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Aspen’s storefront changes don’t define town

Michael Larime

Dear Editor,

Who laments the passing of Chanel

From the auric avenues of Aspen?



Not those who habit Taco hell,

And bemoan this econo has been.



Are Dark Forces sticking pins in the voodoo doll of Aspen’s economic foundation?

No, Aspen’s just gotten a little top heavy, that’s all.

If Aspen’s glitterati no longer buy multi kilobuck purses, then those purveying such will go elsewhere, simple.

The cachet of conspicuous consumption has collapsed, and the merchant minions are the final casualties.

Meanwhile the seeds of economic rebirth are being sown. Empty stores are like empty airplane seats ” each day’s lost revenue is forever gone. Ultimately it is better to derive some revenue than none, and new merchants will flower over the graves of Gucci, et. al.

And these merchants will likely aspire to serve a broader slice of Aspen’s population.

Economics aside, to suggest that its merchants define Aspen is to grossly undervalue the town. Aspen’s enduring assets are not in the world of commerce. Aspen’s unique value proposition is the holistic cultivation of the individual, in mind, body and spirit. It is this fertile fusion that defines Aspen.

This conception, almost the antithesis of materialism, is the soul of Aspen.

As for Aspen’s future, it would be wise not to resist the sea changes brought by the tides of commerce.

The market’s invisible hand will make the wisest choices. Fostering Aspen’s core values in the arenas of human enterprise will ensure its vitality.

Michael Larime

Glenwood Springs


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