Massive construction projects in Cherry Creek North have made it difficult for holiday shoppers to find parking, so one creative business owner is taking matters into her own hands by offering to pay for customers to use UBER or Lyft to visit her gift shop.
Katie Friedland, owner of Show of Hands, an art gallery and gift shop that’s called Cherry Creek North home for 32 years, said she’s seen sales decline this year as shoppers steer clear of the area because of construction.
Even though Show of Hands has four of its own parking spots, to help save the holidays for all the small businesses in Cherry Creek North, the shop will pay anyone that presents a receipt for an UBER or Lyft ride into the area and spends $100 at the store, $20 in cash. Customers will receive $40 in cash if they spend $200 or more.
“While many people love finding one-of-a-kind gifts at the stores in Cherry Creek, because streets are closed and they can’t find parking, they are not visiting our store,” Friedland said. “I’m a single mom and small-business owner. While we support progress, the holiday season is critical to me and many of the retail stores in the area. After hearing complaints from customers and calculating current sales numbers, I realized we needed to get creative here. I though, if parking is the issue, then let’s pay for people to take an UBER or Lyft ride into the area to shop. Problem solved.”
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Margaret is a veteran Denver real estate reporter and can be contacted
here.