NorthernArizonaNews.com
INSIDE
Opinion: Local businesses must adapt to chains, p 8 Sports: Volleyball, p 16 A&E: New yogurt shop, p 19
SINCE 1914
Bustling business New chains, such as Chipolte and Panda Express, have come to Flag in the past few months. What is driving this rapid expansion in a down economy?
Life:
Random roomates, p 12
Issue 2, VOL 99 Sept. 8 - Sept. 14, 2011
U.S. Rep. Gosar featured at Tea Party town hall meet BY William Brown
A
partisan air has settled over the country’s political mood, but on Saturday people gathered at a town hall meeting at the Flagstaff Woodlands Radisson to listen — and speak to — Arizona conservatives, including U.S. Representative (R-AZ-01) Paul Gosar. The “Feet to the Fire Taxpayer Town Hall” series, GOSAR sponsored by the Arizona branch of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), came to Flagstaff after a recent
appearance in Sedona. The AFP is planning even more town hall meetings and open forums in the coming months to discuss the economic state of the nation. The Arizona AFP Director, Tom Jenney, said the main purpose of the meeting was to inform people of the economic trouble the country is in. “What we are trying to achieve is to get the congressman and to get taxpayers and Tea Partiers see TOWN HALL page 7
Farmers market their wares
Growers, residents sprout By Trevor Gould
Employees at Chipolte serve food to a line of customers. Chipolte, a Mexican food restaurant that opened at the start of summer, is just one of many new chains. (Photo by Andrew Conte) BY william brown
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t a time when jobs are difficult to find and unemployment is high, businesses are still coming to Flagstaff. Walmart opened a new outlet at 2601 E. Huntington Dr. this past year, and a new Subway Café just opened at 1500 E. Cedar Ave. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a chain which started in Virginia, is also coming to town and is slated to open later this year in the Green Tree Shopping Plaza adjacent to campus. John Stig-
open for business • Chipotle • Panda Express • Subway Cafe (Expansion to Milton Subway) • Walmart (Huntington Dr.) • Little Caesar’s
coming soon
• Five Guys • Renovated McDonalds (Milton)
mon, economic development manager for the city of Flagstaff, said the city is attractive to retailers due to the growth of the city and NAU. “The market is growing,” Stigmon said. “The market grows in population by about 2 percent a year, consistent over the last 30 years. With the recession, it’s begun to slow down. Our market is much more stable than other Arizona markets . . . and then, the university has been growing. So, not only has our base population been growing, but the university
E
very Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning, the Flagstaff City Hall parking lot undergoes a dramatic transformation. Instead of cars, the asphalt lot is full of tents and booths, each one displaying an abundance of local wares. Vendors carry crates and boxes teeming with fresh local produce, propping them up on tables to ensure they are right in people’s line of sight. Customers flock to the parking lot, perusing the wide variety of fruits and vegetables while interacting with the local farming community. This scene is the Flagstaff Community Market (FCM), a weekly event that enables residents to interact and purchase fresh produce from a host of local growers. see MARKET page 22
see BUSINESS page 5
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