New retailers, restaurants move in to meet demand

LONGMONT — Shopping and dining choices continue to expand in Longmont as a more diverse population of retail and restaurants move into the city and the surrounding area.

Seventeen stores on 17 acres at Ken Pratt Boulevard and Hover Road today make up the Village at Burlington, a new retail complex developed by Pratt Management. The Village includes retail stores such as Office Depot, Backcountry Escape and Mountain Man Nut & Fruit Co. and restaurants such as Johnny Carino’s Italian Kitchen, Red Lobster and Bistro 119.

All of the retail project’s shops and restaurants are open for business, except Gart Sports, which is moving to the Village from Longmont’s Twin Peaks Mall in June. It will be one of the centerpieces of the development.

“We did the market research that showed what was missing in town,´ said Frannie Follick-Hood, spokeswoman for Pratt. “There’s a tremendous amount of human activity down here. It has brought to the town a much more diverse set of retail than was here before. The landscaping is beautiful, and it has enhanced the entrance to Longmont.”

Mountaineering retailer Backcountry Escape is one of the newest additions to the Village at Burlington. Longmont’s demographics and its growing population were two of the main reasons co-owners Anthony Andrist and his fiancee Shaonda Lehtola decided to open the store here. Plus, Andris said the store fills a niche.

On the west side of Hover Road, just north of Wendy’s restaurant, Macy Development is planning to develop the St. Vrain Centre Retail Shoppes. The 70,000-square-foot development will have 15 to 20 stores, mostly small retail and restaurants, according to owner Don Macy. The development will be tied to a green belt along Dry Creek, allowing easy pedestrian access for workers in the area, particularly at lunchtime.

In downtown Longmont, new businesses share the spectrum of goods from Books Abound Inc. to Traveling Products, services like Healthy Skin Micro Day Spa and Roosters Home of the Rajun Hot Wings, according to Carole Johns of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority.

Books Abound Inc.’s owners Michelle Keener and Sally Helms purchased Books for the Whole Child at 333 Terry St. It is the only bookstore in the region that focuses on school district needs, including books for the Fix Trait writing curriculum. It also offers discounts to area teachers. Keener and Helms renovated the inside of the store before opening on March 3.

Traveling Products, Healthy Skin Micro Day Spa and Roosters are located between Third and Fifth avenues on Main Street. Beegee Stivers, owner of Healthy Skin Micro Day Spa, said she decided to locate in Longmont because its Main Street is up and coming. Proximity to Boulder was another reason, and most of her clients were in the area.

Stivers opened her spa about three months ago and said business is growing, particularly among men. To serve this growing clientele, she deliberately located her spa next to the Men’s Room, which provides haircuts and styling for men. Stivers said the increased demand for spa services among men is being driven by the area’s growing high-tech workforce. In addition to standard spa services, including facials and body treatments, she provides energy and healing work.

Wings at Roosters tempts shoppers with Rajun (salty, hot, teriyaki sauce), Warrior (honey mustard barbecue) and 13 other varieties of wings, in addition to burgers, sandwiches and appetizers.

Other recent openings on Main Street include CrackPots, where patrons make their own pottery; ReddiWare, a commercial embroidery shop featuring custom fishing rod and rifle cases; and The Muse Gallery, operated by the Longmont Council for the Arts, relocating to 521 Main St. Capital Advantage Mortgage has moved onto the Hansen Building at 477 Main St., and Santiago’s VI Mexican restaurant is now open at 831 Main St.

“I have heard that the Fish Place has moved in with Nautilus Aquarium at 418 Coffman St., and is worth looking into,” Johns said.

Longmont’s retail sales have risen more than 12 percent from last year. Jim Golden, city finance director, said taxable transactions were $318 million through March compared to $284 million through March 2000. Staff writer John Aguilar contributed to this story.

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