Old Town a tight-knit family of businesses

The Desert Sun • November 5, 2009

Old Town is the heart and soul of La Quinta, comprising unique retail shops and six restaurants. It is also a great place to take advantage of services ranging from spas and salons to real estate, banking and even a pottery studio where visitors can come and create with clay.

Each restaurant has distinctive and delicious dining options with patios offering majestic views of the Santa Rosa Mountains.

Old Town is also a great place to shop for one-of-a-kind fashions, gifts or accessories.

As the leasing and property manager of Old Town La Quinta, I am excited to take this opportunity to share with you the magnificent fabric of Old Town, which contributes to this colorful tapestry of La Quinta's Main Street.

The word "community" is described as "the district or locality in which such a group lives and has common interests and shares participation and fellowship." I find this to be a very accurate description of the lifestyle you will find at Old Town La Quinta.

You can feel it with every sip of your coffee, every taste of your meal. It surrounds you as you shop for that exceptional gift, or when you are running your day-to-day errands such as picking up dry cleaning, getting your shoes polished or meeting up with friends for a glass of wine.

I'm really proud when I hear from customers who frequent Old Town say that what keeps them coming back is the positive energy they experience and the feeling that Old Town La Quinta is the hub of the community. Our customers respond to this sense of community and feel Old Town gives them a more personal retail, dining and entertainment experience.

In these tough economic times, it's refreshing to know that our customers have a personal vested interest in the success of Old Town as a whole, and that it gives them a sense of belonging while supporting the businesses they frequent. The same is true for those who choose Old Town as the place to open their business. Very often I am told it is because it comes down to a lifestyle choice and the convenience of having your office or store in a locale where you feel as though you are a contributor to the multicolored tapestry of Old Town - not to mention the numerous conveniences and beautiful surroundings.

Once you "experience" Old Town, I am confident you will come to realize that this is a place where you will run into old friends and meet new ones.

If you haven't had an opportunity to visit the farmers market on Sunday mornings, I encourage you to do so. This is the perfect introduction to the community spirit that thrives in Old Town's charming setting.

The economic slowdown has had an impact on many of us in our community. The owners of businesses at Old Town can tell you firsthand the challenges they have faced this past year. This is where that true camaraderie among the store owners, loyal customers, myself and the owners of Old Town have become so vital in supporting one another - not just emotionally, but financially - to sustain the viability of our community. For many store and restaurant owners, the friendships have come to evolve into a sense of "family," adding to the uniqueness of owning a business or being a customer of Old Town. When a business does not survive, it has a trickle-down effect, and there is a sense of loss felt by all.

The turnover of businesses is common on every Main Street. In these instances, I have to look for the silver lining - and that has become an opportunity to recruit new businesses.

Old Town has had many recent successes, with several new businesses opening in the last six months. And it gives me great pleasure to report that these new businesses are thriving, which is due to a community that understands the value of shopping local.

The owner of Old Town, along with myself and our businesses owners, understand the significance of supporting our business partners in the La Quinta Village. We truly believe we are all in this together, and believe in the theory that more is better. The success of more businesses opening and thriving in the Village will only help to create a true downtown La Quinta Village.

Old Town La Quinta will continue to do its part to support the surrounding businesses, and to contribute to the overall goal the city of La Quinta has for this picturesque Village.

Leslie Locken is the leasing and property manager for Old Town La Quinta.