Recently, Vail Resorts announced that its retail division will be opening The North Face retail store at 515 Main Street, where the restaurant Talisker on Main used to be; according to the press release, they now have a long-term lease agreement on the space. The North Face sells activewear and outdoor sports gear, which is perfect for Park City’s active community. Alison Butz, executive director of the Historic Park City Alliance, says, “It does fit the Park City community. The North Face hits the outdoor, adventure-type marketplace, so that's a good thing.” Kelly Ladyga, a spokeswoman for Vail Resorts, says, “The North Face also has a special connection to Park City as it is home to several of the world-class athletes they sponsor and who inspire the design of their products.” Vail has opened retail stores in other towns where it owns and operates ski resorts, so the opening of the store in Park City didn’t surprise many. However, there are definitely some downsides to the opening.
A big concern with Vail opening large retail stores is that Main Street will lose its unique, authentic, historic district. Butz wants to make sure that Main Street continues to feel more like mountain town than a mall. “People come here and enjoy coming to Main Street because it’s not what you see everywhere else.” How will The North Face affect the local merchants? Adding large retail stores to Main will increase the rent for local merchants; local storeowners are afraid they won’t be able to keep up. Casey Crawford, the owner of Prospect, a clothing shop up the street from The North Face location, shared her worries with the Park Record. “As a community, we have to stand by who we are. Just because large stores can pay seventy-five dollars a square-foot doesn’t mean anyone else can. It’s hard to ask them ‘Hey, will you keep our rents lower, even though you can rent it out for twice as much?”
All in all, The North Face will be a good addition to Main, but only if we, as a community, are able to maintain Park City’s authenticity. Park City is a small ski town with a community that has strong tie to our history. It would be sad to see the town change too much. Since the small local shops on Main were here first, raising the rent and eventually forcing them to close would also be unfair. Locals and tourists can help by simply continuing to shop and eat at little businesses on Main Street. Kelly Ladyga tried to put some concerns to rest in saying, “Vail Resorts Retail and The North Face both look forward to working alongside our fellow commercial neighbors to support the vitality of this town and community.”
Sources:
Brown, Bubba. "Worries Renewed as Vail Resorts Opens The North Face on Main Street." Park Record. N.p., 12 Feb. 2016. Web. 24 Mar. 2016. <http://www.parkrecord.com/editorials/ci_29511351/worries-renewed-vail-resorts-opens-north-face-main>
I'm already worried.
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