LONGMONT (AP) – Erie officials and Old Town business owners are celebrating the sweet victory of a revitalized historic district.
Foot traffic downtown increased dramatically last year following Erie Farmers’ Market’s move to Wells Street, which drew residents to the rejuvenated area to discover the new restaurants and brewpubs that are putting life back into the brick facades, town spokesman Fred Diehl said.
Sales tax revenue jumped 69 percent in downtown Erie from 2014 to 2015, compared to a town-wide sales tax increase of nearly 11 percent, according to town finance reports.
Town revenue from the district exceeded $130,000 in 2015 – still a drop in the bucket of nearly $4.5 million in revenue generated town-wide.
Diehl credits the boom in downtown business to summer events and a handful of new businesses that put down roots in the district over the past year.
Sweets Ice Cream and Coffee is celebrating a year of business on Briggs Street following an anniversary party marking its grand opening on Valentine’s Day in 2015.
John Jacquat, an Erie resident who owns the building on the northwest corner of Briggs Street and Moffat Street, launched Sweets about a year after opening The Old Mine cidery and brewpub next door.
Jacquat said the shop that sells local coffee and ice cream as well as some pastries, sandwiches and other treats is intended to be a family-oriented community space, which is sprinkled with remnants of Jacquat’s own family.
Sweets is Jacquat’s oldest daughter Elena’s nickname and the ice cream cup sizes – sweet mama, big kid and little one – are named for his wife, Amy, and his daughters, Annie and M.J.
“That’s what this is about,” Jacquat said pointing to a table where a mother and daughter play Uno while munching on pastries. “It’s a place where you can have meetings, hang out with the kids, work on your laptop and bring your family. That’s what we wanted for the community.”
After a year of experiments, tweaks to the menu and a change in management, Jacquat said the shop is on track.
“Last year, the night before our opening I was not sleeping because I was here helping our baker,” Jacquat said. “This year, I got to just bring my daughter in for a muffin the morning of the anniversary and things were running smoothly.”
Jacquat said he does not yet have a new business in mind, but he is open to the idea of launching another venture in Old Town Erie.
Diehl said the town’s partnership with Echo Brewing Company to reinvent the former fire station at 600 Briggs St. launched last year’s success.
The brewery opened in the fall of 2014, setting the tone for 2015.
In addition to Sweets, a slew of other businesses opened downtown in 2015 including Beauty Blossom Med Spa, Cristo’s Coffee, Citywide Home Loans, Rachel Hinman Financial, SnowBee PC and Nosh sandwich shop.
Erie’s farm-to-table restaurant, 24 Carrot Bistro, opened on Briggs Street in July.
Co-owner Bianca Retzloff said business remains busy this month, despite February traditionally being a slow time of year for restaurants, signaling the district’s growing popularity.
“Parking is already becoming an issue, which is good because that means people are coming to downtown Erie,” Retzloff said.
The town has invested more than $61,500 in capital improvements downtown including road repairs, storm drainage work and alley maintenance, Diehl said. Next on the list is parking.
“The good news is if you build it they will come, but the second part to that is if you build it you need to address parking and other amenities,” Diehl said.
Staff is developing plans for Wells Street and Coal Creek Park that would address parking and other amenities, Diehl said.
