BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - With the calendar having officially turned to spring, many ski towns are looking back on what was a disappointing season in terms of snow.
But in Breckenridge, while the winter wasn't great, some local businesses share that it wasn't all bad.
"This I have never seen," explained owner of The Motherloaded Tavern, Chmurny Cain. "I moved out here in 1991; ran the Breckenridge brewery for 14 years before I bought this. So long haul in this county, in this town, never seen it like this."
Usually in late March, downtown Breckenridge looks a little different.
"There's usually more people here this time of year," Sara Cox, owner of The Crown restaurant said.
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But despite the lack of snow this Friday, local businesses like The Crown, The Motherloadeded Tavern and ski and bike rental shop Ridden have made the most out of the situation.
"We actually have a lot of people walking the streets and doing other activities than just skiing," Cox shared.
"People are still in Breckenridge," said Ridden Co-owner Bradley Somers. "This is a Top 10 destination, I think, in the country, and I think people always come to Breckenridge."
For Somers and his partner Chelsea Kemp, their shop is already transitioning into summer mode, even as they hope for just a little bit more of ski season.
"We also have a really good return-customer presence, that local feel," Kemp said. "A lot of people like locally owned operations, and we take pride in that."
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Cain says this winter will serve as a learning experience for all local businesses in Breckenridge.
"We're gonna have to really kind of rethink what we're doing this summer as a town and a tourist industry place that we are nailing those Front Rangers and getting every single person butts in seats," Motherloaded Tavern's Cain said.
Visitor Bridgette Whitney, who was on a friend's bachelorette trip, was upset about the lack of snow, but said she still rates their day highly.
"Immaculate," Whitney said while pointing out what she bought. "I shopped till I dropped. This is new. This is new. This is new. It's been great."
That's part of why Cox says she loves the town as much as she does.
"I've been here for almost 18 years, and I've been to all the other mountain towns, and they're all great," Cox said. "But, like, we are really special here, because we are a real town with a lot to do just outside of skiing."
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