Manitou business owners hope for busy Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend usually means big sales in Manitou Springs, and business owners are counting on that to help make up for a tough summer.

The flash floods of recent weeks have scared off customers. Some business employees said they’ve felt the impact.

“Usually on the weekend, it’s shoulder-to-shoulder here in the store, and it’s not right now,” said Ron Doak, manager of Manitou Outpost and Gallery.

Doak and others expect fewer sales this Labor Day weekend than they have had in the past.

“It definitely won’t be as good, I think, because some of the seasonal tourists kind of left early, I believe, just because of the flood,” D’Vine Wine winemaker Ken Walker said.

But even if it’s not as busy as previous years, Walker expects this weekend to be busy. So does the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Center.

“I can guarantee you that you’re going to see a full town this whole weekend,” special events and media director Floyd O’Neil said.

He expects foot traffic from the annual Labor Day Arts and Crafts Festival. It will be at Fields Park on 101 El Paso Boulevard.