PINE, Colo – The housing market is continually rising in Colorado. The prices have risen so much that even small towns like Conifer have been affected.
One woman, who had a business in Conifer, needed to move in order to keep her company and passion alive.
“God and junk, those are two things I love,” said Debra VanWhye, the owner of Primitive Blessings an antique shop.
Debra is spending the day getting her shop ready, on the corner of Park Avenue and US HWY 285 in Pine.
“I just fell in love with junk,” VanWhye said. “It was somebody else’s, but when I got it, it felt brand new – like I had saved a lifetime for it.”
VanWhye’s antique shop will open in three weeks.
Before she came to Pine, her business was in Conifer.
“We had to move from Conifer,” VanWhye said. “The rent just got too high. It use to be about 2,000 dollars a month, but then it went up to 4,800 dollars a month. There’s just no way you could ever sell enough with that.”
Even for VanWhye, that price for her passion was too high.
“When one door closes, another one opens,” VanWhye said. “We found this place in Pine. The rent is significantly lower. It’s so affordable – it’s wonderful.”
After five years in Conifer, VanWhye was forced to move. But she said maybe it’s for the best.
“People are already coming up to our shop wondering if we’re open,” VanWhye said. “We’re not even opened yet, so it’s just going to be wonderful when we do open!”
According to Trulia, the median rental price for rentals in Conifer for May was $2,275, an increase of 5 percent compared to the same period last year.
According to Trulia, the median rental price for rentals in Pine for May average $1,650.