Willoughby: A small town with big city stores

Aspen is a small town with big-city stores. The transition took many years, but the results are overwhelmingly evident today. When longtime residents mourn the passing of the Aspen of the past, their explanation notes the contrast — but it is not just the kind of stores but the proprietors, as well.

The first burst of changes took place in the 1960s when Aspen was growing faster than locals could keep up with. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, businesses that served locals were known by the proprietors’ names. People shopped at Beck and Bishop or Tom’s Market for groceries; but when they went to the store, they were saying “hi, Albert” or “hi, Henry” at Beck and Bishop or “hi, Tom (McFadden)” at Tom’s.  When they went to the pharmacy, it was “Carl” at Carl’s or “Dick” at Aspen Drug.

One of the busiest retail stores was Aspen Supply, where owner Tom Sardy was on a first-name basis with his customers. If you wanted general clothing, you went to M. Kalmes Co., but you knew the owner, Francis. That pattern was the same throughout town.

During this era, retail businesses that catered mostly to tourists were diverse. There were many ski shops, including: Aspen Sports, Sabbatini’s, Pomery Sports, Swiss Ski Shop, Stein’s, and Alpine Ski Shop. None of them were chain stores. Same with specialized clothing stores and boutiques, like Ellie’s that sold both clothing and had a ski shop and Terese David Boutique.

Gift shops, jewelry stores, and galleries featured unique items. The Valley Kiln sold locally-made wind chimes. Aspen Jewelers offered locally-made items by Freddie Fisher and items from silversmith Jim Hayes. Galleries featured local artists’ items you could not buy anywhere except Aspen. The few businesses that had a state or national chain status were the gas stations: Texaco, Chevron, and Sinclair.

The ’70s added many more businesses, but they were still local businesses. There were several that had other stores in other Colorado communities. There were a few restaurants that had national connections that opened to expose tourists to them, so they would return home and become patrons. Galleries featured art that was not created locally. Since the population had grown, there were more businesses that focused on locals, not tourists.

Aspen’s image of itself, and also from tourists, had that small-town-with-big-city-amenities feel to it. The Music Festival and other local entertainment fit that description. The reality that in winter skiers came with non-skiing spouses or friends who needed something to do during the day, made local shops cater to them.

A symbolic shift happened, beginning in 1983 when it was rumored that MacDonalds was planning to open in Aspen. Once there was an actual project proposed, the town reacted. One Aspen Times report nailed the local feeling: “local residents have expressed longing to avail themselves of an immediate remedy for a Big Mac attack; rather than continuing to salivate all over their roadsters all the way to Glenwood Springs, others have voiced concern about the potential for litter the restaurant might bring with it.”

As an opening came closer, David Word expressed local angst in a letter to the editor, saying, “I just can’t picture a pair of ‘Golden Arches’ or the like adding to or improving on the quality of life that we all share in this community.”

The city arrived at a compromise: McDonald’s could move to town, but it couldn’t have its golden arches. Downtown, at least in the physical appearance, has remained the same, applying its signage ordinances. But “chain stores” began appearing. Whole stores now tend to serve primarily the affluent; many boutiques, especially, are the same ones you find in most affluent shopping centers or urban shopping districts. It is still a small town, and downtown — especially with its mall streets — is a pleasant shopping experience year-round, but the best description is that it is a small town with big-city stores.

Tim Willoughby’s family story parallels Aspen’s. He began sharing folklore while teaching at Aspen Country Day School and Colorado Mountain College. Now a tourist in his native town, he views it with historical perspective. Reach him at redmtn2@comcast.net.