Our decision to close the Montrose location is the culmination of a lot of factors; the bottom line being top of the list. We are no longer profitable there. We are going strong at our Grand Junction location and invite all of our Montrose customers to please come see us when you're in town.
Our decision was made with a lot of soul searching and plenty of hard numbers. We have the advantage of getting out and moving our inventory to Grand Junction. Other small businesses in Montrose don't have that and are quietly suffering or closing their doors. Our hearts go out to our fellow downtown retailers. Montrose is a tough market.
We have seen many businesses come and go since we opened in 1995. We have seen our first little customers grow up and a few are bringing their children in to see us. I would like to take this venue to remind my local customers to please vote with your dollars. Think about where you shop and who you are supporting in the process.
Montrose is growing and changing- as it should be. However, this most recent round of rampant big box retail in such a small community has created an environment where nobody wins. The consumer may feel like a winner with more shopping options, but there aren't enough consumers or dollars to support all these options. Short term, small retailers are hurt the most. The big stores can absorb losses for years if they are balanced by gains elsewhere. But even a "losing" big box store will cut back if the return isn't there. In the long run, maybe the town will grow enough to support it's service industry. For now it is hard times for all.
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