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Show BUSINESS The Park Record. Editor: Bubba Brown business@parkrecord.com 435.649.9014 ex.118 PARK SILLY IS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR MARKET The Park Silly Sunday Market is accepting applications for the summer season. According to the organization’s website, parksillysundaymarket.com, this year’s slate of markets will be held between June 4 and Sept. 17. Vendors that are allowed to participate are not required to attend every Sunday, but are required to attend each date for which they are approved on their applications. Booth pricing ranges from $80 a day to $300, depending on the type of vendor, and additional fees may apply. Visit the website to apply, or for more information about the market. CHAMBER/BUREAU TO HOLD AFTER-HOURS MIXER The Park City Chamber/Bureau is scheduled to hold an after-hours mixer event for members Feb. 15. According to the organization’s website, visitparkcity.com, the event is an opportunity for businesses to network with other members and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Prospective members are also invited to attend. The mixer is scheduled for Feb. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Live Well Center at the Park City Hospital. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX IS OVER INFLATION TARGET The Zions Bank Wasatch Front Consumer Price Index fell 0.2 percent from November to December but remained above the Federal Reserve’s national inflation target of 2 percent, according to a press release from Zions Bank. Despite the inflation, wages have grown in Utah at the fastest pace since the recession, giving hope that workers remain on solid footing in the economy. “Increasing inflation can sometimes spark fears that price increases will outpace wage growth,” said Randy Shumway, chairman and founder of Cicero Group, in the release. “But wages grew last month at the quickest pace since 2009, indicating that American workers are keeping up with our rapidly growing economy.” A KOSHER DELI OPENS AT CANYONS, A-16 FESTIVAL-GOERS CAN SNAG GEAR, A-16 www.parkrecord.com A-15 SAT/SUN/MON/TUES, JANUARY 21-24, 2017 Sundance red carpet means green for many Business community reaps the rewards of hosting the film festival By BUBBA BROWN The Park Record For artists with a project showcased in the Sundance Film Festival, this time of year is one of opportunity. But for many businesses in Park City, particularly those in the lodging or restaurant industries, it’s like a second Christmas. That’s the comparison Bill Malone, president and CEO of the Park City Chamber/Bureau, drew when describing the economic effect of the film festival, which brings tens of thousands of visitors to Park City each year. Most hotels in the area are full, charging premium pricing, while restaurants and bars serve more patrons than perhaps any other time of the year. “It’s pretty special,” he said. “And it’s kind of a bonus on the economic side for the community, and a lot of communities wish they had a phenomenon occur like this every year at this time.” According to the Sundance Institute, the organization that puts on the festival, the event pumps millions of dollars into the Utah economy. But for Park City, the benefits go beyond the money attendees shell out in Main Street restaurants or for hotel rooms during the 10-day festival. Malone said a dollar figure cannot be easily affixed to the exposure the event brings to Park City. Park City’s designation as the home of Sundance draws people into town year round and has helped make the city one of the most recognizable resort destinations in the world, he said. That’s something from which nearly every business in town benefits, regardless of how much money they make during the actual festival. “The part that is pretty dynamic is the fact that it’s worldwide,” he said. “It’s not just one section of the country -- this is worldwide exposure that the festival has grown to connect with. The fact that people associate us with PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO The thousands of people who flock to see films each year at the Sundance Film Festival are a boon to the Park City business community. Businesses in the lodging and restaurant industries, as well as some merchants, reap the rewards of hosting an event recognized throughout the world. the festival as a destination elevates us in many ways in their eyes. In some respects, I look at it as kind of like hosting an Olympics.” From the perspective of Sue Demarest, owner of the Fletcher’s restaurant on Main Street, Sundance is the single most important time of the year. Most businesses in town scramble during ski season to make enough money to endure the summer and shoulder seasons, and Demarest is skeptical that the majority of them would be able to make it work without an annual bump from the festival. “It’s the craziest, busiest week of the year,” she said. “I think it’s really good for town. There’s the pain of the traffic and everything else that comes along with it, but from other business own- ers I’ve talked to, I don’t think most businesses in Park City would actually survive without Sundance.” The experience can be different for many retail shops in town, particularly in the historic district, however. Many merchants lament revenue lost before and after Sundance because of the extensive set-up and tear-down operations that surround the festival. Others decry street closures that make it difficult for shoppers to get to their stores, or the influx each year of corporate brands that suck business away from local retailers. Malone hears those concerns often, and said the challenges are amplified for another reason: Many of the people in Park City for Sundance are not the types of shoppers local merchants have molded their businesses to attract. “The fact that it’s such a different customer base during the festival than our typical customer base, it kind of impacts things such as retail, things like ski shops and the ski resorts,” he said. “It’s not the same customer that we’re going to have two weeks from now.” Still, some shops thrive during Sundance. For example, Somer Gardiner, who owns the clothing shop Olive & Tweed on Main Street, said the festival brings a deluge of customers into her store during a time of the ski season that may otherwise not be so profitable. “It helps us pay the very high rent that Main Street requires,” she said. “It’s necessary. Without it, I think it would be hard to make (ends meet) without that bump.” L I F E I S S H O RT BUY THE MOUNTAIN HOUSE A mountain house isn’t just a home, it’s an elevated state of mind. A place to celebrate friends and family, the great outdoors, the charm of a small town you just discovered. Let us help you find your Park City over and over again. It’s about time. BILL REDEKER SIOBHAN SMITH (435) 640-8403 bill@billredeker.com (435) 513-2752 parkcitysiobhan@gmail.com F I N D PA R K C I T Y. C O M © 2017 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently owned and operated franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. 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