Secret Shopping Presentation Ignites Carbon County Residents

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Bicyclewerks is working to beautify its storefront with the addition of planters and a bench for customers to enjoy.

Secret shopper Roger Brooks was not shy when he presented recently on the state of Carbon County, pointing out the downfalls of the area, as well as a few positives.

In his presentation in May, Brooks had a common recommendation as he traveled throughout the county: beautification. He stressed the importance of first impressions, explaining that a hopeful increase in tourism begins with local businesses and residents.

Some have already taken Brooks’ suggestions and put them into practice. Bicyclewerks was one of the first businesses to make improvements, adding a bench and flower pots to its storefront. Brooks emphasized “softening” storefronts by easing the transition from concrete to building, recommending flowers, benches, tables and the like to make businesses more aesthetically pleasing.

The administration building of Four Corners Community Behavioral Health also took a page out of Brooks’ book, adding planters to its landscaping. This follows Brooks’ recommendation to add greenery and colors to the community in the aim of beautification.

Plants weren’t the only thing Brooks suggested, though. Twenty Two Clothing on Price’s Main Street received praise from Brooks on its unique offerings, but he did have concerns on the store’s window displays. He opposed having clothing displayed on hangers in the window, explaining that mannequins and other unique styling is more tasteful. Since then, Twenty Two owner Brittnie Arroyo has phased out the hangers and is dressing up her window displays. Arroyo even hosted a sidewalk chalk drawing contest recently, encouraging the creativity of local youth as they added art to Price’s Main Street.

While privately-owned businesses are at the frontline of this beautification, government leaders and volunteers want to be a part of the change as well. Under the Carbon County Economic Development department, a committee has been working for some time on beautifying the area. One of the committee’s most recent projects is the Exit 240 beautification project. 

The goal of the project is to have the on and off ramps for Exit 240 cleaned and landscaped with crushed rock. The committee chose to move forward with this project primarily because it understands the impact a first impression of a community can have on potential companies considering relocation. It also believes this could have a lasting positive impression on both tourists and potential tourists traveling via Highway 6.

One section of the exit has already been landscaped with plans in the works to finish the remaining three sections. The project was made possible not only by government leaders and volunteers, but also the generous donations of local businesses.

For more on the work of the beautification committee, see the video below. To watch Roger Brooks’ assessment of Carbon County, please click here. 

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