{"id":2456748,"date":"2020-04-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=323787"},"modified":"2020-04-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T06:00:00","slug":"one-major-landlord-in-willits-defers-april-rent-for-nearly-20-business-tenants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/one-major-landlord-in-willits-defers-april-rent-for-nearly-20-business-tenants\/","title":{"rendered":"One major landlord in Willits defers April rent for nearly 20 business tenants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Starbucks barista hands a drink order out of the drive-thru window in Willits Town Center on Wednesday. Starbucks reopened its drive-through service last weekend.<\/strong>
Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The Great Recession of 2008 hit the then-nascent Willits Town Center project hard \u2014 construction of Whole Foods Market stalled and left a hole in the ground<\/a>, more sites were vacant than developed, and a handful of restaurants and retail shops struggled to survive.<\/p>\n

A dozen years later, a recession fueled by the coronavirus crisis has hit the country even harder than in 2008. Despite the hardship and uncertainty of when the virus crisis will abate, Willits has a different feel this time around.<\/p>\n

Whole Foods is among the busiest businesses in the valley. Four Dogs Wine and Spirits and Basalt Bike and Ski are among business deemed vital that continue to serve the public. Several restaurants are providing take-out orders.<\/p>\n

But several businesses deemed non-essential under Colorado\u2019s stay-at-home order have gone dark for an unknown time. That\u2019s created hardships for several mom-and-pop operators.<\/p>\n

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