Durango has its share annual events, including those during the holiday season, such as the Turkey Trot and Singing with Santa. But for local businesses, few traditions hold as much significance as Noel Night, taking place Friday night.
Often likened to Durango’s version of Black Friday, Noel Night draws residents downtown on the first Friday of December, lured by discounts at their favorite local shops. Yet, the origins of this consumer extravaganza are rooted in adversity.
Noel Night was born in the aftermath of the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire, which ravaged 73,000 acres of forest in La Plata County and destroyed 46 homes. Launched to rally support for struggling businesses, the event has evolved into a cornerstone of the community’s holiday season, driving economic activity while fostering camaraderie and holiday cheer.
Local First, a La Plata County business alliance, took over the event in 2010, but it was originally founded by two downtown business owners who were determined to boost community morale after the fire.
“It was just so depressing,” said Jane Gould, former owner of Antiquities and one of the founders of Noel Night reflecting on the Missionary Ridge Fire.
In the wake of the fire, the downtown economy faced a sharp downturn. With fewer tourists visiting that summer, local businesses struggled with declining revenue.
Gould and Nancy Juliana, owner of Beads & Beyond, saw an opportunity to turn things around. Juliana had lived in Telluride, where an annual Noel Night had successfully bolstered local shops. She believed Durango could benefit from a similar tradition.
Juliana said Telluride was a much smaller town in the 1980s, and Noel Night played a key role in bringing customers to the handful of shops it had at the time.
The two pitched the idea around the community, convinced it was exactly what the town needed to revive its spirits and support its small businesses.
Initially, the idea was met with some skepticism from local advertisers who felt the idea had been done before, Gould said.
But with commitment from volunteers who recruited downtown businesses to join, the store owners were able to get 65 businesses to participate in 2002.
In 2024, the event will involve more than 70 businesses. Initially, mostly businesses from East Fifth Street to East 10th Street participated. Each business paid $95 to have their deals listed in the Noel Night pamphlet.
Noel Night has expanded to include businesses along College Drive and other areas of Durango.
For the founders, the event has always been about more than boosting local coffers.
“People look forward to it, and it was a way to give back to the community,” Gould said. “That was our goal.”
The event brings a sense of camaraderie among downtown businesses. Gould and Juliana dress up as elves every year, and their employees do the same.
The founders wanted Noel Night to be viewed as an event for social connection. The duo ran Noel Night until 2010 when they handed it off to Local First.
Juliana and Gould knew Local First would have the resources to keep the event thriving.
“In all honesty, they did a really outstanding job. I think we just continued the momentum,” said LeeAnn Viejos, owner of Stitch A Quilt Store and former executive director of Local First when it took over Noel Night.
While shopping during December isn’t unheard of, the inception of Noel Night was opportune for generating more city sales tax revenue.
“December is a pretty large sales tax revenue generator for the city of Durango,” Viejos said. “I think that is due to the promotion of people supporting local businesses.”
She said 75 cents of every dollar spent during Noel Night stays in Durango.
“That is a significant amount of revenue that stays in our community, versus taking that dollar and spending it on Amazon, eBay or wherever they shop,” Viejos said.
According to a Bain & Co. survey, 76% of U.S. consumers plan to make at least half their holiday purchases online, diverting valuable tax dollars away from local economies.
Data from Visit Durango shows that Noel Night provides a significant boost to downtown restaurants as well. Data from last year's event shows that 56.8% of spending by residents and visitors went toward food, while retail accounted for about 15% of the total expenditure in 2023.
But for some downtown merchants, Noel Night also has a trickle-down effect.
“Noel Night is our biggest sales day of the year,” said Cathy Wakeman, owner of Animas Trading Co.
Animas Trading Co. has become a staple of the event, consistently participating. While Wakeman put the business up for sale in November, she is excited for this year’s event.
Many shoppers may not buy something when they come the night of the event, she said, but they will often come back over the weekend and make a purchase.
The combined spending on the Sunday after Noel Night in 2023 was 58%, 2% higher than the average for Sundays from October through December that year.
For businesses like Stitch, the night doesn’t result in significant sales because of the specialized nature of their products. However, it provides an opportunity to showcase what they offer.
Sometimes local foot traffic can be hard to come by in downtown businesses, instead favoring tourists who are searching for niche gifts and trinkets.
“Everybody’s going to go to Brown’s (Shoe). Everybody goes to Maria’s Bookshop. It’s a big day for a lot of merchants,” Viejos said.
Although Durango’s population continues to grow, downtown businesses still cherish the small-town charm it once had. Both Juliana and Gould hope the night continues to grow, saying it is important to downtown merchants and building community connections.
“Continuing this tradition of Noel Night adds to our small town charm,” Juliana said. “A lot of people go out of their way to make it a cozy and fun event for locals. It’s not just about making money. If we were really trying to do that, we wouldn’t be renting a kitchen out, and baking cookies (for the event).”
tbrown@durangoherald.com
