Every year since 1963, the president of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which promotes the impact of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners, who help create jobs and reinvest in their communities.
This week is the 51st anniversary of this national effort to recognize Small Business Week.
Businesses, particularly small ones, help shape a community’s identity. Pagosa Springs wouldn’t be in existence if it weren’t for small business. Entrepreneurs set up shop here over a hundred years ago and have served this community ever since.
There are two small businesses that have served Pagosa Springs for over 100 years.
Goodman’s Department Store’s legacy began when David Lowenstein and his wife moved to Pagosa Springs in 1900 and opened a small business originally called Lowenstein’s Gent’s Furnishings. The store sits on the site that the historic Fort Lewis Army barracks once occupied. The family business was renamed in later years. Entrepreneur Hayley Goodman is the fifth-generation proprietor of the store.
The Pagosa Springs SUN is the other small business that has served the community for over 100 years. On Dec. 3, 1909, the Pagosa Publishing Company was formed and began printing The Pagosa Springs SUN under the direction of editor W.J. Wright.
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