Favorite Accomplishments 2022

Great American Main Street Award Winner!

In May, we were recognized by National Main Street with a Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA). This highly competitive award celebrated our dedication to growing our local economy, preserving our unique history and building a strong sense of community. This award is a community accomplishment thanks to the hard work and many years of dedication from the Laramie Main Street staff, board, volunteers, and businesses. Learn more about our GAMSA win here: https://laramiemainstreet.org/great-american-main-street-award

Best Practices and Main Street Conference

Also in May a group of 10 Laramie Main Street staff, board members, and volunteers traveled to Virginia to participate in the Wyoming Main Street Best Practices tour (visiting 3 Virginia Main Street Communities to get inspiration and network) and National Main Street’s Main Street Now conference (a national conference of Main Street leaders). We came back with so many ideas and inspiration - thank you to Blue FCU for sponsoring our training! Read more about our volunteer’s experiences at https://laramiemainstreet.org/news

Finished the Apartments at the Empress

In September we finished the 3rd floor apartments in the Empress Building! Built in 2018 as a mixed use, infill project in the heart of downtown Laramie, the space was formerly home to the historic Empress, then Fox Theater, which was demolished due to neglect in 2009. Now the 3rd floor is fully utilized with three  brand new 1,000 square foot apartments. Learn more at https://laramiemainstreet.org/theempress

The completion of this building is a testimony to all our current and former board members who had a vision to "fill the hole". We've come a long way since this building came down in 2009. Adding residential units to this space has given Laramie Main Street the hands-on experience to be a collaborator in solving Laramie's housing shortage.  

Laradise Lane 

This summer we partnered with the City and Laramie Public Art Coalition to create a new and improved outdoor seating area downtown. Volunteers pulled weeds, removed trash and painted walls with left over paint from mural projects. We pooled funds with the City to have the lot leveled and gravel added then outlined the roofs with lights! The Laramie Vision Clinic commissioned local artist, Favian Hernandez to create a mural on their blank wall. We topped it off by adding oversized games for the summer. It's wonderful to see the outdoor spaces downtown grow and evolve. 

International Flavor Festival

In the spring we hosted our first International Flavor Fest - a restaurant crawl featuring international inspired dishes. We paired international community members with restaurants who created a special dish for that week inspired by that country. We had 20 downtown restaurants participate who infused a menu item with flavors inspired by over 80 international community members and students from over 40 nations. Save the date for the 2023 International Flavor festival April 4- 8 Learn more at https://laramiemainstreet.org/international-flavor-festival

Wyo Theater Fundraising

We had fun this year fundraising for the historic WYO theater. From the Devine Eats dinner & music fundraiser at the Depot, to WYO Gives Day in July, the Nu2u street party in Sept., to a spooky burlesque show for Halloween and custom WYO popcorn earrings - we made a dent in our fundraising goal. We covered the costs to maintain the building and set aside funds to match grants we will write in 2023. While we’ve still got a L O N G  W A Y to go before the building can be re opened, we are deeply grateful to our Team Wyo volunteers and donors for getting us this far. Learn more at https://laramiemainstreet.org/thewyo

Small Business Saturday

We gave away bags with mystery prizes for this year’s small business Saturday and we were amazed by the turn out - we were out of prizes by 9:30 am. And we love seeing everyone using their shop Laramie bags downtown while they support our amazing small businesses. Plus the shopsmalllaramie.com website had 7,678 views this season!  Keep up the great work supporting our local businesses - all year and during the holiday season.

Sponsorships

We were thrilled to see an outpouring of support from sponsors this year. We expanded our sponsorship opportunities and the Laramie community really stepped up. Sponsorships help us cover the cost of our downtown events, training and other critical expenses. If you are interested in sponsoring for 2023 contact Taylor at sponsorshop@laramiemainstreet.org Thank you!

Downtown Trees

Early this summer we were able to replace 15 of the trees downtown. Our past trees had suffered some harsh weather and some even outgrew their space in the sidewalk. This left us with 30 trees needing to be replaced. Thanks to Laramie Beautification, Randy the City Arborist, and Tiger Tree we were able to remove stumps and plant 15 new trees better suited for life on the sidewalk. We have plans to continue planting trees this summer.

New Businesses

Every year our Downtown economic ecosystem grows, shifts and changes. This year we saw 10 new businesses open. 


• Bella Blu Home Goods & Gifts - 308 S. 3rd Street


• Bejo Dua Sushi & Ramen - 213 Grand Avenue


• Blue Mountain Bookstore - 208 Grand Avenue


• Digital Doctors - 
306 S 3rd St

• Wild West Creations - 207 E Grand Avenue


• Fernando's Mexican Grill - 110 Ivinson Avenue


• The Collective Center for Healing Arts - 100 S 2nd St


• Link Innovative Cycling Solutions- 263 N 3rd St


• The Zone - 116 Grand Ave

• WYO LifeStim - 121 Grand Ave Suite 202

As grassroots, community driven economic developers, it brings us great joy to assist new entrepreneurs in establishing their business downtown! Plus we have a new intern, Kim Jessen, who is dedicated to business outreach! So she has been visiting with businesses both brand new or established and will continue in 2023.

Shantel's Main Street Conference Experience

I recently had the privilege of attending my second National Main Street Conference.  It was a great chance to see another part of the country and reconnect with people from Wyoming and across the nation.  This trip served well to remind me of why I love our downtown, community of Laramie and the state of Wyoming. It also reinforced for me 3 things that I believe in for our community.  They revolve around community service, need for housing, and need for small business support.

“This trip served well to remind me of why I love our downtown, community of Laramie and the state of Wyoming. It also reinforced for me 3 things that I believe in for our community. They revolve around community service, need for housing, and need for small business support.”

Spending time with others from around the state for 2 days learning new things and sharing was a highlight.  It is always fun to learn what other programs are doing and how they are doing them.  This allows for fresh new ideas to be shared and tweaked to fit the needs of downtown Laramie. I also had the opportunity to get to know others from our own community a little better and see them serve, learn, and be excited about existing and new ideas and opportunities for our community.  Those that know me know that I believe wholeheartedly in serving my community and that everyone else also has a place in serving. We can go and gather lots of great ideas to help but without able bodies to help carry out the vision we can only accomplish so much.

This trip was a much-needed revitalization for me for my love of our downtown along with a stark reminder that there are so many more great things we could be doing if only we had more people to help us do the work required. Not everyone is called to serve downtown but I do believe there is somewhere for each and every person in our community to be able to serve others for the benefit of the community as a whole.

I was also able to attend some sessions to learn more about housing issues across the nation.  I know this is a big topic for Laramie right now so as crazy as it may seem, it was nice to be reminded that we are not alone.  National Main Street is working on some great data for our downtowns to use to understand where downtowns fit into the housing crisis.  I am excited to see how Laramie continues to tackle this issue and specifically how Laramie Main Street can work with property owners in our downtown to increase the number of housing units available in our downtown.  We have so many opportunities and now is prime time to figure out how to capitalize on them.

Lastly, I was reenergized about some ideas for supporting the businesses and budding entrepreneurs in our community that had been topics at the first National Main Street conference I attended a few years ago.  One of these programs helps use public funding for businesses to start or expand.  It allows ideas to come forward and community members to show up and choose which idea they want to start at a low cost of $5 per person.  A business can use this to pitch an expansion, a patio upgrade, a new offering, or anything else they can think of that they think the community would support.  Businesses are offered some guidance and coaching throughout the process and then the community gets to be involved in helping with funding and encouragement.  New businesses can also pitch themselves in the same vein to garner community support and funding. 

Another great idea for our community is a Possibilities Tour.  This takes vacant spaces in our district and invites the community to check out the spaces and envision a future for those spaces.  This can help existing or prospective property owners to get ideas for the spaces as well as understand more about things the community desires for Laramie spaces.

As a small business owner myself I know that it can sometimes seem like we are alone in this journey.  I know that Laramie Main Street tries to support or businesses in our downtown in many ways. I also know that all my needs and desires can’t be met without some of my own time and resources being added to the cause. It was nice to be able to visit with other business owners from across the state and the nation to help understand how their main street programs have helped them and what they are doing to help these integral parts of our community.  

I personally was reminded of my need to help figure out more ways to help the small business owners in our downtown help themselves and help the community.  I have committed again to pursing ways to finish our wayfinding signage and entrance signs into our beautiful downtown. I also hope to be able to do more business to business outreach for Laramie Main Street as well. 

“Remember to find your place to serve in the community and to shop local!”

Ultimately, as our Great American Main Street Award win show, downtown Laramie is doing great things for our community.  And I am energized about that.  But I also know that this was just a stepping stone on the way to many other great things to come with support from community member involvement, helping to shrink the housing shortage, and continuing to support our local small business owners.  Remember to find your place to serve in the community and to shop local!

Chaz's Main Street Conference Experience

“The main take away I have from the 2022 National Main Street Conference, was that no matter the size or location of the organization, local programs are facing the exact same issues we are here in Laramie. Volunteer burnout, disorganized boards and overworked EDs were a common thread in the round table discussions I took part in. It really made me take a step back, breathe and refocus on the ways I can effect change in our district.”

The main take away I have from the 2022 National Main Street Conference, was that no matter the size or location of the organization, local programs are facing the exact same issues we are here in Laramie.  Volunteer burnout, disorganized boards and overworked EDs were a common thread in the round table discussions I took part in.  It really made me take a step back, breathe and refocus on the ways I can effect change in our district.  This strengthened my commitment to our downtown and gave me a clearer picture on what success as a board member would look like for me.  I have many ideas on how we can help propel the board forward as we deepen our “institutional” knowledge and strengthen the relationships throughout the organization and community as a whole. 

I was pleased to see the topic of housing as a featured topic at the conference as well.  As the Laramie community faces housing challenges, the timing has never been better to encourage re-investment into the districts grossly underutilized 2nd floor spaces.  The pre-development work needed on some of these buildings can be daunting in and of itself, which is where our organization can really step up.  With the experience the board and ED have gained through the development of the 3rd floor of the Empress building, I believe the organization is well positioned to aid property owners who lack the time and expertise to even know where to begin such an undertaking.  

Additionally, we have the good fortune of having a Downtown Development Authority (DDA) that, through collaborative efforts, could aid in establishing minimum property condition standards and perhaps even work toward passage and implementation of ordinances that combat blight and dilapidation within the district.  Traditionally, the capabilities of the DDA have only been marginally leveraged, there is much more this group could do to promote the vitality of the physical assets in our district.  As an appointed member of that group, I intend to focus on education of appointees (including myself) on the breadth of what the DDA embodies, develop and deploy a work plan and what revenue generating activities would best fit the district. 

“To work with such an amazing and passionate group of community members has been truly remarkable. ”

I sincerely appreciate the opportunity I was given to attend the conference, which has already begun to bear the fruit of innovation.  To work with such an amazing and passionate group of community members has been truly remarkable. 

Ali's Main Street Conference Takeaways

Our week began by touring Main Street towns of Virginia. Together with WY leaders, we savored historic preservation, renovation, economic revitalization, public art, local flavors, and hospitality. And guess what? We arrived at the National Main Street conference to discover that Laramie was named one of the 3 of the greatest (out of ~1000 Main Streets) in the USA!!! We returned to Laramie with newly formed connectedness and inspiration. Here are my takeaways.

Main Street 2022 Takeaways

Tailgate Around Town!

Fall is in the air and homecoming is finally here! This homecoming weekend, the University of Wyoming Cowboys face off against the Utah State Aggies for the Bridger’s Battle rivalry. The festivities kick off in the morning with the Homecoming Parade down Grand Avenue into Downtown Laramie. The parade will begin at Cowboy Coffee on the corner of 14th Street and Grand Avenue traveling down Grand Avenue to 2nd Street and back up Ivinson Avenue to 9th Street. However, due to TV scheduling, the Cowboys game is not until 7:45 PM. Wondering what to do between the parade and kickoff? Spend a few hours tailgating around Laramie with our itinerary below:

Shopping

Shop for Wyoming gear downtown – Buy your brown & gold gear and support local owners and makers. Check out the Knothole, Miss Etta’s, Works of Wyoming, Pinebeach Inc., Bent & Rusty & more!

Hit the Breweries

Enjoy downtown’s 5 breweries during open container hours. 11 to 9 pm.

Mural Tour

Take your brews on a self guided mural walking tour within the downtown open container district.

Foodie Tour

Visit Guy Fieri-Approved Restaurants on the Foodie Tour, or tempt your sweet tooth at the Chocolate Cellar, Sugar Mouse and Big Dipper!

Must-See Museums and Activities

Check out Laramie’s free and family friendly local attractions before kickoff.

Additional Fall Events

Check out Visit Laramie’s events calendar for even more activities. The first ever Fall Fest at the Albany County Fairgrounds will be a highlight, with a chili cookoff, pie baking contest, cornhole tournament, and costume contest! For the youngsters, enjoy the family-friendly Albany County Library tailgate with music, face painting, barbecue, and more! If that’s not enough, get started on the 2022 Halloween GhostChase!

Taylor's Main Street Conference Experience

“ In forming deeper relationships, I feel a much better sense of community and support, and it excites me to know that I am working with such a great group of  people! ”

I want to start off by giving a shoutout and HUGE thank you to Blue Federal Credit Union! This was my first ever time attending a conference with Laramie Main Street as  a volunteer, and WOW I had so many takeaways from both conferences that I was able to attend all thanks to Blue. The Wyoming Best practices was an amazing opportunity to  connect with and grow my relationship with other Laramie Main Street Alliance volunteers and staff, but also Main Streeters from all over the State. In forming deeper relationships, I feel a much better sense of community and support, and it excites me to know that I am working with such a great group of  people! One of the keys to any successful venture is teamwork, and I feel so energized about the team that we have here in Laramie. 

The National Conference also offered up a lot of networking opportunities, and new ideas that I am excited to bring to our community and Main Street program. As the Sponsor Chair I really wanted to focus on any workshops that talked about fundraising, and then ideas about what to do with those funds once they are raised. One of my favorite ideas came from the Chattanooga Main Street team that presented their Chattanooga Express Card program.  This program was very similar to Cowboy Cash in that it was a way to provide an option for a gift certificate to Downtown businesses as a whole. This is great because it opens up options for employers who like to offer gift cards as an employee incentive to support local businesses rather than corporations like Starbucks. Another exciting feature of their program was the utilization of sponsorship and grant money to incentivize the purchase of the Chattanooga Express Cards. They offered deals like an extra ten dollars when you purchase a fifty dollar gift card, or twenty-five when you purchased a one hundred dollar gift card. On top of that they offered those deals at strategic times, with a 90 day limit on the “bonus cash” to help spur spending in the local shops. Lastly, their program was digital, this allowed them to issue reminders, reissue lost cards, and place that 90-day limit on cards. Our Cowboy Cash program is really great, but I would love to integrate some of these practices into our program moving forward.

That is going to be one of my main focuses for 2023, but to name a few others that I would like to assist moving forward would be:

• Better communication and collaboration between other non-profit organizations in Laramie

  • How can we assist each other achieve common goals

• A template for the yearly plan that can be easily updated, and shared with the public!

• Brainstorming more community events that are welcoming and fun for all

“During the conference one of the speakers said, “If you are not moving forward, you might be moving backward”, and that resonated with me. No matter the organization or project, if you are not moving forward and growing in your ideas, methods and plans, you may just be setting yourself back.”

During the conference one of the speakers said, “If you are not moving forward, you might be moving backward”, and that resonated with me. No matter the organization or project, if  you are not moving forward and growing in your ideas, methods and plans, you may just be setting yourself back. In our fast-paced, always changing world it is essential to always find ways to improve and keep moving forward! While I have a few specific goals, my overall mantra for this year is going to be that quote, and it will be something that I will ask myself as I decide on where to invest my time and energy to best serve the Laramie Main Street program and the Laramie community. 

Thank you again Blue Federal Credit Union for affording me the opportunity to build relationships within the organization and come back with knowledge, and a reignited passion to move Laramie Main Street Alliance forward!

Rob's Best Practices Workshop Experience

I will say first and foremost that by far the best part of the workshop is just the opportunity to talk and exchange ideas with other like minded individuals.  This was equally important with the other participants from Wyomng and the people we interacted with in each town in Virginia.  I especially enjoyed my bus buddy Genia who owns a retail shop in Wheatland.  As you can imagine we could relate on a lot of topics and had some ideas for each other as business owners.

The towns of Blackstone, Farmville and Hopewell all had interesting stories to tell and Main Streets of different scales with unique challenges and advantages.  Blackstone I very much appreciated what they had done to make an extremely small town with a unique clientele, (the military base), into a town that at times gathered regional attention for events and its history.  Overall I would say that the lessons learned in Blackstone were linked to how important it is for organizations in a small town to work together and to not underestimate one overly driven individual's mark on the community.  Farmville for me was a town that was in the opposite place of Blackstone.  They seemed to have many things set up to have a vibrant downtown.  These included many unique old buildings in overall great condition, a huge keystone business that has a nationwide draw and a large student population.  And yet they had lost their Mainstreet accreditation.  The lesson here for me was to not get complacent or over confident, it is good to always strive to be better.  Hopewell was a scrappy small town.  The current projects were very interesting and the director seemed very driven.  However they have many challenges ahead and a lot of empty storefronts.  My take from this is that it always feels good to root for an underdog.  So if that is where you are at, keep your head up and don't be afraid to tell your story, people want to listen.

“Overall I feel like the workshop helped me to get some extra drive and motivation. My main takeaway was an appreciation for LMSA and where we are at as an organization. My current goal is to be extra mindful of how big my main focus with Mainstreet is, which is the Wyo Theater of course!”

Overall I feel like the workshop helped me to get some extra drive and motivation.  My main takeaway was an appreciation for LMSA and where we are at as an organization.  My current  goal is to be extra mindful of how big my main focus with Mainstreet is, which is the Wyo Theater of course.  I intend to make sure that I put my strongest energy into this project and to not stress if that means I have to miss other Mainstreet opportunities.  The GAMSA award winning Mainstreet program in Laramie has a bright future ahead and is a great place to be involved!

Devine Eats Hosts Fundraising Event to “Revive the Wyo”

On Aug. 20th, Linda Devine of Devine Eats will host a fundraiser event for the Laramie Main Street “Revive the Wyo” at the historic train depot in Downtown Laramie. Funds raised will assist with the rehabilitation of the Wyo Theater. Devine Eats is cooking up a cajun themed menu and the Hazel Miller & The Collective will be playing from 6 - 9 pm. Doors will open at 5 pm. Tickets are $35 per person and include dinner and entertainment. They can be purchased at https://htru.io/Ssrf. A cash bar will be available. For more information, visit:  https://www.facebook.com/events/336167218548172

Linda Devine, an avid supporter of Laramie Main Street and the Revive the Wyo campaign and owner of the local food truck that aims to bring people together through food, has organized this event in honor of her birthday. The event will channel the annual celebratory benefits towards community building in Downtown Laramie. After attending a past Hazel Miller & The Collective concert, Devine contracted the eclectic jazz, R&B, and blues band to perform at the birthday fundraiser. Playing music that “excites and involves the listener,” Devine hopes that attendees will be moved to dance and sing along, and hopefully donate to the Revie the Wyo efforts! More information about Hazel Miller & The Collective can be found at https://www.hazelmiller.biz/hazel. To learn more about Devine Eats, visit: https://www.facebook.com/DevineEatsWY

About Revive the Wyo: In August of 2019, Laramie Main Street was gifted the shuttered Wyo Theater. Since that time, a dedicated team of community volunteers made up of artists, business leaders, educators, and preservationists have been exploring the feasibility of what it would take to turn the building into a mixed use educational, entertainment venue. At this time, our highest priority are improvements to make the building safe to occupy, including electrical and mechanical upgrades, a fire suppression system and ADA accessibility. These items are essential to bring the building up to code, providing for public safety when the doors are re open.

For more information about the “Revive the Wyo” campaign, to volunteer, share photos, memories, or make a tax deductible contribution, visit: https://laramiemainstreet.org/thewyo

About Laramie Main Street Alliance: Laramie Main Street Alliance strives to preserve historic Downtown Laramie while enhancing its economic and social vitality.

Laramie Main Street Alliance is a 501 (c)(3) Nonprofit Organization, operating as part of the State of Wyoming's “Wyoming Main Street'' program under the Wyoming Business Council, guided by the principles of the National Main Street Program. More information can be found at laramiemainstreet.org. 

Farmer's Market Sustainability Series: Biking Sustainability

Gearing up for Laramie’s summer means another season with a downtown farmer’s market. If you’ve decided to head down to the farmer’s market you are already thinking sustainably, another way to improve your green thumb is by participating in mindful methods at the market. Other than reusable bags and produce storage, think—transportation! Hopping on a bike instead of a car is not only better for you, but the environment as well! You’ll be able to lessen your carbon emissions and burn up to 280 calories per hour by biking. Ultimately, practicing sustainable transportation is one thing, but understanding the implications behind it is another thing altogether.

Fast Facts:

·       Cycling’s carbon footprint is about 21g of CO2 per kilometer. This is less than walking or getting the bus and 10 times less than the emissions of driving.

·       If cycling’s popularity in Britain increased six-fold, pedaling replaced driving, then a net reduction of 7.7 million tons of CO2 annually could be made which is equivalent to 6% of the UK’s transport emissions

·       Average car emissions for a UK car is 200g CO2e per km, to include manufacturing emissions of the car and fuel each passenger comes to 271g CO2e per km of driving.

·       The average cost in the US to drive a car 15,000 miles a year was $8,698 in 2015, about 58 cents per mile.

Now, what you may be surprised by is that the research comparisons in emissions looks at all aspects of transportation methods, including fuel. To examine this further, food is fuel to humans whereas gasoline is fuel to cars. Thus, most of cycling’s greenhouse gas emissions occurs when producing the food needed to “fuel” cycling, with the rest stemming from the manufacturing of the bicycle. One factor that the emissions calculations links to cyclists rather than drivers is the “rebound effect”. The rebound effect refers to when people who make decisions to be more eco-conscious, such as cycling or walking, decide to utilize saved funds on other polluting activities such as taking more showers, or doing more laundry. Ultimately, one has to be careful and mindful of the decisions made after deciding to mitigate carbon emissions.

Local benefits? Biking contributes less wear and tear on public roads, ultimately leading to less closed roads for construction in the future. Another massive benefit to cycling is less traffic and decreased noise pollution. Instead, bikers get to listen to the therapeutic sounds of mother nature. So, grab a bike bag from a downtown business and pedal to the farmer’s market! There are plenty of bike racks provided in the downtown area, either permanently installed in Laramie, or temporarily donated by Bikenet!

References

BikeRadar. 2022. 9 reasons why bike commuting is better than driving. [online] Available at: <https://www.bikeradar.com/features/9-reasons-why-bike-commuting-is-better-than-driving/> [Accessed 21 April 2022].

Reads, L., 2022. How green is cycling? Riding, walking, ebikes and driving ranked. [online] BikeRadar. Available at: <https://www.bikeradar.com/features/long-reads/cycling-environmental-impact/?msclkid=f60c8719c0e111ecadadf669eed1c9dd> [Accessed 21 April 2022].

Jennie's Main Street Conference Experience

The difference between Ashland, Virginia and Laramie, Wyoming are many.  After visiting Virginia for a few days for the National Main Street Conference in May 2022, I was ready to move to Ashland – a train town with a small college, a cozy down town with locally owned shops and restaurants, a recently renovated historic theater, and amazing historic houses with reasonable asking price.  What kept me from packing up my bags and becoming a southerner was the fact that Ashland was not a 2022 GAMSA (Great American Main Street Award) winner…and the eerie similarities of the two towns telling me I’m right where I need to be.

“ I am proud to serve on the LMSA board and hope that we can continue to make downtown Laramie the character-filled heart of the town where we have all chosen to live.  ”

As I sat in the auditorium next to staff, board members, and volunteers of Laramie Main Street Association (LMSA) watching the highlight video of downtown Laramie aerial and street views accompanied by interviews from some amazing locals and the LMSA director, tears filled my eyes as I realized the immense amount of work that has gone into making Laramie “great”.  I am proud to serve on the LMSA board and hope that we can continue to make downtown Laramie the character-filled heart of the town where we have all chosen to live.  Some of the other lessons I learned while at the conference are those of the importance of storytelling, supporting the LMSA staff, and bonding with fellow board members.

I think there are stories that have yet to be told about downtown – stories of childhood memories, first dates, and making new friends.  These stories are what keep people coming back and supporting the local restaurants, bars, and shops while enjoying a street dance or carnival ride on a summer night, celebrating the win of a UW sports team during the school year, preparing for the holidays, or commemorating graduation in the spring.  As LMSA staff members plan events and support the places where memories are made, my fellow board members are committed to ensuring they have what they need to do their jobs and come to work with energy and ideas.

In short, my time at the conference helped me become a more dedicated board member with a stronger appreciation for the level of dedication members of the Laramie community have for supporting small business owners to make downtown not just a place, but an experience that is memorable.  I think Laramie might just be a place other people visit and leave with a yearning to move here.

“In short, my time at the conference helped me become a more dedicated board member with a stronger appreciation for the level of dedication members of the Laramie community have for supporting small business owners to make downtown not just a place, but an experience that is memorable.  I think Laramie might just be a place other people visit and leave with a yearning to move here.”