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Show WedTThursFri, July 9-11, 2003 The Park Record A-13 Grassroots approach reigns in Kamas Continued from A-11 A specialty women's clothing store, for example, .does not have enough of a population base to survive. , Van Tassells pharmacy is an example of a successful small town store. The shop has adjusted, selling fewer grocery items as the grocery store has grown, and replacing fxd with books. The demand for prescriptions pre-scriptions has steadily increased, he says, mostly by locals and supplemented supple-mented by a stream of summer visitors. visi-tors. "Most of the business here are by people who have lived here all their lives," said Kerr. Kamas business owners, like businesses anywhere else, need to have a hands-on approach to create and maintain a successful business, added Kerr. Finding a manager who is loyal and can run a business is harder to find that it was in the past. When Kamas mayor Lewis Marchant, whose wife owns Petals -:' fx mm, 'N Pine flower shop, looks toward the western side of the county, he sees an example of what he docsnt want. - , "Nobody that I talje to wants to see Kamas Valley become another Snydcrville Basin." he said. "Some people moved to Kamas Valley for the lifestyle," he said. Although he admits there is a fine line between encouraging the growth needed to sustain the tax base and overbearing development. Marchant feels a firm commitment to keeping a lifestyle that is less frenetic fre-netic than the other half of the county. coun-ty. Van Tassell agrees. Even though he believes his ice cream counter and store could be an attraction for ' Synderville Basin residents, he is not targeting them with a marketing campaign or aggressive sales pitch: Residents of Kamas Valley are pretty supportive, he says, and business busi-ness has continued to increase over the years. . One of Kamas's natural barriers to accelerated growth has been the largely undeveloped stretch of land along Hwy 248. The extra 15 minutes min-utes of driving time has provided a welcomed buffer, but it's not foolproof. fool-proof. "The growth in Park City has had an impact on us. Its filled up over there so it spills over here," ,said Marchant. - "The population of the, whole Kamas Valley is increasing fairly rapidly and business is going the same," said Marchant. Nonetheless. Kamas has not seen the "build it and they will come" mentality that seems to prevalent on the western side of the county. "I don't think that'll work here. That s a little risky." said Marchant. "We're not dealing with the same amount of population in Kamas." In fact, an earlier effort by the . ;:..:... , . " O r y 11 ' GRAYSON WESTPARK RECORD Ace Hardware reflects in the window of a new storefront showing show-ing some of the changes in Kamas. Above, a familiar sign. Nishtclub BREAKFAST. LUNCH & DINNER Your Favorite Nightclub Gets Even Better... Hm.lll.MMIIi 1 REE POOL TUESDAY PING PONG, DARTS KARAOKE THURSDAY snow rsYorR skills STARTING JULY loTH till i .! 1)1 OTIP SATURDAYspixKixr. your lavs h tn Mil 1" ' HI 1 u E Jl )ifl (Where every night Pic a TnrATC vrrnT tes. 1J t J-A-VJT1JL.J niVJlIlS Clsero's Is a private club for members Ml VN(.,.i -1 iM -tI. city auncil to bring a hotel into the area failed because the population base was deemed too small. The main motivation for business growth, it seems, is more grassroots. "Most of the businesses we've seen come in are people who already live here and feel a need to provide something." he said. The weather has an impact on business in Kamas, says Kerr. A bad snow year keeps snowmobilers away just as good weather on summer weekends brings campers to the area. Grocery: stores, convenience stores and gas stations are the main benefactors of visitor traffic, says Kerr. Companies carrying spare parts for snowmobiles pick up busi-' nesstoo. . Kamas's Main Street has evolved over the years in part due to the weather, but, Marchant admits, "We're not in any sense a resort community. You've got to rely on the local people." . The secret to running a successful business in Kamas, however, may lie more in the business owner than the customer. "Most of the businesses that survive sur-vive are from the people who grew up with the work ethic that goes into their business" , said Merchant. "Those that dont survive, dont have the same work ethic." Get The Highest Tax Deduction Allowed! Running or Not Free Pick-Up We Do All The Paperwork America's Kids Foundation 801-759-0112 Helps Fund Scholarships to Children of America's Fallen Servicemen m lL wm STOKE OOSB TO MARK DOWN PRICES AGAIN! ME THU'R fri H2-9 HO-9 110-9 HQ- mm ' w. r Hamilton Park HENUDOS RALPH LAUREN BERNHARDT 206 E. Winchester (6400 S.), Murray DREXEL ERFFAGE; Hamilton Park 174 E. 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