The economic recovery that is beginning to take root around the country is showing itself in Durango, too.
The city of Durango issued 17 new business permits in August, a 70 percent jump from the 10 permits that were issued by the city last August.
Roger Zalneraitis, executive director of the La Plata County Economic Development Alliance, did note, however, that the number of business permits isn’t necessarily a reflection of the local economy, especially in a city such as Durango that has a heavy concentration of mostly family-owned or independent start-up businesses.
In many cases, he said, the timing is just right for aspiring entrepreneurs to start new ventures.
That’s the case with a few of the local businesses that have opened since last August.
The time was right for Lee Sentner, who opened Durango Dog Wash on Camino del Rio last August.
Although he has experienced some problems in his first year, Sentner, who works for a property-management firm, said his business is breaking even thanks to the positive community response he has received so far.
Many of the problems Sentner has faced are similar to those other new business owners encounter.
Sentner, for instance, applied for a $30,000 loan from his local bank to fund his facility. Though Sentner had great credit, he said, his local bank declined the loan because he was not a homeowner. A private investor loaned him $38,000, which ended up being the final cost of building the facility. Sentner is set to pay the loan off in three years and calculates that he needs to make payments of $1,000 a month to meet that goal.
He also needed to have electricity to use his machine. A La Plata Electric Association electrician initially charged him $500 to hook up his electrical service above ground. The state inspector did not approve the installation plan and Sentner had to wire the electricity underground, which ended up costing him at least $1,800, he said.
Additionally, he faced other problems with various regulatory agencies and in obtaining an adequate insurance plan. Because of the nature of his business, the agencies and insurance companies didn’t know how to treat his “machine.”
“Was this a vending machine? Is this an actual business?” Sentner asked, referring to confusion about his business.
“If you looked at the little shed you wouldn’t think there were so many obstacles to climb,” Sentner said.
With those problems behind him, Sentner said he needs about 150 customers a month, or five people a day, to become profitable. Durango Dog Wash charges $10 per cleaning.
He’s optimistic about the future and is planning to expand his facilities throughout the Western Slope.
The Sentner family opened their side business because they felt there was a community need for a self-service dog wash facility, especially in this town, where dogs are everywhere, he said. Also, the additional income would be a plus.
He’s particularly proud that his efforts, along with Sherry Wertz, owner of Liquor World, have helped clean up a trash-ridden area where people would drink and loiter. Durango Dog Wash is on Wertz’s property just behind the liquor store.
“We’ve come in and we’ve cleaned it up,” he said. “And now it’s a really nice, appealing area; there’s a bench there for people to sit on.”
He said he’d improved an area in the community that had been an eyesore.
A newer business in the area, My Gourmet Cafe, was licensed in August. Owner Chris Quimby had his wholesale coffee store in Hermosa for eight years. Since moving his storefront to Durango, at a prime location on Main Avenue, he’s noticed a dramatic 20 percent increase in sales.
“What drives us is our local coffee shops,” he said. “That’s primarily what we do, we take care of the coffee shop businesses. Anything a coffee shop needs, we wholesale to them.”
The store also sells packaged coffee. Gift baskets and other novelties will be sold during the holiday season.
Quimby has no plans to expand his business, he said, but might move the location of his warehouse.
Durango Physical Therapy on the Move also received a license in August, but the owners were providing physical therapy to customers in their homes since January. Nichole and Brian Bluemle opened the clinic when demand prompted them to try to meet the local demand for a clinic-based facility.
After finishing her career in the Army, Nichole Bluemle wanted to move here, her favorite vacation spot, to continue providing patrons with physical therapy. Now, the couple runs the business themselves, but Nichole Bluemle said she does hope to expand her practice and eventually hire a full staff.
Although Durango has typically not attracted many bigger businesses, Zalneraitis said he and the alliance hope more businesses with national and international markets will be attracted in the future so they can generate new revenue into the local economy.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
