A long time coming…

    Business is beginning to boom in downtown Brighton.
    The historic downtown district welcomed eight new businesses as well as Main Street Creatives, an art gallery and studio space, in less than two months.
    “To say I’m excited would be an understatement,” said Gary Montoya of the city of Brighton. “I’m exuberant about the amount of attention and interest downtown has received over the last few months and over the last year. And all of this has been accomplished in a struggling economy. We’ve been able to move forward at a very impressive rate.
    “Our hope is to create a destination place the community will embrace and will frequent,” Montoya said. “The progress we’ve made in three years is promising. If we make the same amount in the next three years it will be outstanding.”
    Within the last two months, downtown Brighton has become home to Joonbugz, a children’s boutique; Buffet City, a buffet featuring Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and Cajun food; Jewelfire Diamonds; Vigil’s Martial Arts; Dulceria y Pinateria Guzman, a piñata and candy store; and One Stop Gift Shop. More Music for Brighton moved from its Bridge Street locale to a spot on North Main Street. Opening recently on South Main is a childcare, My Little World; and Main Street Creatives. A furniture store is also slated to open soon on South Main Street, Montoya said.
    “It’s been a long time coming,” said Jac Cuney of the city of Brighton. Cuney took over a new title, director of redevelopment and development projects, April 11. “Our goal was to make it a destination place for businesses in downtown, and wham, in 30 days we have seven new businesses just on North Main.
    “All of a sudden it’s been a perfect storm,” he continued. “People want to make a commitment to downtown and it just has happened. It’s just all coming together. It seems like we spent three or four years working on improving the environment for downtown and now it’s happening. Our hope is of course that they can sustain it.”
    Diane Elliott will celebrate her fifth anniversary of Gone Fishin’ Pets in downtown Brighton next month. She operated a pet store in Aurora for 14 years. When she moved to northern Commerce City, she decided to relocate the store to Brighton. The store is at 14 N. Main Street.
    “There are lots of unique shops opening close to us,” Elliott said. “Since all of the new businesses opened, there’s been lots of foot traffic.
    “Some people are just finding out about downtown,” she continued. “We still have people coming in and saying they never knew we were here.”
    Wanda Ulloa and her daughter, Desiree, celebrated one year of business at their shop, Heavenly Sent Creations, at Culturefest. They relocated the shop from Seventh Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Denver to their location at 15 N. Main Street.
    “Our experience here has been good since the day we opened,” Wanda said. “Actually, since even before we opened—people saw the phone number on the door and called us to see when we were opening.”
    The variety of businesses coming to historic downtown is a good mix that’s consistent with the city’s vision of the area, Montoya said.
    “These types of businesses are the kinds of retailers that will help us get to our vision of making the downtown area a destination as an arts and entertainment district,” Montoya said. “We’re looking forward to the future with these businesses and their success.
    “We have seen an increase in foot traffic in the downtown district that has given us indication that the new businesses are attracting interest,” Montoya said. “It’s critical that we get the right business mix in historic downtown to not only increase walkability, but also provide the right retail mix to keep people coming to downtown.” 
    In addition to the new businesses calling downtown their home, Cuney said he’s excited about Main Street Creatives on South Main Street. The gallery features the work of a variety of artists. A number of artists also have their studios in the building, including nationally known painter Judith Dickinson and award-winning sculptor Kim Shaklee.
    “I think it’s fantastic and consistent with the vision we have for that area,” Cuney said of Main Street Creatives.
    There have also been a number of environmental improvements have helped add to the ambiance of historic downtown, Cuney said.
    “In the last year there have been a large number of environmental changes downtown with all the facade projects, streetscapes, pocket parks, the undergrounding of utilities, and hanging of flower baskets,” he said.
    Adding to the excitement, the city will soon be unveiling a new logo and branding. And the offerings at the Brighton Anythink Library and the Armory, together as the Brighton Cultural Center, continue to grow, Cuney said.
     “We continue to consider that whole cultural center as a catalyst for downtown development,” he said.
    As for the future, six months from now, Cuney said he would like to see the rest of the facades on North Main and Bridge streets complete and many of the vacant properties on North Main occupied. He also hopes to see construction begin on the realignment of South Main Street within the next year.
    An admitted area for improvement in the downtown Brighton area is the Pavilions, Montoya said.
    “Our vision is to continue to see the district grow in business and move closer to a destination for the Brighton community,” Montoya said. “We include the Brighton Pavilions as part of that vision.
    “When the Pavilions was built, the idea was for the development to be an anchor for the historic downtown district. But with the recent economic challenges, it’s obvious that vision has changed slightly,” he continued. “We feel we’re back on target with bringing this vision to fruition. Many businesses have expressed interest in the Brighton Pavilions, and we hope in the coming months it will be home for these businesses. Our goal is to create a vibrant district around AMC and the rest of the historic downtown district.”
    Montoya is encouraged by the visible improvements in historic downtown and feels confident that the Pavilions will soon make a turn-around as well.
     “I’m very motivated to see the transition the downtown district has taken in the last five years,” Montoya said. “To look at a before picture to see where it has come from is encouraging.”
    “We’re just really happy,” Cuney said. “It’s come a long way like we had hoped it would and we’re seeing real evidence of the kind of traffic we want to see in downtown. Now we just need to complete that picture.”

Contact Christine Hollister at 303-659-2522, ext. 223 or chollister@metrowestnewspapers.com.