Post: An important piece of Aspen
We woke up on Monday morning to the sad news that Amen Wardy was closing! Last week, it was Meat & Cheese, and before that, it was Jimmy’s and Pinions.
When will it stop!
On Tuesday, Amen’s was filled with loyal customers — all expressing to Soffia their sadness that the store was closing. For decades, Amen was a retail experience unique to Aspen, a place where locals and visitors alike could find something special. Soon, Amen’s will be gone and, with it, an important piece of Aspen.
My parents brought our family here for a ski vacation when I was 7 years old, and we all fell in love with the town we now call home. Communities must adapt to change over time, and Aspen certainly has over the 57 years since I first came here.
While progress and change are vital to every community and so, too, Aspen, the wholesale selling of our town’s storefronts to national merchants that occupy the malls and streets of every big city in the world runs the tragic risk of striking at the very heart of Aspen’s soul.
While we must continue to move Aspen forward, great caution need be taken against losing our local Aspen institutions. There is no doubt that the cost of occupying space is the major culprit of these losses, and our downtown landlords hold the key to these occupancy costs and, in turn, the profound responsibility for the Aspen experience. Please understand your responsibility, and take it seriously.
Jody and David Post
Aspen
