Small Business Blues
Feb 12th, 2008 by urbanitetreehugger
Rent along Pearl Street and neighboring areas are expensive. As a result, small businesses are continuing to be squashed by these high prices. Since I moved to Boulder two years ago, I’ve witnessed several businesses relocate or completely go out of business. I don’t get it. For a community focused small city, where’s the love for the local businesses? I moved here to feed off the entrepreneurial spirit that exists and yet, I’m not sure if Boulder actually supports it. I for one don’t want to replace our independent shop owners with a bunch of corporate logos and mainstream madness. I talked to a few business owners with store front retail leases and found they really do struggle to make ends meet.
Boulder offers a great lifestyle and an opportunity to pursue your passions, but there isn’t enough support for developing businesses; especially in the more creative industries. For a city with so much money, it is frustrating to see so many creatives starving because they need to pay rent at home in addition to a commercial space. I’ve found that businesses that are succeeding seem to do so by working with clients outside of Boulder, receiving additional funds beyond their personal income, working from home and/or keeping a very close eye on the bottom line. With this structure, there’s simply no room for risky overhead expenditures on top of high rent prices. As a result, companies aren’t willing to pay top dollar for business to business (B2B) services; rather, they do it themselves or not at all, which hurts the economy and the small B2B service providers.
Our city was previously seen as having a new-age and open-minded culture, but it has shifted to be less progressive and more conservative. Real estate that used to support artists and creatives has been replaced with developments that were built with inexpensive materials set at extremely high prices. I’d like to know how we can increase the inspiration to pursue local businesses, welcome diversity, and support our economy in a more creative way.
Message to Boulder: (1.) Boulderites who actually live here can’t afford the million dollar lofts going up all over town or the increased pricing as a result of their presence. (2.) Open doors that support economic growth and reduce the limiting laws that ends up hurting our community in the long run. Just a thought…