Where do you shop in Fort Collins? (Denver, Boulder: low income, appointed)

[mathgeek]

My family and I just went to Fort Collins to check it out as a possible place to live. However, I was very disappointed by the condition of the Foothills Mall. I saw the Centera outdoor mall in Loveland but it was not very big either and only had 2 children's clothing stores. Also, neither mall had a home store such as Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn or Williams Sonoma? Where do you shop in Fort Collins and especially in winter when an outdoor mall would not be very comfortable and not very close? With small children, walking around a nice mall with a nice clean play area comes in handy when it is very hot (like it was near 100 when we were there) or very cold. Thanks for any input!

[jazzlover]

Oh, horrors. Actually having to be OUTSIDE. That's what a lot of people move to Colorado for. Gee whiz, if you don't want your kids to be outside once in a while, maybe Colorado isn't for you. And, if your main thought is where to go to shop and consume--well, you can do that just about anywhere, too.

Somehow I think that the highest and best use of the beauty of Colorado is something besides a shopping mall. Instead of worrying about the shopping, maybe you should look at the natural beauty (before it gets paved over for you) that surrounds Fort Collins.

Sorry to be rough about this, but I think it illustrates some of the "upside down" priorities of a lot of Americans.

PS--I like to shop at Jax in Fort Collins--great store for outdoor clothing and gear for enjoying Colorado's, uh, outdoors . . .

[tfox]

There is also the Factory Outlets in Loveland, across the highway from the Centerra strip mall (which you already discovered).

I think a lot of the large national chains you mention don't consider Fort Collins / Loveland a large enough market for their products, so that would probably explain their absence.

However, when I lived in Fort Collins I rarely felt the need to shop anywhere outside of town. Even a trip to Loveland was quite rare for me. But I suppose that's my personal preference.

[cobmw]

The mall is in sad shape. Has been that way for years with stores coming and closing. There is a good deal of day-to-day shopping in FC, but few fun or higher end stores. I agree with mathgeek's impression of Centerra. Better than nothing, but with limited selection and long distances between stores (a hassle on hot or cold or windy or rainy or snowy days). The outlet stores appear desserted.

The reason for the poor local shopping choices is the relatively low income in FC (compared to Denver or even Longmont/Boulder). People don't have the money to spend on specialty stores. And local politics are against the growth needed to support more affluence (although the growth is occuring anyway, just outside of FC). As an employer it's great when we run an ad and are swamped with overqualified people answering. However, I'd feel differently if I were an employee especially in a slower economy.

FC is a nice clean, safe town with lots of parks and other benefits. Shopping is just not one of them. Live on the southeast side of town near I25 (Fossil Ridge) and drive to Denver to spend your money.

[cobmw]

As years go by I hope they improve the road to Denver. It's two lanes for half the distance, dangerous and in poor repair. Many of the streets in FC are also in need of repair after that last tough winter. Doesn't look like much is happening to fix them. I do see a new red light camera going in at Harmony and Timberline though.

[Rebel122]

haha i live in nyc and what with the crowded traffic, even here it takes me about an hour to get to the mall...and if I were to go to the local one I'd have to pay for parking, if it's even available. So even in the largest city in the nation malls are an issue. When I am living in CO one hour for a drive to the mall isn't new to me.

[mathgeek]

I have no problem being outside, that is why I am wanting to move to Colorado in the first place. However, one needs to shop occasionally especially during the holidays. Or I'd prefer my kids be indoors in extreme weather which hopefully is not often. It is more fun to get out and shope than just shop via the internet so I wanted to know where to go. I am sure there are cute shops in FC outside of chains as well, but I did not know where they are or ??, I guess I'll have to wait until I have more time there to look. I have been spoiled having 4-5 great malls within 45 min. of me, but worth giving up!

[tfox]

Originally Posted by cobmw

As years go by I hope they improve the road to Denver. It's two lanes for half the distance, dangerous and in poor repair. Many of the streets in FC are also in need of repair after that last tough winter. Doesn't look like much is happening to fix them. I do see a new red light camera going in at Harmony and Timberline though.

Unfortunately, CDOT has NO money, so improvements will come very slowly, if ever. CDOT is now looking at improving and widening I-25 from Exits 240 to 243 over the next 5 years -- that's the pace things move.

Enjoy I-25 as it is , because it will sadly never get any better than you have it right now.

[jazzlover]

I've ranted (much to chagrin of many on this forum, no doubt) about the dead end road (excuse the pun) our energy-gobbling sprawled auto-dependent society is headed down. Most people think that the biggest manifestation of that problem will be at the gas pump. That will be bad enough, but tfox has touched on another "leg" of the coming crisis--the one that will probably stick the fork in our current lifestyle: Simply stated: we can no longer afford to maintain our existing road infrastructure, much less build any significant new infrastructure. In Colorado CDOT had to resort to borrowing to even be able to build T-REX. In road maintenance lexicon, the term used more and more these days is "deferred maintenance." It's sort of like not painting your house this year. It saves a little money, but down the road, it will cost much more to repair the resulting damage. Well, there has been plenty of deferred maintenance going for years--even decades--on roads, bridges, and other highway structures in Colorado--and across the country. Whose going to be able to afford to pay when the BIG fix to those becomes necessary?

Some people aren't even smart enough to know that asphalt comes from . . . OIL! In little more than a year, the price of asphalt has tripled. Most of it in this region comes from just a couple of refineries. Well, we'll just use concrete. Well, concrete is already way more expensive and uses massive amounts of, guess what?--natural gas, to manufacture. Hmm . . . All of that equipment that builds and maintains those roads uses--diesel fuel, and lots of it.

So, tfox is right. The road network we've got is about as good as it's gonna get. In fact, it will probably get a lot WORSE. We would be much better off if we started funding alternatives (like rail) that are actually energy and maintenance efficient. We should also tell the developers that their new developments will have to pay the FULL cost of impacts on traffic and roads, and quit socializing that on the remainder of the taxpayers.

[bproven]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I've ranted (much to chagrin of many on this forum, no doubt) about the dead end road (excuse the pun) our energy-gobbling sprawled auto-dependent society is headed down. Most people think that the biggest manifestation of that problem will be at the gas pump. That will be bad enough, but tfox has touched on another "leg" of the coming crisis--the one that will probably stick the fork in our current lifestyle: Simply stated: we can no longer afford to maintain our existing road infrastructure, much less build any significant new infrastructure. In Colorado CDOT had to resort to borrowing to even be able to build T-REX. In road maintenance lexicon, the term used more and more these days is "deferred maintenance." It's sort of like not painting your house this year. It saves a little money, but down the road, it will cost much more to repair the resulting damage. Well, there has been plenty of deferred maintenance going for years--even decades--on roads, bridges, and other highway structures in Colorado--and across the country. Whose going to be able to afford to pay when the BIG fix to those becomes necessary?

Some people aren't even smart enough to know that asphalt comes from . . . OIL! In little more than a year, the price of asphalt has tripled. Most of it in this region comes from just a couple of refineries. Well, we'll just use concrete. Well, concrete is already way more expensive and uses massive amounts of, guess what?--natural gas, to manufacture. Hmm . . . All of that equipment that builds and maintains those roads uses--diesel fuel, and lots of it.

So, tfox is right. The road network we've got is about as good as it's gonna get. In fact, it will probably get a lot WORSE. We would be much better off if we started funding alternatives (like rail) that are actually energy and maintenance efficient. We should also tell the developers that their new developments will have to pay the FULL cost of impacts on traffic and roads, and quit socializing that on the remainder of the taxpayers.

I agree - but that makes too much sense. We just can't do things that seem logical...


BTW regarding the Foothills Mall in Ft Collins, I THINK it is still under consideration for revitalization (which is sorely needed). I really wish they would do something similar to what Boulder has with the Pearl Street Mall and make it a unique outdoor type of mall (or maybe a mixture). That way it wouldn't just be "another mall".