shop local

The importance of shopping local and how I do it. Friday Fest 2022, Greeley, Colorado. HeidiTown

Originally published in the Berthoud Weekly Surveyor on December 22, 2022. In 2020, an Amazon truck lived in my neighborhood. I walk the dog multiple times a day and there it would be, lurking around the corner each time I left the house. I started to think that the driver was just going around the block, again and again. Then, I started to talk with friends and family and realized

The Mayor Goes Shopping on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado (11)

Shopping along Pearl Street is a longtime Colorado tradition, even for people outside of the state. Case in point, when my mother visits from Oregon, she always requests that we spend an afternoon shopping on Pearl Street. I shopped Pearl Street Mall last Wednesday with my friend Karen on what was probably the last 80-degree day of the year. If you aren’t familiar with Pearl Street, it’s a stretch of

The Mayor Goes Shopping in the Choice City, Fort Collins, Colorado Perennial Gardener outside shot

Fort Collins is best known for craft beer, bikes and Horsetooth Reservoir, but downtown boasts a healthy variety of retail stores and whether you’re shopping for the holidays or for yourself, there’s a store here to fit every need (or want). This past week I went on a little shopping outing in downtown Fort Collins with my friend Karen, and our first stop was at a store that’s been a

Meet Me in Meeker, Part One. Shopping downtown. HeidiTown.com

As some of you know, I grew up in a small town in the Pacific Northwest and I have a real affinity for communities where the cows — or in Meeker’s case, the sheep — outnumber the people. Meeker is located about one hour and 40 minutes north of Grand Junction and three hours and 45 minutes northwest of Denver. When they asked me to be a judge for this

hunters moon mou co and crabtree beer

In the weeks leading up to Christmas I always put out a top 5 list of some sort, and this year I decided to share with you my picks for the top 5 made in Colorado gifts for 2012. The prerequisite for making my list was that the product made by each company had to be manufactured IN Colorado. This list is in no particular order. 1. MouCo Cheese Co.

Come out to the annual Winter Walk in Loveland, Colorado

Lit up with holiday lights, downtowns across the country are charming places to shop and dine. As we head into the holiday season, I want to encourage all my readers to shop local. Shopping locally not only supports your town, but you may discover some real gems right under your nose. Loveland, Colorado has a charming downtown with a variety of shopping and dining options. My favorite is Merchant Voyage

Shop Local: The Mayor does a little shopping in downtown Loveland

I am going to come clean. I am not much of a shopper. In fact, I rarely shop unless it is a necessity. So when Christmas comes around, I enjoy shopping in historic downtowns, because the stores  are locally owned,  and they are entertaining. Downtown retail business owners have to be creative in order to compete with the strip malls and mega stores, and they often line their shelves with