Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.   Like the squirrels bringing in their supply of pine cones and lining their winter quarters with as much fluff as they can find, Nederland business owners start remodeling their shops or moving into new ones before winter hits.

They can’t do it in summer because that’s when the tourists fill their cash registers, and they can’t do it in winter because it is too cold to dig or pour concrete, and they want to be ready for business over the holidays.

As the last of the leaves detached from their branches and skittered through downtown, signs of upgrading, remodeling, or switching out digs appeared.

A large chain link fence was wrapped around the Smoker Friendly building as the gas pumps were pulled out and excavation began to remove the old tanks. It will take about two months to finish the project depending on what kind of shape the old tanks are in and what kind of weathers drops in on the project.

“Not to worry,” said employee Rob Robison. “One of the underground tanks went bad and then the pumps started going bad so we are digging up the tanks and replacing the pumps.” With the upgrade, customers will have the option of swiping their cards outside. A canopy will be built over the pumps so that people are more protected from the cold and the wind while filling their tanks.

The change will also mean more parking for the customers who pull up for tobacco products. Robison says that it gets to be hectic in the summer when drivers pull up to the pumps and come inside and the next person in line pulls up and pumps the gas before it can be switched.

Across the roundabout the Kwik Mart’s exterior has been sided, waiting for its new look. “We are getting a little botox,” says manager Kim Ingram. There will be a three-foot stone bottom with stucco on the top, a new modern look.

The Kwik Mark was built in the early 70s where a residence once stood. It was purchased by Gene Reagan and is still owned by his sons. Ingram said the remodel will include a handicapped ramp at the entrance. They will also be taking a look at the inventory and adding more organic products to meet the health needs of locals. “We plan to have something for everyone.”

This past weekend, Doug Armitage and Brightwood Music, in their seventh year in Ned, moved from the Kathmandu Plaza into the lower part of the Caribou Village Shopping Center. The move took about 12 days of gradually moving violins, guitars, and violas, as well as all of the equipment required to keep instruments finely tuned and together.

Armitage says, “Moving from one place to another is a nightmare, but we had lots of support from our customers and friends and stayed open during the whole move.”

Moving the location became necessary to accommodate Brightwood’s inventory of instruments, mostly packed away in boxes in corners. Now they are brightly displayed, hanging on the wall from front to back of the shop.

Armitage says that he relishes the larger, more convenient parking area, which makes it easier for customers to come in for lessons or to shop.

As one shop moves in, another moves out. The Granite Creek Eye Care shop has closed its doors, due to the past owner’s health issues.

Stephen Tebo, owner of Tebo Properties, which owns the shopping center, has within the past year rebuilt the parking lot. Recently, when he learned that the Laundromat might go out of business, he jumped in and purchased the coin-operated laundry that so many residents depend on.

The Laundromat continues to be open, being managed by shopping center property manager Barbara Hardt and a crew of volunteers and friends who are opening, closing and cleaning the business.

Hardt says a new coin change machine will be installed, and gradually, the washers and dryers will be replaced. She says a laundering wash and fold service will be offered.

She says Tebo rescued the business because of his vested interest in the town and its people. He knows that Nederland needs a place to clean the mountain grit from their clothing.

Steve Hauser, who has maintained the shopping center since it first opened said that the laundromat was first owned by Mayor John Doctor. It was contained in two bays and had a kids’ playroom and a television.

The Train Cars have also made improvements, including the decision that the historic train cars should be called, simply, the Train Cars. No matter what any one business owner named them, they were always called the Train Cars.

Jessalynn Shady has been the manager of the business for the past five years and says that in the past year, they’ve increased their menu to include breakfast and lunch all day long, and therefore needed more space so they added another counter.

Tamales are the newest hot sellers on the menu, made with chicken and smothered with green chili and sour cream.

“We are the only place with our own roasted organic beans in town,” says Shady. The train cars have been in their present location since the late 70’s.

As we move into fall, the business owners who work so hard to bring goods and services to our mountain residents recuperate from the summer’s tourist trade to regroup and restock, and maybe even to relax before the ski season and the holiday shopping begins.