Among the towns in Summit County, Dillon remains unique in its emphasis on the way it is situated amid picturesque, natural beauty. The town has had the will to preserve its ambiance. This is not to say that Breckenridge hasn’t its views and Frisco doesn’t look up to majestic Mount Royal. Silverthorne has the Blue River rushing along the town’s side, but to look across Lake Dillon to the towering peaks of Buffalo and Red Mountains and Peak One gives one the understanding of the grandeur of the Dillon’s blessed location.

This said, Dillon, for one reason or another, hasn’t attracted a lot of businesses. As we are urged to support our local shops, I recall the complaint of one of Dillon Town Council’s members that he didn’t have a local coffee place near by that he could frequent. Of course, there is the Starbucks at the entrance of City Market, but if one were looking for a place at the town’s center, he or she could and should now support the Dillon Coffee Lab which opened this spring.  

Having lost the Arapahoe Café, Dillon residents can help to build up the businesses we do have and help them get a leg up and maybe even expand into somethings larger and more inviting. The town center could stand more traffic, but this is a chicken-and-egg proposition. Without support, local businesses will wither and die. At the same time, the town and we citizens must do what we can to help Dillon beautify its town center and campaign to remove what is blighted and attract more merchants.

As the holiday season approaches, we might do well to eschew a bit of our internet shopping and concentrate more of our attention and dollars on the businesses in our own locales. Wishing won’t enable longevity. It takes revenue.