to the GAMSA jury.  You don’t have to own a business in downtown to write a letter.  You just have to value downtown Steamboat and want Steamboat to be named a Great American Main Street community.  The marketing value of the title will be invaluable in years to come.  As one of the 10 semi-finalist communities chosen for these awards, we are required to send in 30 letters of support from the community, along with a 5 minute video, a resolution of support from the City of Steamboat, and maps of the community.  We have almost enough letters to send, but could use yours, if you would consider writing one.  We have a template we can send you.  All letters must be turned in or sent electronically to MainStreet no later than January 3.  Your support would be greatly appreciated.  Please call Tracy at 970-846-1800 or email  tracy@mainstreetsteamboat.com.

Now that the flights have started flying, businesses are being inundated with questions about where to eat, where to shop, where to take a walk and more.  Most of those “where” questions would be easier to explain with the use of a convenient tear-off map to “mark the spot” and give to the guest.  MainStreet has tablet maps and will gladly bring you one or more to help you answer questions.   Just call 970-846-1800 to have one delivered.  The maps will be available anytime throughout the winter.

On Monday we sent out an inquiry about the number of shops and restaurants planning to be open some time on Christmas Day.  For our guests, Christmas is just another day of their vacation.  They don’t expect restaurants and shops to be closed in a resort town during this week.  MainStreet is compiling a list of businesses that plan to be open, at least for a portion of the day, and will be sharing that list with the lodging properties to inform their guests.  The Steamboat Shoe Market and Moose Mountain plan to be open from 1-9 pm.  Steamboat Smokehouse will be open from 4-9 pm.  The Old Town Pub will have the bar open at 4 pm and dinner is from 5-10 pm.  A complete list will be available later this week.  Businesses, get your hours (or confirmed closure) to MainStreet ASAP.  We will spread the news.

Thanks to those who have already submitted a letter of support to help MainStreet Steamboat win the National Main Street Center’s GAMSA award for downtown Steamboat.  If you value downtown Steamboat and the efforts of MainStreet Steamboat Springs, whether you have a business downtown or not, please consider writing a letter of support for our nomination.  Steamboat has been chosen as one of the 10 semi-finalists (there will be 5 winners) for the 2012 award.  MainStreet can send you a template for the letter with suggestions on points you might include in your letter – written in your own words, of course.  Please contact tracy@mainstreetsteamboat.com . Letters should be sent back to MainStreet no later than January 3 to be included in the packet being sent to the National Main Street Center.

Johnny B Good’s is still collecting items to send to Afghanistan servicemen through New Year’s Day.  While the soldiers in Iraq have come home, there are still many men and women serving over in Afghanistan that look forward to packages from home.  Favorite items include: individually wrapped cookies and snacks, BABY WIPES, ziplock bags (to keep sand out), flea collars (to wear around wrists and ankles for sand fleas), Crystal Light and other powdered beverage packets, gum, new magazines and paperbacks, SOCKS, games/cards, international phone cards, and more.  You can go online and Google “gifts for servicemen” to get more gift ideas.  MainStreet will package and send the gifts right after the new year.  Anything you can contribute will be greatly appreciated.  Cash would also be appreciated to help with the mailing costs.

A concerned citizen contacted MainStreet last week, asking that we warn guests to beware of the moose (meese?  ) roaming around the condos and throughout town.  Most of our guests do not have experience with moose (or bear, for that matter) and don’t know how dangerous they can be, especially if provoked. Please warn all guests to keep a safe distance, preferably with doors, windows and walls between them and the animal.  Pictures are fine, but feeding the animals is strongly discouraged.

At the beginning of December the MainStreet Board of Directors held it’s annual board retreat and visioning session for the coming year.  The focus was on three things: 3-5 year strategic planning, succession of officers and staff, and funding for the Business Improvement District in place for downtown.  City Council has made it very clear that funds from the City for MainStreet (and all agencies) will continue to be reduced in the years to come. In 2008 businesses in downtown were asked to approve creation of a Business Improvement District and, in a separate ballot question, to fund the district.  The BID was approved, but the funding question failed by six votes.  Then the Great Recession hit and it was not appropriate to go back to the voters for another vote.  Now, with City Council insistence, the board has taken on the challenge to bring the funding question back to the voters in the BID district in November of 2012.  In the meantime, the BID board will be reactivated, active voter input will be sought to develop a workplan for the BID (what the funds will/can be used for), and an educational program to inform voters about the BID.  Only property owners, tenants and actual residents of the BID district (within the boundaries of downtown – 3rd to 13th Streets and the river to the alley beyond Oak Street) are eligible to vote in this mail-in election.

Several businesses in downtown have pooled resources and created a special marketing program to boost sales with second-home owners and part-time residents.  Organized by Steve Hitchcock of Zirkel Trading, Chez Nous, Quiksilver, Urbane, Carl’s Tavern, and others have each offered special coupons that have been printed in a slick full color booklet and mailed to about 2000 households determined by the value of their homes through the assessor’s records.  This creative marketing approach has already yielded results for the participating businesses.  It just goes to show what collaboration among pro-active businesses can do.

Now that the flights have started flying, businesses are being inundated with questions about where to eat, where to shop, where to take a walk and more.  Most of those “where” questions would be easier to explain with the use of a convenient tear-off map to “mark the spot” and give to the guest.  MainStreet has tablet maps and will gladly bring you one or more to help you answer questions.   Just call 970-846-1800 to have one delivered.  The maps will be available anytime throughout the winter.

The 4th Annual Merry MainStreet event is now history for another year.  Many thanks to the carolers, parade entries, SantaCrawl organizers and crawlers, stores for decorating their windows and holding open houses, gingerbread house makers, fruitcake tossers, and the City (public works for closing and re-opening Lincoln Ave, and the community service officers for controlling traffic on Oak) for contributing to the holiday atmosphere downtown.  The parade and caroling entries were small but still added to the spirit of the event.  Hopefully both elements of the celebration will grow in years to come.

• Most Creative – Creekside Carolers - they made up words to several carols, all relating to Steamboat with “Steamboat Bells, Steamboat Bells, Steamboat All the Way” and the 12 Days of Creekside, with littleCaroline Landers belting out “5 Onion Rings”
  

  Caroline Landers with Dad, Jason

•  Philanthropy Award - raising money for Lift-Up Services- Creekside Carolers
• Best Singers – SAM’s Santa Singers

For the next month you can vote for your favorite restaurants, shops, services and much more in the 2nd Annual Best of the Boat, sponsored by the Steamboat Pilot and Today.  From December 15 to January 15 you can place your votes and help your favorites be named “Best of the Boat”.  Check here to see the 2011 winners.  Watch for more information in the Steamboat Today.

MainStreet has been named a semi-finalist for the Great American Main Street Awards.  Semi-finalists must submit 30 letters of support from the public extolling the improvements to the vibrancy and the improvements to the heart of our community in the past several years.  Why do you love downtown Steamboat Springs?

Five winners will be chosen from the 10 semi-finalists and will be awarded at the National Main Street Conference in April in Baltimore.

 Please address your letters to:

  GAMSA Jury,

National Main Street Center,

Washington, DC.

Please send the letters to:

MainStreet Steamboat Springs

Box 774611

Steamboat Springs, CO 80477

Submissions will be sent as a group to the jury on January 5.  Thank you for your support.

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Two new stores opened in Downtown Steamboat this past week, just in time for Merry MainStreet.  Om Gallery, in the old Urban Laundry space (next to Homesteader), offering home decor and accessories from Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines added a huge splash of color through its windows during Merry MainStreet.  Calamity Pass Trading Company opened in the old Goodie 2 Shoes space (next to the Smokehouse), offering vintage clothing, antiques, and an eclectic mix of western memorabilia.  Both stores are wonderful unique additions to the mix of stores on Lincoln Ave.

Sweet Pea Market Cafe is now serving dinner in their newly remodeled/decorated indoor dining rooms.  This intimate cafe features menu items using the freshest ingredients and creativity that go along with showcasing them. While you may not think of Sweet Pea as a dining option in the winter, now is the time to try what they have to offer.  Their creative fresh items served on the great outdoor deck next to the river in the summer have just moved indoors.

It’s here!  The annual Christmas community celebration downtown.  Now in it’s 4th year, Merry MainStreet is once again a chance to celebrate as a community before the flights start in Hayden and we get WAAAY too busy.  Bring your children, send your guests, gather friends and come downtown for an evening of festivities.  Dress warm!  It’s more magical if you are dressed to enjoy it.  The stores will be decked out in their holiday finest and having open houses.  Look for gingerbread houses throughout downtown.

Santa’s Light Parade will kick off the festivities at 5:30 pm.  If you, your company or your friends would like to participate, call Tracy (970-846-1800) to register. It’s not too late, but you must pre-register. Light your vehicle or your group with some sort of lights (twinkle lights, candles, flashlights – get creative) and parade with us from 6th Street to 10th Street.  The more, the merrier!

New this year is The Great Steamboat Caroling Competition.  After marching in the Santa Parade, teams of 4 or more carolers will be strategically positioned along Lincoln Ave.  Each team will carol for about an hour, singing up to three songs over and over, while the public strolls from group to group and votes for their favorite with dollars, with a portion of the money raised going to Lift-Up Services.  It’s not too late to register.  You don’t have to be good to compete.  This is meant to be a friendly competition and everyone loves to carol.  Costumes can add to the festiveness of the event.  Click here for more information on caroling

Also new this year is the Inaugural Steamboat SantaCrawl.  Revelers will register at the registration tent in front of theSmokehouse.  Some sort of Santa/elf/reindeer costume (or whatever you want to celebrate the season) is required.  (A limited number of Santa hats will be for sale at the registration table.)  A donation will be expected to participate in the event.  Drink specials will be available at the host bars/restaurants.  The list of bars will be available at registration.  Click here for more info on the SantaCrawl  Also check out the SantaCrawl on Facebook.

Its a busy time of year with lots of holiday parties, but this is the best community party of all. If you don’t have someplace else to be,  join us for an evening of fun and frivolity.

• 3-5:00 pm – Santa in the Santa House
• 4:30 pm – Lincoln Avenue closed
• 5:00 pm – Parade lineup and Caroling Competition check in
• 5 – 8:00 pm – Open Houses in the stores
• 5:30 pm – Santa’s Light Parade
• 6:00 – 7:00 pm – Carolers compete in assigned locations
• 6:00 – 8:00 pm – Santa at 703 Lincoln Ave, Ski Town Lifestyle Properties
• 6:30 – 10:30 pm – SantaCrawl Pub Crawl – Check in near Smokehouse
• 7:15 pm – Sing Off for Carolers at 8th Street
• 7:30 pm – Fruit Cake Toss and other Reindeer Games

 

Update on the Sidewalk Shoveling article

In last week’s Tuesday News was a reminder to businesses to keep their sidewalks clear of ice and snow, not only because it is dangerous, but as another sign of good customer service.  The Steamboat Today picked up on the article and reiterated the importance of keeping sidewalks clear.  Throughout the week MainStreet received calls and comments thanking us for making the point about clearing ice and snow.  Story after story came from the public about slips and falls, broken bones, fear to walk downtown on uncleared or unsalted sidewalks and climbing over snow berms to get to stores.  Owners and employees should be vigilant about keeping sidewalks safe and inviting.  If it snows all day, shovel all day.  Let’s make clean sidewalks a priority this winter in Downtown Steamboat.  It’s just good business!

 

It is with regret that we see the closing of the Old West Steakhouse on 11th Street.  The Old West has been a fixture in downtown Steamboat for more than 25 years.

Have you seen the electric train set in the window at Robin’s Nestin the Old Town Square downstairs at the corner of 7th and Lincoln? Robin Lorenz is decorating it to represent The Polar Express in her bid to win the decorated window contest for Merry MainStreet.  When was the last time you played with an electric train set?  Now’s your chance.  Bring the kids.

Next door to Robin’s Nest is the new Rina’s Tea Haven.  Rina Martin, wife of Chef Dean Martin has taken her passion for tea service and turned it into a business of her own.  She wants young and old alike to stop by, drink tea, play board games, play a little music, even sew at the sewing machine available.  Rina wants to share her space and make it a gathering place. Stop by and see what she’s got going.

It’s no surprise to anyone that it snows here.  In fact, that is the reason many of us are here.  Along with snow comes the responsibility of store owners and their employees to shovel snow on the sidewalks.  Not only are clean sidewalks a form of good customer service, but doing so can save you from a very expensive law suit if a pedestrian should slip and fall.  On this last Saturday I observed a pedestrian take a nasty backwards fall where she cracked her head on the sidewalk.  The sidewalk was snow- and ice- packed and the customer has on slick-bottomed shoes. I went into the store closest to the accident and asked for some ice melt. Ice melt was on the list for the shop owner, but they hadn’t yet gotten around to it.  I was able to find some at the establishment next door that they were willing to share.

On Monday, while visiting a store across the street from the accident site above, a clerk took me aside and told me that her customers had mentioned they were afraid to walk on the shady side of the street because there was so much snow and ice.  The point here is that not only is snow and ice dangerous, but it is also a deterrent to business.  

Employers:  Take these simple steps to insure that your liability is minimized.

1. Instruct your employees to be vigilant about snow removal – not just once a day, but all day, if necessary.
2. Provide the proper tools for snow removal – shovel, ice melt, ice chipper.  A broom is not sufficient.
3. Set the example.  It is good customer service.

From all accounts, it appears that the new downtown chocolate tasting event was a success.  Shoppers were out in force Thanksgiving weekend, bringing a much needed shot in the arm to businesses downtown.  With more than 40 stores participating in this relatively simple retail promotion, it shows that doing something, rather than nothing, out of the ordinary can produce results. The impact of so many businesses cooperating in the event was much more powerful than anything a single store can do. That is the power of MainStreet – getting merchants and property owners working together to a common goal.  

Merry MainStreet schedule

With the Thanksgiving weekend behind us, it is now time to concentrate on Merry MainStreet.  Scheduled for Saturday, December 10, this annual community celebration is a last chance for locals to come together for an evening of camaraderie and holiday magic before it gets too busy when the flights start.

• 3-5:00 pm – Santa in the Santa House
• 4:30 pm – Lincoln Avenue closed
• 5:00 pm – Parade lineup and Caroling Competition check in
• 5 – 8:00 pm – Open Houses in the stores
• 5:30 pm – Santa’s Light Parade
• 6:00 – 7:00 pm – Carolers compete in assigned locations
• 6:00 – 8:00 pm – Santa at 703 Lincoln Ave, Ski Town Lifestyle Properties
• 6:30 – 10:30 pm – SantaCrawl Pub Crawl – Check in near Smokehouse
• 7:15 pm – Sing Off for Carolers at 8th Street
• 7:30 pm – Fruit Cake Toss and other Reindeer Games

Have you seen the new gooseneck lights over the door at Mac Ranch on 8th Street?  By thinking outside the box, and recycling used Mac Computer monitors, they have created unique lighting for the front of their store. Check it out the next time you are on 8th.

Thank you to our Santa House sponsors!

Without our Santa House sponsors, Santa would not be available to visit with children in downtown on Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  A sincere THANK YOU to Collin and Noella Kelley of Carl’s Tavern, Rick and Linda Petet of Steamboat Shoe Market (the Santa House was Rick’s idea), Jon Wade of The Steamboat Group/CGR Realty, Kelly and Jason Landers of Creekside Cafe, Mary Alice Page-Allen of the Yampa Valley Housing Authority, Del Lockhart of FM Light and Sons, and Sue and Ron Krall of Off the Beaten Path Bookstore.  Thank you all for stepping up! Please thank these fine sponsors if you get a chance.

November 26 – 10-2 – Santa House

December 3 – 10-2 – Santa House

December 10 – Merry MainStreet – 3-5 pm -Santa House and 6-8 pm at Ski Town Lifestyle Properties in Howelsen Place following the Santa Parade

December 17 –  10-2 Santa House

December 24 – 10-2 Santa House

Great American Main Street Award semi-finalist

Steamboat Springs has been chosen as one of the 10 national semi-finalists for the GAMSA designation by the National Main Street Center.  The semi-finalists must now create a video with interviews supporting the Main Street vision in their communities, get 30 letters of support for the MS program, and submit GIS maps of their downtown and community. These additional materials must be turned in by January 13.  If you are so inclined, please write a letter of support for MainStreet (on letterhead, if possible) and send it to Box 774611 or email it to tracy@mainstreetsteamboat.com.

The 5 winning communities will be announced at the annual Main Street conference in April in Baltimore. If we win the award, we will forever be able to use GAMSA designation in our marketing and advertising.  To see past GAMSA winners, go to Mainstreet.org .

Deb Martin/Traci Clark

624 Lincoln Ave (next to Overland Sheepskin)

970-870-2980

Located in the former Rustique space, Branches offers unusual and interesting home decor and accessories.  Need help with decorating?  Traci Clark of Finial Design offers interior design services and consultations from the store, as well.

Fixins Kitchen

Sandi Nelson/Heather Philmon

135 11th Street (next to Creekside Cafe)

970-879-6686

Fixins Kitchen is a commercial kitchen where Sandi and Heather (and their husbands) create their Cider Reindeer mulling spices for wholesale sales, as well as their famous homemade jams.  You may remember them from the Farmers Market this past summer.  The commercial kitchen is also available for rent to those who wish to produce food products for sale and need a licensed kitchen to do so.  Three renters are already taking advantage of this opportunity.

Calamity Pass Trading Company

Amy Symonds

908 Lincoln Ave (little space next to Smokehouse)

970-819-4050

Amy currently owns an eclectic shop in Walden called Hoopla and is now spreading her wings to open Calamity Pass Trading here in Steamboat.  She describes her eclectic mix of offerings as “retail, vintage, western, gallery, handmade and new”. Planned opening date for the new store is December 8, in time for Merry MainStreet on December 10.  WELCOME, Amy!

Steamboat Hat Company

As the world becomes more dependent on it computers, tablets, notebooks and phones, it also becomes more dependent on being able to connect to WiFi.  Travelers used to have to go to an internet cafe or have a hard-wire connection in their hotel rooms to be able to do business when away from the office.

At the last MainStreet board of directors meeting,Jay O’Hare and Noreen Moore made a presentation and asked if the board would consider endorsing a plan to supply free wifi throughout the downtown area, making Steamboat wifi friendly to our guests. Now, it would not actually be MainStreet providing the free wifi.  What it would take to accomplish this dream is for merchants, hotels and restaurants in downtown that already are operating on a wifi system to purchase an additional router (less that $100) to connect to their current system.  Currently most of the systems in downtown have secure connections that require a password to connect. These connections would remain secure.  The additional router, tagged Free Downtown WiFi, would not interfere with the secure connections but would allow those who need quick and unsecured access to the internet that ability.  There would be no additional monthly fee to the sponsoring business.  According to Jay, there is also the ability of the sponsoring wifi host to add a brief message when the guest user signs on to the system,.

This is a very brief synopsis of the proposal and more information will be forthcoming.  If you are at all interested in helping to make downtown Steamboat free wifi friendly, please contact Tracy at 970-846-1800 for more information.  We would like to know if there is enough interest to pursue this idea.

Last month MainStreet sent out a survey to all members asking for feedback on services and programs provided by the organization.  More than 40 people responded which gave us a fair sampling size.  Many of the questions were open-ended, which may have seemed daunting to those who opened the survey but did not complete it. We know you are busy people.  For those who did complete the survey and offered helpful comments, we thank you.  Your suggestions will be helpful next month when the board of directors meets to create a new strategic plan for the next 3-5 years.  Overall MainStreet appears to be doing a favorable job with the scores averaging a 4.2 out of 5 on a list of 10 areas of concentration for the organization.

At the end of last year MainStreet was awarded a $12,500 Governor’s Energy Office grant to assist local businesses in making lighting upgrades to improve energy efficiency. Eight businesses applied for the grant funds and five have completed their upgrades. Buyer’s Resource, Off the Beaten Path, Images of Nature Gallery, Cantina, and Hotel Bristol have all seen dramatic improvement in their electric bills since installing LED lighbulbs.  On average electric bills have decreased by about 25%.  Images of Nature saw the most dramatic improvement.  Being a gallery that requires spot lighting on each of the photographs displayed, the previous lighting created a tremendous amount of heat, requiring the air conditioning to come on, even in the winter.  Finding the right bulb that would shed a “warm”, rather than a “cold” light on the art had been a challenge for Todd Savalox, gallery owner.  Improvements in the bulbs offered finally made the change possible.

The purpose of this grant was to demonstrate to other businesses that by making simple changes in their businesses (changing to LED lightbulbs), dramatic savings can be realized.  There is upfront expense, of course, but the savings over time will prove to be significant and payback will happen within a few years.  If you have questions about the program, you can ask any of the businesses listed if they felt the project was worth it.  Perhaps by making small energy efficiency changes in your own business, you, too, could improve your bottom line.

December 10 is the date for the annual downtown community holiday celebration, Merry MainStreet,  at night on Lincoln Ave. Starting at 5:30 pm with the Santa Parade, the evening proceeds with lots of activities in the stores and restaurants, and on the street.  Lincoln Avenue is closed to traffic. It’s a magical evening with twinkle lights in the trees, Christmas music, and even a fruitcake toss.

This year we are adding another element to the evening, the Great Steamboat Caroling Competition. Based loosely on the annual Figgy Pudding Caroling event in Seattle, a 25 year old event that draws thousands to downtown Seattle, the idea is to have teams of carolers performing for the crowds from stations on Lincoln Ave. Carolers can perform traditional carols, but may also make up words to traditional carols, add props and costumes, and encourage the public to vote for their favorite team with money.  A portion of the money raised will go to Lift-Up Services to assist those in need.  Each team will perform for an hour, from 6-7 pm, to give the public time to hear all groups and give the judges a chance to do the same.

Teams from the schools, organizations, businesses and neighborhoods are encouraged to call MainStreet, 970-846-1800, for more information. .  You must register in advance!   The team receiving the most votes (dollars) will be declared the philanthropy winner.  The judges will determine the best performing group.  The top three groups will then have a sing-off  (at about 7:30 pm) where the public will choose the best performing group by popular vote (clapping).

Check out the Seattle event on  Facebook.

December 10 is the date for the annual downtown community holiday celebration, Merry MainStreet,  at night on Lincoln Ave. Starting at 5:30 pm with the Santa Parade, the evening proceeds with lots of activities in the stores and restaurants, and on the street.  Lincoln Avenue is closed to traffic. It’s a magical evening with twinkle lights in the trees, Christmas music, and even a fruitcake toss.

This year we are adding another element to the evening, the Great Caroling Contest.  Based loosely on the annual Figgy Pudding Caroling event in Seattle, a 25 year old event that draws thousands to downtown Seattle, the idea is to have teams of carolers performing for the crowds from stations on Lincoln Ave. Carolers can perform traditional carols, but may also make up words to traditional carols, add props and costumes, and encourage the public to vote for their favorite team with money.  A portion of the money raised will go to Lift-Up Services to assist those in need.  Each team will perform for an hour, from 6-7 pm, to give the public time to hear all groups and give the judges a chance to do the same.

Teams from the schools, organizations, businesses and neighborhoods are encouraged to call MainStreet, 970-846-1800, for more information. .  You must register in advance!   The team receiving the most votes (dollars) will be declared the philanthropy winner.  The judges will determine the best performing group.  The top three groups will then have a sing-off  (at about 7:30 pm) where the public will choose the best performing group by popular vote (clapping).

Check out the Seattle event on  Facebook.

Who doesn’t like chocolate???  On Saturday, November 26, on Small Business Saturday, merchants will be offering small bites of chocolate, from 12-4 pm,  to those who come through their doors to check out what is available for holiday shopping.  More than 20 businesses have already signed up to participate.  This is the last call to merchants who are considering being a part of this promotion.  Call Tracy TODAY sign up. 970-846-1800

Last year, to offset the craziness of Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, American Express created Small Business Saturday.  By bringing focus to the millions of small retailers, American Express is, in their own way, reminding the buying public to Buy Local, to not forget their local businesses, and to keep the dollars in the community.  As a retailer, if you take American Express, you can also team up with American Express to offer even more savings for your customers.  By Googling Small Business Saturday, you can learn more about this nationwide promotion.

Buy Local Holiday Shopper Rewards Program MainStreet is endorsing the Shopper Rewards program developed by the Chamber for this holiday shopping season.  By having a single coordinated reward program for our holiday shoppers, we keep it simple.  Participating businesses pay the Chamber $40 by November 11.

For every shopper that spends $50 in your store, reward them with $5 back from the Chamber.  The shopper must collect 5 of these $5 certificates to take back to the Chamber to receive $25 in Chamber Bucks to be used anywhere in Steamboat Springs. Check with the Chamber for more details.

For your $40 you will receive the following benefits:

• Your business name listed on shopper cards
• Poster for your window with your business name
• Advertising in the Pilot and on email marketing to over 10,000 people
• Opportunity to give away money to your shoppers!
• The contact information from every shopper who participates in the program.

To sign up for this program, contact Matt Wilcox at 875-7005.

 

ART Works

Irene Nelson (Irene Nelson Interiors – 729 Oak) is extremely frustrated with the developers and home owners who feel they need to go outside of Steamboat to find interior design services and unique products to decorate their homes and offices. She is so frustrated, that she has started a new consortium of functional artists to show the public the vast talents available here in the Yampa Valley.  For the past few months, Irene has hosted a First Friday showing of local functional art in the Victoria Building in one of the unoccupied commercial units.

 

Functional art is art you can use.  Hand carved doors, custom furniture built to your specifications, artistic hardware like hinges and door knobs, and extensive wall murals are just a small sample what is available right here.

 

Irene is looking to connect with even more functional artists who create quality products.  She knows there are very talented artists out there who are waiting tables or clerking in stores because they are unable to support themselves through their art, but feels that, with more exposure, they could do just that.  Contact Irene at 970-879-7596.

 

And don’t miss the ART Works exhibit during the next First Friday Art Walk. A website for ART Works is in the “works”, so to speak.

1025 Lincoln Ave

970-870-8555

Located in the former Pilot Office Supply building, this fabulous collection of gently used quality furniture, antiques, and collectibles is a great addition to the Lincoln Avenue

streetscape.  As the retail offerings extend beyond 9th Street, the west end of Lincoln is now becoming a vibrant shopping node, a reason to venture further beyond the core. Also, for the holiday season, the store will be hosting a Christmas tree lot and decorating services for lodging properties and private homes.  Contact Evlyn for more information.

Rex and Bettina Brice are taking over the former Giovanni’s restaurant space on 11th Street in the Soda Creek to create The Laundry.  The Soda Creek Building used to house Steamboat’s laundry facility and was the home of the original noon whistle powered by the steam used to run the laundry.  They plan to offer small plates of creative cuisine.  Best wishes to the Brices on their 5th venture for Steamboat Restaurant Group.