Berry Special Weekend brings biz boom
Shortly after New Orleans celebrated Mardi Gras in a fashion that adhered to COVID-19 social distancing and health restrictions, local Glenwood Springs business owner Laura Speck was inspired to do something similar during the weekend historically celebrated as Strawberry Days.
Yet the Strawberry Days weekend events were cancelled due to the pandemic.
“It was March, and I was on a hike one day when I thought we needed some stuff to look forward to,” Speck said.
Speck has owned the Silver Bead, located along Grand Avenue in the city’s downtown corridor, for 19 years.
Speck brought her ideas for ways to celebrate the weekend to the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association, and those ideas evolved into a Berry Special Weekend.
“I thought we could decorate our windows and have attractive decorations downtown,” Speck said.
What Speck didn’t expect was the level of buy-in from businesses, such as insurance agencies and banks, and such enthusiasm when it came to decorating their storefronts for a Berry Special Weekend.
“It was fun to see the banks and insurance agencies decorate like that. It showed how there’s a lot more to the community than the businesses down in the corridor,” Peck said.
“I got businesses that really don’t sometimes participate in activities, they really did come out with all the window paintings.”
Reporter Shannon Marvel can be reached at 605-350-8355 or smarvel@postindependent.com.
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