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Show Page 4 Sanpete retailers encouraged to accentuate the positive "The Sportsman. Walking into Tricia ( all low many By Holiday Shopping Guide Sanpete County Messenger the Sportsman is a little like walktimes can a comthe munity look into the future and see ing into Jensens of Manti what's possible? Sanpete Counts smell of leather, the click of shoes merchants and consumers have on hardwood, and the personal that opportunity if they visit a little serv ice. Tw enty y ears ago, vv hen the mall went up on the north end o town just cast of the of Logan, downtown merchants bonier called Cortez. Cortez had a thriving down town feared the worst that their busie to the economy. Merchants invested nesses would lose "mall the of shopdrawing power heavily in the community atmolike Stores sphere. plant ingtiees and decking ping experience. had with problems the stole trouts in a western l'jeldsted's nearby parking and accessibility, theme. first the mall; then Shop-K- o hen one day a "name-brand- " Wal-Maand moved in all stoic put up shop just outside of while the population of Cache town. I hat store was Wal-Mar- t. I he people (locked to this new Valley tripled. Twenty years ago stoic because of the selection and there were only 9.000 students at I halt State now that number is piicesth.it national advertising had 20.000-plus- ! told them this stoic carried. Soon "Surviving the first part was aftei. businesses along Main Street the crucial time." says I jeldsted. busiof began going out business; I he parking problem was handled nesses w Inch had been serv ing the tin ough a city sponsored "redev community of Coitez and surdisti ict", vv here money put rounding towns for decades back into the downtown property couldn't keep up with the glitz, and telev ision adv ertismg m ight of the improvements became The merchants also focused national chain. he once bustling downtown Cortez now resembles their efforts on appealing to the I Ctah-Colo-rad- big-tim- i i I O oO O down. "To have tried to save every old building would have bankrupted the downtown merchants, said jeldsted. The city fathers, together with input from citizens and merchants worked to determine which buildings to preserve whose original construction made the cost of restoration reasonable. I he buildings that were torn down were used to create an atmosphere of open space" and pai king. The process was not free of pain. But the results arc worth 00 oO 0 cP OqU o o o op JJ oO P OoOo O o O o a a o o o o J?C io o it. , rt I hough Sanpete doesn't have the population to attract Wal-Ma(yet), pioper planning on the part of city councils and county commissions can ward off the kind of economic dearth that Cortez is experiencing now. ES rt yan veiry mmanelhi for letting -- ait oIE iram tax-exem- I a ghost town merchants w It ho wasn't lost out just the segment of the Cache Valley there are population that didn't like to shop consuincis who once could find shoes that fit just right, or a hard-to- locate grocery item just by asking. Now. the general experience of shopping in a store is more like "Oh. look on aisle 14; you'll find size 10 shoes there;" impersonal and Wal-Ma- rt in a big and spacious building ith vv impersonal clerks. hey also creased that appeal by checking their own fears and negative atmospheres before entering the doors Copies ALL DAY EVERYDAY in- I of their businesses. They Inc. Messenger-Enterpris- e, 35 South Main 835-424- Manti be a part of your life this past year. We hope all of you have a very enjoyable holiday season. We look forward to serving you for many years to come. 1 pre- sented a friendly smile and welthis secret coming atmosphere to their success got them through On the other hand, to the north the lean times in the early 80s vv ith of the Wasatch front is a little a loyal customer base. During the last 20 years. community called Logan, which 40 years ago was about the same Logan's downtown Main Street size as I phraim, complete with a has undergone a face lift. Some Russ old buildings have been restored college atmosphere. y. 'jeldsted. former mayor of Logan, ow ns a dow business called I f 4 e7 with old facades ripped away. Other buildings have been torn 9 VV t V F? Qozy up for Ghnstmas! -- U piece, dedum Seta Glide tfliW ooo Manti City Annual Electric Christmas Parad Cs 30 & , JaO i Saturday, Dec. 9th ',$& Happy Holidays v FURNITURE 41 South Main & HARDWARE Ephraim 283-416- 1 |