Craig Daily Press / Business

Holiday shopping season off to record start

If you make holiday shopping convenient, Americans will come in droves. It's estimated that U.S. shoppers hit stores and websites at record numbers over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation on Sunday. They were attracted by retailers' efforts to make shopping easier, including opening stores on Thanksgiving evening, updating mobile shopping applications for smartphones and tablets, and expanding shipping and layaway options. All told, a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the four-day weekend starting on Thanksgiving, up 9.2 percent of last year, according to a survey of 4,000 shoppers that was conducted by research firm BIGinsight for the trade group. Americans spent more too: The average holiday shopper spent $423 over the entire weekend, up from $398. Total spending over the four-day weekend totaled $59.1 billion, up 12.8 percent from 2011. Caitlyn Maguire, 21, was one of the shoppers that took advantage of all the new conveniences of shopping this year. Maguire, who lives in New York, began buying on Thanksgiving night at Target's East Harlem store. During the two-hour wait in line, she also bought items on her iPhone on Amazon.com. On Friday, she picked up a few toys at Toys R Us. And on Saturday she was out at the stores again.

Batting cages, archery range to open in Craig

A new business in Craig hopes to fill a need for residents looking to keep themselves sharp during the winter. Archers and baseball players from Craig can find themselves at a disadvantage when competing against competitors who can practice year-round. Beginning Dec. 1 InsideOut Sports, 561 Russel St., is looking to even the playing field. That’s one reason Brad King is opening the business, which offers Craig residents an indoor archery range and batting cages. But he also thinks it is something many people in Craig will enjoy.

New auto and paint shop opens in Craig

There’s a new auto body and paint shop in Craig. After a lifetime of working on cars, James Hand and his wife, Brenda, decided to open their own shop, Custom Auto and Paint, 324 School St. in Craig. Open since Nov. 1, Hand said business has been good.

Real Estate Transactions for October 2012

Buyer: Stewart, Wade C & Ripkoski, Aubrey N Seller: Schmedeke, Larry G & Elise Address: 933 Lincoln St. Sale Price: $185,000.00

Treasures abound at local thrift stores

Craig has become a hub of competition for an unlikely business-type: thrift stores. With a few thrift stores already in place for years, three more have opened in Craig in the past 15 months, making the city a hot spot for the shopper looking for great deals or unusual items. Without the massive infrastructure of an organization like Goodwill or the Salvation Army, Craig residents have nonetheless dived into the thrift store business. For those owners, the businesses started for a variety of different reasons and at different times in their lives, but one characteristic is similar: a love for thrift.

Big O Tires doing well in 1st month of business

Having been open for a little under a month, Travis Wondra, owner of Big O Tires said business has been very good, and is happy with his location in Craig.

Craig store fills hockey niche in Craig

As winter and hockey season approach, replacing old, worn gear or getting equipment for a first-timer becomes a top priority. While hockey never has taken a major hold in Craig, it does have a loyal following. That is why Samuelson True Value Hardware, 456 Breeze St., sells hockey equipment during the sport’s winter season. Storeowner Mark Samuelson has been involved with hockey for years and wanted to provide a place in town for parents and players to be able to gear up.

Christina Oxley: Be an informed consumer

I've been advocating for and promoting Craig's business community nearly all of my adult life, and especially for the almost seven years that I've served as the executive director of the Craig Chamber of Commerce, and here's what I have to say about shopping locally: It's your money. You should spend it however and wherever you want. To that statement, about half of you responded mentally with a defiant, “I will, and I don't really need your permission.” The other half is looking up my phone number to lambast me for writing the exact opposite of what my position, and my conscience, dictates.

Mayor signs letter of intent for Craig community solar garden

State mandate requires certain percentage of utilities come from renewables

There was reluctance Tuesday among some Craig City Council members to support a nonbinding letter of intent for the construction of a solar array in Craig. Citing Tri-State Generation & Transmission, operator of Craig Station, as one of the largest employers and primary contributors to the Moffat County tax base, council member Don Jones questioned whether supporting construction of a solar garden in Craig City limits would send the wrong message to local energy industry employees. “Here we are trying to keep coal in the area and all of a sudden we’re going to buy into something like this?” Jones said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m for green energy, but what kind of a message are we sending to the power plant and the mines?”

Organization opens to strike balance between energy development, conservation

Center for Western Priorities based in Denver

Last month a new, nonpartisan clearinghouse opened in Denver to serve as a source of information in the ongoing debate between energy development and conservation on public lands. The Center for Western Priorities launched in September to provide research-based accountability, data analyses and in-depth policy studies to ensure public lands and natural resources found throughout the western United States are used responsibly, according to a company news release.

Mariana Raftopoulos business incubator grand opening Friday

Nauman-Cook: Everyone is welcome

Friday marks the official grand opening of the Craig/Moffat Economic Development Partnership’s business incubator. Named in honor of a late Craig resident and former county commissioner Mariana Raftopoulos, EDP Director Betsy Nauman-Cook said Friday’s event is all about growing business in Moffat County. "It’s an honor to the family and Marianna’s legacy of spurring growth and community involvement," she said. The grand opening of The Mariana Raftopoulos Business Incubator and One Stop Business Center takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Colorado Northwestern Community College Bell Tower, 50 College Drive.

Moffat County Tourism Association to revisit 2013 budget

Funding for visitor centers debated by board, county, chamber

In July members of the Moffat County Tourism Association board began the process of compiling its 2013 budget. With fewer funds in the county coffers than a year ago, MCTA was forced to scale back nearly all of its proposed 2013 expenses, including assistance money to the Dinosaur Welcome Center and the Craig Chamber of Commerce. In 2012 MCTA budgeted $31,200 and $9,000 for the Craig Chamber and the Dinosaur Welcome Center, respectively. This year MCTA proposed a reduction to $19,170 to the chamber and $5,000 to the Dinosaur Welcome Center. Upon receiving the draft budget, the Moffat County Commissioners said they would prefer to see MCTA maintain visitor center funding at 2012 levels. On Tuesday the MCTA board discussed whether to send their budget back to the county as written — and run the risk of the commissioners changing it, or revise the budget in an attempt to come up with a compromise.

Cool Water offering more hours for hunting season

The Cool Water Grille has reached another milestone in the restaurant business. The breakfast and lunch restaurant at 337 W. Victory Way has now been open for a year and is trying out new business ideas as it dives into year two. Restaurant manager Erin Dunham said it has been a fun first year in Craig. “It’s been very good to us,” Dunham said. “The people in Craig have been great to us. We’re just happy to be able to survive the first year.” Dunham says the clientele has steadily grown over the past year, and that has allowed the staff to increase by five employees as well. A new year is allowing Cool Water Grille to try some new business ideas. The restaurant, typically open from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. has extended its hours in the morning to open at 4:30 a.m. for hunting season. “We weren’t really able to do this last year because we had just opened,” Dunham said. “We want to be able to give the hunters a good meal before they go out for the day. I think that either way, whether it’s a good turnout or bad turnout my dad would do it next year anyway.” Dunham’s father Dennis Otis, the owner of Cool Water Grille, arrives at the restaurant to set up at 4 a.m. most mornings, Dunham said.

Moffat County real estate transactions for July

The following is a listing of real estate transactions completed in Moffat County in July: Buyer: Thompson, Mark A Seller: First National Bank Of The Rockies Address: 944 Galley Rd. Sale Price: $130,000.00 Buyer: Peter, David A Seller: Akin, James A & Carolyn Address: T10n R95w Sec. 28 Swse Sale Price: $5,000.00

Cummins Diesel sends technician to work in Craig

Seeing an opportunity to take advantage of a work force that uses its products a great deal, Cummins Diesel now has a technician working full-time in Craig. The move has been in the works for a few months said Betsy Cook, Executive Director of Craig/Moffat Economic Development Partnership. “Initially we just exchanged a lot of e-mails, some very basic information,” Cook said. “(Cummins) met with me in Craig, we talked about the climate here and looked at hard numbers. They felt like the market was a go for them.” Bringing a large company like Cummins that also meets a need in Craig was a big win, Cook said.