Welcome To Franchise City

April 29th, 2006 at 06:09am Keith Hemstreet 8

Ajax Bike & Sport will likely succumb to the development frenzy that has become business-as-usual in Aspen. With rents skyrocketing over the last decade, locally owned businesses hardly have a fighting chance.

“It’s all about the landlords making money, and not about good businesses that have been in town for years,” Ajax Bike owner, Craig Peterson, said in a recent Aspen Times article. “How many businesses do we have to see go?”

His frustrations are justified. Developer greed is ruining Aspen. These are very wealthy people who see opportunities to buy and pillage an aging property, rebuild something elegant, and resell or lease to large corporate tenants for a premium. A quick bing, bang, boom and another fat profit hits their bottom line. The problem, it seems, is that developers tend to be a shortsighted, tasteless bunch that would rent space on the Hyman Avenue Mall to Kentucky Fried Chicken for the right price.

As Bud Fox said to Gordon Gecko in the film Wall Street, “How many yachts do you have to be able to ski behind?” I ask the same. When is it enough? Can’t you just let it be? And if not, can’t you go somewhere that’s already been ruined by soulless greed mongers? Please, leave this town with what little character remains.

To Read the Aspen Times article, click the link below.
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20060429/NEWS/104290067/-1/rss02

Entry Filed under: Aspen, Business