PLANNING HAPPY PANDEMIC HOLIDAYS

On November 19th Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI) hosted our final COVID response call of 2020 focusing on Planning Happy Pandemic Holidays that encourage a safe holiday season and support small local businesses! We had the privilege of hearing from five different communities across Colorado and how they are adapting their holiday traditions to cater to social distancing and statewide mandates. 

• Kristine Borchers: Lake City
• Kris Marreta: Basalt
• Tim Walsworth: Durango
• Laurel Prud’homme: Colorado Springs
• Terri Takata-Smith: Boulder

Lake City

Lake City has some of the best access to public land and outdoor recreation in the country. This winter, Lake City wants Coloradans to leave their homes for some socially distanced outdoor recreation this holiday season! The town is also adapting their annual Missing Mistletoe tradition into a virtual experience in order to reduce in-person interactions while still supporting small businesses. Kristine highlighted two small businesses that are shipping across the state for this holiday season. Dog + Bone, who is offering celebratory 2020 dog collars, and Refuge Coffee Roasters who want to share their excellent coffee with Coloradans across the state.

• Encouraging outdoor recreation (i.e. Lake City Ski Hill is open...etc.)

• Virtual Missing Mistletoe 

• Dog + Bone: https://dogplusbone.com/

• Refuge Coffee Roasters: https://www.refugeroasters.com/

You can reach Kristine at kristineborchers@yahoo.com 

Basalt

Kris Mattera from the Basalt Chamber is planning for any level of statewide restrictions because the town does not want to host an event that would turn into a super spreader. Basalt is encouraging holiday decorating contests among residents and downtown businesses. They are also planning for a virtual Santa and Santa riding around town on a firetruck with holiday music instead of their traditional holiday tree lighting event. The winter weather does not allow for outdoor dining, but the city is encouraging residents to have their favorite restaurant cater their holiday meals. In order to prevent overcrowding in local businesses, the town is suggesting that retailers offer one on one appointments as well as online shopping opportunities.

• Holiday decorating contest

• Virtual Santa 

• Santa riding on a firetruck 

• Safe + healthy = good for business

• Restaurants cater to holiday meals

• One on one appointments and online shopping for local retailers

You can reach Kris at director@basaltchamber.org 

Durango

Durango is changing things up this year by expanding their Noel Night tradition to Noel Nights to encourage shoppers to spread out their shopping experience and dissuade shoppers from overcrowding local retailers. During Noel Nights local businesses offer discounts for locals only, and some retailers will be offering virtual shopping experiences using Facebook Live and other social media platforms. Durango is also promoting a Holiday Rewards Program from November 23rd-December 15th that gives customers a gift card depending on the amount they spend at local retailers. Downtown Durango partnered with the chamber of commerce and various sponsors to invest $20,000 into the program allowing them to reward up to 600 people. Durango is also launching an online auction/marketplace called More the Love that encourages online shopping with local retailers and businesses. 

• Noel Nights for the month of December

• Virtual shopping experiences using Facebook Live + social media

• Holiday Rewards: https://www.downtowndurango.org/holidayrewards

• More the Love:: https://www.downtowndurango.org/onlinestore

You can reach Tim at TimW@downtowndurango.org 

Colorado Springs

Small Business Saturday starting the first Saturday of November to encourage distanced shopping while supporting local businesses. Downtown Colorado Springs is also providing Small Business Saturday stickers and posters for businesses to display as well as stickers for costumers to get the word out. Downtown Colorado Springs has updated its online directory with photos and website links for online shopping, and they are providing a discover downtown digital coupon book and encouraging retailers to do virtual and in-person appointments for shoppers. This year they are activating empty storefronts for QR code window shopping and an adventure game called with my gnomies! Families can peek through the windows of downtown to find hidden gnomes and find clues to decode a message. Downtown businesses are also providing seventeen curated adventure packages as gift ideas. 

• Smaller Business Saturday starting the first Saturday of November 

• Stickers and posters for Small Business Saturday promotions

• Full online directory with photos of businesses

• Discover downtown pass: digital coupon book

• Shopping by appointment with virtual and in-person options

• With my gnomies adventure game: http://downtowncs.com/gnomies/

• Window shopping with QR codes

• Curated adventure packages: https://downtowncs.com/adventures/

You can reach Laurel at Laurel@DowntownCS.com

Boulder

Downtown Boulder redesigned its website to advertise virtual events and shopping opportunities. Light Up The Holidays activities including Snow Much Fun, a self-guided walking tour of downtown holiday lights that is on display until January 10th. For the Love of Boulder social media campaign promoting and highlighting local businesses and giving customers an inside look at the people and ideas behind these businesses. Downtown Boulder and downtown businesses also teamed up for Love the Local gift boxes that include samplings from local merchants and can be pre-ordered and shipped throughout the United States. Downtown Boulder is purchasing the boxes at full price from merchants and selling them to patrons at a discounted price to encourage shoppers to discover all the unique merchants in downtown Boulder. For children and families, there will be a Freezie the snowman bingo game with prizes and rewards for finding Freezie in stores and storefront windows. Other family-friendly activities include free coloring books and a mailbox to send letters to Santa.

• For the love of Boulder: social media highlights weekly for local businesses

• Snow Much Fun holiday lights November 22nd- January 10th: https://boulderdowntown.com/light-up-the-holidays/events/snow-much-fun

• Light Up The Holidays: https://boulderdowntown.com/light-up-the-holidays

• Sidewalk sales permits

• Love the Local gift boxes with samplings from downtown merchants: https://boulderdowntown.com/gift-box-guide

• Freezie the snowman bingo game in stores + store windows: https://boulderdowntown.com/light-up-the-holidays/events/freezie-bingo

• Mailbox for letters to Santa 

• Coloring pages + coloring books free of charge online and in stores

• Downtown businesses holiday decorating contest that is judged by the community

You can reach Terri at terri@downtownboulder.org 

Kristine Borchers

I have been the Main Street manager in Lake City since 2006 and also serve as a Hinsdale County Commissioner.

Kris Mattera

Kris moved to the Roaring Fork Valley from Boston, Massachusetts in 2016, following years of visiting Colorado and a summer working at a dude ranch in Buena Vista. She received her undergraduate degree in graphic design and multimedia studies from Northeastern University and a Master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Emerson College. 

Kris is fascinated by the intersection of community, technology, society and the digital space, and how it can be leveraged to build personal connections and tell great stories. She moved to the Valley due to its great mix of job opportunities, recreation, culture, mountain town charm and natural beauty. 

Tim Walsworth

Tim Walsworth has served as the Executive Director for the Durango Business Improvement District since January 2013. Since he has been hired, BID has grown its budget, taken on the management of the San Juan Brewfest and Durango’s 4th of July celebration, relocated its office, added new programs, and improved its service to its constituents.

Prior to assuming the position of Executive Director of the Durango Business Improvement District in January 2013, Tim Walsworth served as the President and CEO for United Way of Southwest Colorado for 10 years. Additionally, he has more than 15 years of nonprofit management experience and worked for two leading United Way chapters prior to arriving in Southwest Colorado.

Laurel Prud’homme

Laurel Prud’homme began her career as a graphic designer, working in advertising and design firms where she advanced to roles as art director and account manager. With a career transition to the corporate world, she shifted her focus to marketing strategy and implementation of integrated B2B and B2C communications plans in the nonprofit health care sector.

Currently, Laurel is the Vice President of Communications for the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs. Her work involves strategic communications, promotions, marketing and media relations to position Downtown Colorado Springs as an economic driver and the destination of choice for shopping, dining, art, culture in the Pikes Peak Region.

Terri Takata-Smith

Terri Takata-Smith is an experienced marketing and PR strategist with over 20 years in the industry and 10 years marketing downtown Boulder. She specializes in developing and implementing comprehensive marketing, promotional & communication plans and campaigns. 

As the Vice President of Marketing & Communications for the Downtown Boulder Partnership (DBP), Takata-Smith provides strategic leadership and management of the organizations’ initiatives – both brand and event marketing. Throughout her ten years with DBP, Downtown Boulder has launched an extremely successful and well-received social media program, responsive website and other creative initiatives keeping Downtown Boulder at the forefront of innovative marketing and communications among downtown districts.