CB businesses staying steadier than in Mt. CB

“A lot of days we don’t know what to expect”

[ By Katherine Nettles ]

Midway through the winter season, it seems most businesses in Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte have settled into a new normal—at least for the duration of a pandemic during ski season in a resort area. Many restaurants say they could use a few more employees, while most retailers say they are doing fine staff-wise. All have adjusted to new public safety protocols, to new ways of doing business and making the best of the COVID situation. And there is wide variation on how much foot traffic retailers report, with Mt. Crested Butte still trailing the town of Crested Butte.

It may be the (previously) low snowfall numbers this season, or the pandemic. Or both. But Mt. Crested Butte has not seen a large uptick in traffic through its restaurant and retailer doors this winter, and according to most businesses there it is noticeably slower. Crested Butte, however, seems mostly bustling.
Rumors/Townie Books co-owner Arvin Ramgoolam says business has been “stable,” and he is pleased with what Gunnison County has done to support businesses staying open.

“We’ve been busy since Thanksgiving. And even though we took away seating and people are not happy about that, they have been happy to still come in for their daily fix,” he says of the Rumors Café side of the business. He says retail-wise, things have also been good in the bookstore.

Favor the Kind employee Elena Marquez says things have seemed “surprisingly normal,” with plenty of people coming in to shop. The only difference is all the sanitizing, including the regular polishing of a now almost ubiquitous plexiglass window at the register of the store and at many other businesses across the county.

Several t-shirt shops and other retail spaces on Elk Avenue tell a similar story of having enough employees for the season, and a manageable, continuous flow of customers. Weekends are busier; weekdays are quieter but still active.

Restaurants, as has been the case in recent years, have a harder time with their needs for larger seasonal staff numbers. All are subject to operating at 50-percent capacity, and all report that take-out has increased. Pitas in Paradise management reported ups and downs in busyness and well as staffing, with some staff wanting more hours and other positions remaining unfilled.

Sherpa Cafe owner Tshering Sherpa said there have certainly been fewer customers. Many restaurants like Teocalli Tamale have remained busy although tables have been reduced and food is mostly available for take-out. Recently re-opened A Daily Dose is busy with both (limited) dine-in traffic and take-out visitors, as are Ryce Asian Bistro, Secret Stash and Montanya Distillery.

In contrast, Mt. Crested Butte businesses are happy to have more action than last summer, when it was often like a ghost town. An overall theme could be ‘some is better than none,’ according to several owners. Lex Enyart at the Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce/Visitors Center said there is less foot traffic in general, but an uptick in Denverites. “It’s hard because there’s no seating like there used to be. We have to keep a distance, it’s hard to hear people and we are just trying to help while keeping ourselves safe,” he says. The main questions Enyart hears are “Where are the trail maps (they are online only now), and where can we eat?”

Some Mt. CB restaurants including The Divvy, The Avalanche, 9380 Tavern and Butte 66 have continued dine-in service, with all but The Avalanche expanding their outdoor seating and paring down their menus.
The Divvy’s beverage director Eliot Tilton said they are making it work, but “It’s tougher business-wise. You don’t get as many alcohol sales, and that revenue margin is much smaller now.” The Divvy’s “ghost kitchen” food deliveries are popular, as is the well curated bar cart in Mountaineer Square, but Tilton says, “A lot of days we don’t know what to expect.” Staffing-wise, he says, “We could use a few more. It’s always kind of tough, especially with the qualifications we desire.”

The Coffee Lab and Crested Butte Burger Company have done away with indoor dining altogether, and both are happy with the simplicity for now.

Coffee Lab owner Dewey Overholser says he certainly has less business, and the holidays were notably less busy this year.

CB Burger Company manager Ricky Scarborough says it is a relief to go take-out only and help protect his co-workers. “We’re one of those places where it didn’t make much difference, so it was easy to transition. The minimalistic nature of what we have—it’s a blessing,” he said. And so is this small ski town in general: “We all want everyone in our community to remain healthy. Coming from the big cities to here, it’s night and day.”

Christy Sports manager Peter Sowar says that rentals in the shop are down, but in general, since the resort went to the Epic Pass with Vail Resorts, sales are up with more people buying gear. “We’re sticking to our protocols, there’s generally good compliance and we definitely enforce it,” he said.

Stephanie Allen, of Butte and Co., summarizes: “We’re just taking this one day at a time, and we’re just thankful to be open. This year being unlike any other year, I don’t look at sales reports. We’re here, we’re healthy and hopefully at the end of this we’ll figure out how to come out of this.” Allen, like many ski and bike shops in both Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, reports a loyal base of employees with rare turnover. She has kept her full staff on despite a slower year, and the PPP loan in May helped in that regard. “It’s really important that I have people in here, just to navigate all the new protocols,” she says. “And it’s important that these people all have jobs.”