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Business

  • New tourism director has big plans

    The Clear Creek County Tourism Bureau’s new director has been at work for only a week, but already she’s focused on implementing marketing strategies to bring more people to the county.

    Cassandra Patton of Littleton, the county’s first tourism director in nearly six years, has a laundry list of goals, including strengthening the county’s brand and developing a local image, logo and identity.

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  • Georgetown Loop sees 8 percent jump in ridership in 2012

    The Georgetown Loop train saw an increase in ridership in 2012, but work on the Idaho Springs Twin Tunnels on Interstate 70 has train officials cautious going into 2013.

    Mark Graybill, president of Historic Rail Adventures, operator of the Georgetown Loop, and a member of the county tourism board, said train ridership was up about 8 percent in 2012. 

    “That’s very strong, so we had a good year. We ended up at 107,300 riders,” Graybill said. When Graybill took over the operation in 2009, ridership was 73,000.

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  • Mangia! closes its doors

    After nearly eight years, the Idaho Springs restaurant Mangia! closed at the start of the new year.

    Sharon Bassist, whose family has owned the restaurant for six years, said that in the end it came down to not being busy enough to keep the doors open.

    “We just weren’t busy enough within the restaurant. The catering was doing really well, but the space of the restaurant was a lot bigger than the volume that we had coming through the door,” Bassist said.

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  • G-town businesses hope economy still hums despite road work

    Georgetown business owners are optimistic that an improving local economy, seen over the past three years, will continue into the summer of 2013 — despite traffic delays expected because of work on the Idaho Springs Twin Tunnels on Interstate 70.

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  • Mangia! closes its doors

    After nearly eight years, the Idaho Springs restaurant Mangia! closed at the start of the new year.

    Sharon Bassist, whose family has owned the restaurant for six years, said that in the end it came down to not being busy enough to keep the doors open.

    "We just weren't busy enough within the restaurant. The catering was doing really well, but the space of the restaurant was a lot bigger than the volume that we had coming through the door," Bassist said.

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  • Decision on Eclipse ski area not likely till spring

    A decision on whether the dormant Eclipse Snow Park at St. Mary’s Glacier might reopen as a ski training facility probably won’t take place until this spring.

    The decision is in the hands of both Clear Creek County and the U.S. Forest Service.

    The county has received only a partial application from property owner Michael Coors, according to Fred Rollenhagen, the county’s planning manager, so from the county’s point of view, the proposal is on hold until it gets full documentation.

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  • Bakery expands in Georgetown

    Like a good soufflé, Kate Coffield’s bakery business has increased dramatically in volume since opening more than a year ago.

    After starting off in a modest 200-square-foot building on the south end of Georgetown’s Sixth Street, Coffield's business, Cake, recently set up shop in a 1,700-square-foot building at 710 Sixth St.

    Coffield's success may be an indicator of an overall improving economy in Georgetown, which showed a better-than-average summer and fall.

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  • Sounds and sales

    Suzie and Gary Solomon hope to orchestrate music appreciation with their new business, Miner Pickin’, in Idaho Springs.

    Located at 1614 Miner St., the business is part music store, with instruments for sale lining the walls, and part music venue, with musicians invited to join weekly jam sessions that the public can listen to for free.

    Miner Pickin’ hosts a free Bluegrass Church jam session on Sundays starting at 3 p.m. and an acoustic jam session on Wednesdays starting at 7 p.m.

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  • Georgetown sales-tax revenue up 6 percent

    Georgetown businesses reported a brisk start to the summer with sales-tax revenue 5 percent higher as of June than the five-year average.

    “June for this year is the highest revenues that we’ve had in five years,” said town treasurer Mary Sims. Sims added that the numbers are slightly inflated due to the addition of delinquent payments, but said revenue was still at the higher end of the past five years.

    Georgetown is reporting a 6 percent increase in year-to-date sales-tax receipts.

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  • Real estate agents report brisk sales in the county

    Clear Creek County real estate agents are seeing one of the best years for home sales in recent memory.

    The optimistic report is being attributed to an influx of second-home buyers and a stabilizing economy. Real estate agents also report the demand is so high that there often are multiple offers on listings.

    According to numbers tracked by Metrolist, a Colorado real estate listing service, 23 homes were under contract in the county in July, up 64 percent over June.

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Copyright © 2013

The Clear Creek Courant is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Clear Creek County, Colo, and the surrounding area.