BUSY WEEKENDS

Recently the volume of visitors to Cold Spring has been overwhelming on some weekends. This trend has positive and negative aspects. On the good side, the high traffic gives local businesses revenue that will help them stay afloat after the lean times of the shutdown and during the winter months to come. The community has already lost several valuable businesses this year (Ellen Hayden Galleries, Meraki, Burkelman, Bird’s Creations), and we don’t want more closures. The negative side is that the crowds increase the risks of virus transmission, produce trash that must be disposed of, fill up parking spaces, and make local residents feel like strangers in their own village. The businesses that benefit from the weekend influx have a responsibility to reduce the negative effects as much as possible.

Some businesses have shown model citizenship on this front. We’d like to thank the folks at Cold Spring Pizza, who put out an extra trash can on the curb for their customers. Because of their thoughtfulness, the village trash cans on their corner do not overflow. We also thank Archie at Chapeau, who picks up the litter on his block each morning after crowded days. His block is spotless. In simple ways like these, businesses can lighten the burden of tourism on our community. 

All business owners should keep reminding their local customers that “Weekdays Are Great Days” for dining and shopping. On weekdays, traffic is lighter, virus-sharing risks are reduced, and customers get better service. Feel free to use this badge to promote this idea in your marketing.