Local Busnisses

     Pueblo, Colorado is a quintessential small town that has many local businesses that outsiders do not know about. These businesses are unique to Pueblo, some have their roots here, and then they have branched off to other locations; others sadly have succumbed to the small town and closed their doors. By looking into these businesses further (both literally and figuratively), one can understand how truly important these unique businesses are to Pueblo, not only to Pueblo, but to Colorado.

Recipe for Success…?
      Hopscotch Bakery is one of the many local businesses that are located here in Pueblo. Hopscotch makes many of their sweet treats in house, meaning that they make everything themselves from their unique flavored ice creams and sorbets to their delectable pastries. Their staff is always very friendly and are there to greet you once you open the door. This store makes quality goods that are a little higher price but it is worth it for the love and passion that goes into each item. They have many loyal customers that continue to come in, the staff says that they like having regular customers that come in every day because then they can build relationships with their customers. The conversations can be more personal. The topics of conversation are more like these: “How is your dog doing?” or “How was that trip you were going to take?” rather than “How are you?” or “How is your day?” and “How is the weather?” She also stated that all the staff members are really nice and easy to talk to, she liked how her work atmosphere was more like a family than a job. The friendly staff and the personal interaction that customers enjoy might be why Hopscotch Bakery has been around for 10 years.

 

 

Delicious pastries are made fresh daily.

 



Rolling for Initiative…
      Chaos Games and More is one of the only card game stores Pueblo has to offer, but that’s not the only thing a customer has to expect from this unique establishment. This store offers a diverse collection of items that would send many gamers’ heart to flutter, and the owner will make you feel right at home. Chaos games was intended to be a place for gamers of different platforms to come together and co-mingle, one game does not reign supreme over another in this store, in fact the owner John does not like that at all. Once you enter the store you are greeted by the owner himself, standing behind the counter with a “Hello welcome to Chaos Games and More. Anything I can help you find today?” or if you are a returning customer a handshake for the men and a warm hearted hug for the women. The store has many things from board games, miniature games, table top role playing games, and anime. The success of this shop lies in how the owner runs his business with an inclusive not an exclusive attitude and his friendly playful demeanor that helps his customers feel comfortable and at home.

 

 

"Throwback store where you have to talk to other humans"
 John the owner

                                      

This store has many different items for different interests.

 






John likes to joke around with costumers, he has a
very playful personality.



Many different games are played downstairs,
here is Star Wars X-Wing.



Many card gamers come from all over Colorado to play in the tournaments.
There will be a regional Dragon Ball card game held here, there are only
 12 stores hosing in the country.



 

 

Aged to Perfection?

      80/Twenty Wines is the only exclusive wine shop in Pueblo that has a truly knowledgeable staff. The staff helps take the scariness out of purchasing wine because they truly know their wines and can help you pick the perfect wine for any occasion. They also keep a log of what returning customers purchase to help keep track of what you love. This shop is also community minded, they have made and sold wines to benefit local charities such as the YWCA and the Bessemer historical society. The owner will craft a wine and the proceeds from the sales go to the cause.  80/Twenty Wines has the respect of many Denver wine aficionados and have award winning French and Hungarian wine makers visit their shop to have their wine sampled. These wine makers would not go to the big box liquor shops, this coupled with the friendly informed staff is why 80/Twenty Wines has been open for 6 years and will continue to be open for many years to come.

 

Home Grown

     Bingo Burger is Pueblo’s only burger joint and they are expanding to Colorado Springs and possibly New Mexico. Bingo Burger uses ingredients from local farmers, they make their burgers fresh to order, and offer a variety of different meats. They even cater to the vegan crowd with a veggie burger. Their fresh ingredients, friendly staff and fun atmosphere makes this burger joint uniquely successful.

                                

 

Another one bites the dust

     For every successful business there is one that does not succeed in a small town. Two examples of this are Sister’s Courtyard Tea Room and Alternate Universe. Sister’s Courtyard Tea Room was a tea shop that created a playful atmosphere that was reminiscent of tea parties that British socialites would have had. They had many different teas to choose from and a menu that ranged from basic sandwiches and soups to a full tea service that included petit fours and mini tea sandwiches, but alas the atmosphere they created could not keep them open. Alternate Universe was the game store before Chaos Games and more, the owner catered to many different gamers but the small shop made it feel cramped if there were too many people. So when his business started to go under he contacted John and Chaos Games and More opened their doors a month after Alternate Universe closed theirs.     

                                                            

The Right to Bare....?

     Imagine you are a mother you go to the local gym or pool with your infant child who starts to get fussy because he or she is hungry. You go to a secluded part of the facility and you start to breastfeed your child then one of the attendants comes over and tells you, you cannot do that there you have to go into the locker room or bathroom. You would be mortified right, why should you have to feel that way just because you have made a healthier choice for your baby by not bottle feeding them, why do you have to hide it away like some taboo. That is what happened to a mother at a local YMCA; she was breastfeeding her child and was basically told she couldn’t do that there, when in fact it is a woman’s right to breastfeed wherever she is allowed to be. I.e. a public place this was put into effect over 10 years ago with he help of the Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition, this organization has been around since 1980 and it was started right here in Pueblo where one of is members moved to Denver and took it nationwide from there. Breastfeeding still makes people uncomfortable even though it is a natural thing, resent studies have showed that formula has risks in infants and it is suggested that breastfeed is best for 6 months and up to a year after birth. This should not have been an issue for this mother, many magazines are even supporting breastfeeding with their cover photos.  



 
     

Wouldn't you like to eat your lunch here?

Who will front the costs?

     There has been a long debate about who should cover the costs of the clean up of fountain creek, now if you are thinking of the sewage that the creek has become you are sadly mistaken. The clean up they are fighting about is the debris from the storms, there are branches, trees and roots strewn about and it came from El Paso County; now the city of Pueblo does not have the money to put up to take on this task, never mind the fact that they have all the money from he marijuana sales that they still don’t know what to do with, and El Paso doesn’t want to do it because it is not in their location, even though a lot of it came from them since things tend to roll down hill. The fact of the matter is that the debris is there and no one wants to put up the money to do it Pueblo is afraid that we will have a flood and El Paso thinks out of sight out of mind, this has gone on since March at least and still there is nothing anything is being done about except for Mother Nature who keeps dumping the rain on us that sends the trees and vegetation tumbling into the creek. Both El Paso and Pueblo need to come together and fix this problem and the sewage problem Fountain Creek needs to be returned to its original state.   

 

Distress at local store.

Thursday night, at a local business in Pueblo, there was an incident that would leave anyone feeling exposed. The night started out with the victim, who will be referred to as Miss. Davis. She needed to find a swimsuit for an upcoming vacation, she entered the fitting room with a friend, and they were laughing and having a good time. When the victim’s friend left to get a different size, Miss Davis noticed movement under one of the walls, she saw a phone being pulled back. She noticed someone peeping at her, in a place that  it is a fitting room, and the assumption is that a fitting room is suppose to be a space where a person can go and feel safe while trying on clothes That night, the rules were broken, someone’s space was invaded. The manager over the apparel department was immediately notified, he then went to the back found the lost prevention manager, and they both went into the camera room to watch the tape of the incident, they had a bit of a challenge because there are no cameras directly in that area because they are giving the customers their privacy. They did see the Peeping Tom though, they sprang into action trying to find him. The latest news is that they have not found the suspect but they are turning it over to the police. 

 

 

 

This is a view of the gaps

that exist under the walls

of the fitting rooms.

 

Here is a view of how big the

gap is.

This shows an unobstructed view

of the space under these walls.

Local Spotlight

     I chose to interview Nancy, a Pueblo native, she went to Centennial High School and then went on to SCSC, which is now CSU Pueblo. She had an interest in the Healthcare profession and also in Chemistry, thus the logical area of study she pursued was in medicine, and more specifically, pharmacy. While in college she received an internship at St. Mary Corwin, and once she graduated she was given a full time job there. Afterwards, Nancy moved on to a retail pharmacy, a Nursing home pharmacy. Later she moved to working at Wal-Mart where she became Lead Pharmacist. While interviewing Nancy, she said that being a pharmacist is perfect for a mom because she can work more flexible hours, she also likes the evolution of the Pharmaceutical Industry, it started with the “Count, Pour, Lick and Stick” which was the old way that prescriptions were filled before we had the technology and computers that we have today, the education given to patients. Pharmacists now give immunizations, which she enjoys. Nancy is interesting to me because she is so knowledgeable in what she does ,and she seems to still enjoy it.

Nancy takes many phone calls during a day.

 

 

Here Nancy is counting out a medication that will

 be for a patient.



 

Here Nancy is giving an immunization, this is new to our

 Pharmacy but she already enjoys it.