Gas Archives - Pay Per Touch

July 6, 2022

EU lawmakers back gas, nuclear energy as sustainable | Business News

If you know of local business openings or closings, please notify us here.

PREVIOUS OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS

· Air Products and Chemicals Inc.’s chosen warehouse developer, Prologis Inc., will have to wait until July 13 for a final decision by Upper Macungie Township’s zoning hearing board on 2.61 million square feet of warehouses.

· Chubby’s of Southside Easton has added Krispy Krunchy Chicken to its offerings and name.

· Curaleaf Holdings Inc., which operates in the U.S. and Europe, will open a medical-marijuana dispensary at 1801 Airport Road, Hanover Township.

· Habitat for Humanity, which has “ReStores” that sell new and lightly used furniture, has leased 30,000 square feet at the South Mall.

· Nat Hyman’s bid to convert an old warehouse at 938 Washington St. in Allentown into 48 apartments did not win zoning hearing board approval this week after neighbors said more housing would make an on-street parking shortage worse.

· Members 1st Federal Credit Union opened a new branch this week at 5605 Hamilton Blvd, Trexlertown. It’s one of five planned for the Lehigh Valley.

· A Turkish restaurant has relocated from one downtown to another, taking its fresh ingredients and cozy atmosphere from Nazareth to 200 Main St., Tatamy.

· The Tennessee Titans have chosen Allentown-based Shift4 Payments to handle payments at Nissan Stadium.

· Wells Fargo Bank held ribbon-cutting at its downtown Allentown branch at 740 Hamilton St.

· The Wiz Kidz outlet at the Madison Farms residential/retail development in Bethlehem Township will hold a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting at noon on July 15.

· Bad Biscuit Company, which offered breakfast with scratch-made biscuits, freshly baked pastry and local, small-batch artisan coffee, said it will cease operations at 16 Columbia Ave. in Reading after its July 1 hours.

· FastBridge Fiber has announced it will build an all-fiber cable network that will offer ultra-fast internet in the Reading area.

· Hamid Chaudhry has said he no longer plans to move forward with pursuing a food truck park he previously proposed on the site of the former Sheetz convenience store and gas station in Exeter Township at 6600 Perkiomen Ave. (Route 422 East).

· The Maxatawny Township Planning Commission has OK’d a proposal for a Mavis Discount Tire store in the Kutztown Road shopping center that features a Giant supermarket.

· Valentino’s Italian restaurant has gotten Maxatawny Township’s approval to remain open when the state transportation department takes one-third of its parking lot to build a traffic roundabout at the intersection of Route 222 and Long Lane.

· Pocono Mountain Harley-Davidson, under new ownership, will hold a “Grand Re-Opening Bash” July 9 and July 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

· Sauce West End plans to open in a former Rita’s Italian Ice, just off Route 209 across from the Tractor Supply store in Brodheadsville.

· The Surgery Center of Pottsville, which offered medical procedure services for 16 years in Cressona Mall. will close June 28.

· Wells Fargo has closed its branch office in Langhorne, near the intersection with Maple Avenue.

· The latest PrimoHoagies location in New Jersey held a grand opening at 1930 State Route 57, Hackettstown.

· A new Tractor Supply Co. store in Warren County will have its grand opening in the former Toys ‘R’ Us store in Pohatcong Plaza on July 9.

· Hunter Pocono Peterbilt plans to move Pocono Township operations to Stroudsburg.

· Coal Winery and Kitchen at 81 Broad St., Bethlehem, has closed as its owner searches for a new location for the business, according to its Facebook page.

· Lowhill Township supervisors approved a 312,120-square-foot commercial warehouse and distribution center on a 43.4-acre tract on the west side of Route 100, south of the Kernsville Road intersection.

· The Mint Gastropub at 1223 W. Broad St., Bethlehem, announced that it has temporarily closed to undergo a merger with a “well-known restaurant group” from Bethlehem.

· The Slatington Farmers Market opened its 28,000-square-foot showroom, which includes space for 53 vendors, as well as a 4,000-square-foot event space.

· St. Luke’s University Health Network opened a new pediatric inpatient unit next to the eight-bed pediatric intensive care unit at St. Luke’s University Hospital – Bethlehem.

· 25th Asian House opened at the location of the former Tin Tin Chinese restaurant in the 25th Street Shopping Center in Palmer Township.

· The Chick-Fil-A in Broadcasting Square shopping center in Spring Township was razed to make way for a new, expanded facility for the popular chicken sandwich restaurant.

· Plans for drive-thru locations of a Chipotle and a Starbucks at the intersection of Ivy League Drive and Kutztown Road were rejected by Maxatawny Township planners.

· Cumru Township plannes reviewed preliminary plans for NorthPoint-Morgantown Commerce Center, a 738,720-square-foot warehouse to be built on 75.2 acres at Morgantown Road (State Route 10) and Freemansville Road.

· Kutztown University has plans to expand its historic Poplar House to 13,161 square feet with an addition around its side and back, but keep the 129-year-old structure intact.

· A wine store and beverage outlet could be coming to a new two-unit building along the commercial strip of Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Lehighton, Carbon County.

· ChristianaCare, a Delaware health care organization, has announced it will buy the former Jennersville Hospital in West Grove, Chester County.

· Garden of Health Inc. celebrated the opening of the food bank’s new warehouse at 201 Church Road, North Wales, in Montgomery County.

· Silverline Trailers Inc. opened its first location in Pennsylvania and in the Northeast at 223 Porter Road, Pottstown, where it sells utility, cargo, dump, equipment and car hauler trailers.

· A new smoothie and bowl restaurant, Sips & Berries, opened at 285 Maple Ave., Harleysville, in Montgomery County.

· Terrain on the Parkway offers 160 new 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments at 1625 Lehigh Parkway East in Allentown.

· Lehigh Valley native Don Wenner is moving his real estate investment and finance firm DLP Capital from Bethlehem to Allentown at 835 W. Hamilton St.

· While Wells Fargo has been the leader in closing banks lately, it will hold a ribbon-cutting for its new downtown Allentown office at 740 Hamilton St. on June 30.

· If you’re in the market for sterling silver jewelry, minerals and semi-precious gemstones, C& I Minerals is now operating at the South Mall at 3300 Lehigh St. in Allentown.

· The Allentown-based utility company PPL Corp. bought a major Rhode Island utility.

· Ownership at Martellucci’s Pizzeria in Bethlehem has changed, but Paul and Donna Hlavinka and their family are running the pizza place at 1419 Easton Ave., just as it has been operated for 49 years.

· Dr. Jacob Kasprenski’s new Kasprenski Family Eye Care opened at 1088 Howertown Road, Catasauqua.

· Josie’s New York Deli in downtown Easton closed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but a June 13 Historic District Commission meeting approved a request for a new sign at its building at 14 Centre Square.

· Zekraft cafe has opened its second location in the Easton Silk Mill in Easton. The first Zekraft restaurant was opened in Bethlehem. The restaurants’ menus change frequently, with a focus on local ingredients.

· Manta Massage at 319 Main St., Emmaus, will hold its grand opening on July 10 starting at 11 a.m.

· The former Iron Lakes Country Club, constructed in the late 1950s and early 1960s, will operate at 3625 Shankweiler Road in North Whitehall Township under its new name, The Club at Twin Lakes.

· Prologis, a titan in the logistics industry, will own and operate three warehouses proposed in Upper Macungie Township at the former Air Products headquarters campus at 7201 Hamilton Blvd.

· Lehigh Valley Health Network ceremonially opened its first Carbon County hospital — a $78 million, 100,578-square-foot facility at 2128 Blakeslee Boulevard Drive East in Mahoning Township.

· Pocono Township commissioners voted to accept Swiftwater Solar’s preliminary final plan for the $111 million, 80-megawatt field on a private 644-acre site on top of Bear Mountain that would include about 200,000 solar panels.

· Firetree Ltd. wants to expand its in-patient rehab operation at the former Sands Ford auto dealership at 440 N Claude A Lord Blvd. (Route 61), Pottsville.

· A Dunkin’ in Schuylkill County located at 400 Terry Rich Blvd., St. Clair, has become just the fourth location of the donut and coffee chain to go entirely digital.

· The Conservatory music school in Bucks County will close after 34 years, and school officials say the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause. The nonprofit, located at 4059 Skyron Drive, Doylestown, will close June 30.

· A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Arby’s will be built on the site of the former Ahart’s Market on Route 22 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.

· Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce offices and the Unity Bank Center for Business & Entrepreneurship will be located at 119 Main St., Flemington.

· Honeygrow opens Quakertown location, next to Chipotle on Route 309, on June 3.

· Dunkin’ reopens remodeled restaurant at 1174 MacArthur Road in Whitehall Township

· Muse Modern Med Spa at 325 Fifth St. in Whitehall Township will hold a grand opening June 4.

· Around Again, a consignment store, opened at 154 S. Main St., Phillipsburg

· Steak and Steel Hibachi, a restaurant in the works at 44 W. Walnut St., Bethlehem, still plans on opening late this summer.

· Take It Outdoors Recreation Hub has moved to a spot along the Schuylkill River Trail at Riverfront Park in Pottstown, Montgomery County

· Pedego Electric Bikes has a new outlet in Lambertville, N.J. at 13 N. Union St.

· Amanda Vachris has opened a new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St. in Schuylkill Haven.

· Easton’s new West Ward Market will open Wednesday and be open on Wednesday’s through the summer from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The market, created by the Greater Easton Development Partnership, will sell fresh produce on 12th Street, next to Paxinosa Elementary School.

· Ciao Sandwich Shoppe is adding a second location, this time on College Hill in Easton. Ciao plans to open at 325 Cattell St. in late summer. Ciao already operates in downtown Easton at 12 N. Third St

· Ma’s Crepes and Cakes will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting June 16 at 46 W. Broadway, Jim Thorpe. The celebration starts at 5 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 5:45 p.m.

· Bethlehem’s Back Door Bakeshop will reopen as a wholesale operation at 7 E. Church St. in the city’s historic district. The business was open for nine years as a retail outlet at Broad and Center streets, before announcing in March that it would close the storefront April 3 and “go back to its origins as a wholesale business.”

·The Beef Baron on Catasauqua Road in Bethlehem is closed indefinitely for renovations

· The Brothers That Just Do Gutters are opening a new location in Allentown at 1302 N. 18th St.

· St. John Chrysostom Academy, an Orthodox school serving grades 1-9 starting this fall, held a grand opening at its St. Francis Center, Bethlehem, campus.

· Easton Commons, a shopping center anchored by Giant Foods at 2920 Easton Ave., Bethlehem Township, has a new name: The Shops at Bethlehem.

· Carbon County is getting a taste of Brazil at Uai Brasil BBQ at 315 Lehigh Ave. in Palmerton.

· The Keystone Pub in Bethlehem Township, at 3259 Easton Avenue, has reopened after a lengthy and expensive renovation.

· The Trading Post Depot opened at 401 Northampton St., Easton. The rustic furniture store makes custom tables for dining rooms, desktops, conference centers and more.

· The Easton area has a new gym: Homemade Fitness at 444 Cedarville Road in Williams Township.

· Il Gaetano Ristorante opened at its 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg, location.

· Ciao! Sandwich Shoppe to open second location on College Hill in Easton, replacing The Kettle Room

· Rene and Grisellies Benique have opened Ezekiel 47 Cafe at 10 S. Fifth Ave., off Fifth and Penn avenues, in West Reading.

· Alter Ego Salon and Day Spa in Emmaus is holding a grand opening Sunday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at noon.

· Origen Latin Fusion has opened at the site of the former Tomcat Cafe in Sinking Spring, Berks County.

· Sellersville Senior Residences will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 24. The Bucks County affordable-housing community for adults 55 and older has 50 apartments, with eight allocated for people with behavioral health needs.

· The House and Barn in Emmaus has opened its Shed outdoor dining and cigar bar area. The House and Barn is at 1449 Chestnut St. in Emmaus.

· Realtor Amanda Vachris and the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting at Vachris’s new Keller Williams Real Estate office at 15 St. John St., Schuylkill Haven, at 4 p.m. on May 24.

· Il Gaetano Ristorante will hold a grand opening on Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. The 665 Columbus Ave., Phillipsburg.

· First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union will hold a grand opening at its new headquarters in Trexlertown, 6126 Hamilton Blvd., on May 18.

· Vinyl Press Signs & Graphics has relocated within Emmaus. The new site is 15 S. Second St., not far from the former Sixth Street location.

· Pedro’s Cafe in Emmaus to close

· SV Sports (formerly Schuylkill Valley Sports) to close Quakertown location

· Flemington DIY will host a Grand Re-Opening on May 14 at 26 Stangl Road, Flemington. The celebration will kick off at 10 a.m.

· Elpedio’s Ristorante at Seipsville opened at 2912 Old Nazareth Road in Easton. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday.

· Uai Brazil opened at 315 Lehigh Ave, Palmerton, offering both a seated or buffet option.

· Colombian Mex Restaurant opened at 107 E Union Blvd in Bethlehem, offering traditional Colombian cuisine.

· Precision Ink opened at 161 W Berwick St. in Easton.

· King Wing opened a location in Bethlehem at 129 E. Third St., serving wings and sandwiches.

June 13, 2022

Gas prices over $5 a gallon isn’t the stock market’s only problem

Gas prices over a gallon isn’t the stock market’s only problem

This write-up first appeared in the Morning Short. Get the Morning Short despatched directly to your inbox just about every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe

Monday, June 13, 2022

Present-day publication is by Brian Sozzi, an editor-at-substantial and anchor at Yahoo Finance. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn.

Several times in my career in economic marketplaces, I have been in a position to place trainwrecks in advance of they happen.

The trade-off for devoting every single waking next to studying markets, the human beings associated in them, strategic setting up in my kitchen, and crunching a whole whole lot of quantities, has been looking at these situations coming down the pike.

So without hesitation, I am assured in expressing we are headed to a perhaps dim spot for the stock industry in the future 12 months (and sure, we will climb out of this darkish gap). I say this with a amount head and no ulterior motive — I have very little for sale: I’m just one particular market place observer seeking into the long term and observing a host of converging challenges. I am not lengthy stocks, nor am I quick stocks.

If this hot consider worries you, it need to. In simple fact, let this cost-free publication right now serve as a wakeup call. What you do from this stage ahead is up to you, of training course. But what you need to be doing at this crucial issue in time is evaluating why you are even in the stock marketplace to begin with, what your money plans are, and how mentally robust you are to trip out a possibly rocky next twelve months.

And best imagine this: There is additional brewing than downside danger to quarterly earnings from Walmart (WMT) since an typical gallon of gas now fees a lot more than $5 nationwide.

Workers make their way past stacks of television sets in Element Electronics' warehouse, before they are shipped, in Winnsboro, South Carolina May 29, 2014. REUTERS/Chris Keane — Staff make their way previous stacks of tv sets in Aspect Electronics’ warehouse, just before they are delivered, in Winnsboro, South Carolina May possibly 29, 2014. REUTERS/Chris Keane

5 Problems Experiencing the Stock Market place

The Fed is your foe: The Fed will most likely jackup curiosity costs by 50 basis details later this week, and sign more improves like this are on the way as it tries to stomp out wallet-busting inflation. The future issue here: no matter whether the Fed shifts to outright restrictive interest charge plan. “Up to this place [Jerome] Powell has dodged regardless of whether the Fed will need to go restrictive. We believe he will now embrace the SEP [summary of economic projections] plan that odds are the Fed will need to impose reasonable restraint, however it does not require to lock that conclusion currently,” explained EvercoreISI strategist and previous NY Fed worker Krishna Guha in a new notice to clients. Possibly way, the Fed is now in the method of sucking the lifestyle out of the stock sector alternatively than pumping it with medicines as it has been executing pre-2022. With that will most likely appear a further reckoning for marketplaces.
Inflation is spreading: One forgotten facet to past week’s tremendous scorching inflation go through is selling price improves broadening out past merchandise. The economic system is now facing a double barrel inflationary headwind: the price to feed and dwelling your spouse and children is rising alongside a surge in the expense to vacation or consume out. And once a lot more, this reinforces what I mentioned above about the Fed getting your foe. “The rotation of inflationary forces absent from merchandise and to companies that has evidently transpired more than the final couple of months of facts is an even much more unwelcome improvement for the Fed,” pointed out Citi economists led by Veronica Clark in a take note to clients.
Gradual-transferring Wall Road: Take into consideration this not-so-enjoyment tidbit from FactSet. From March 15 by June 10, 417 organizations in the S&P 500 cited the expression “inflation” in the course of their earnings calls, just about a few times the five-yr normal of 155. In reality, this is the optimum quantity of S&P 500 corporations warning about “inflation” on earnings phone calls heading back again to at the very least 2010, says FactSet. And how have analysts responded? They have not: earnings estimates have ongoing to be somewhat steady. This sets the phase for a 2nd quarter earnings time of stunning disappointments with inflationary pressures at the main. Revision developments to get started June are in line with May possibly, notes strategists at Citi. Citi states the resiliency in earnings estimates is “surprising” in the deal with of inflation, China lockdowns, and geopolitical headwinds. Agreed.
Unsold stuff piles up: With economic expansion getting slowed, several organizations are commencing to feel the effects in the kind of bloated inventories. This will be a significant problem for retailers these as Focus on (TGT), as perfectly as its extensive network of suppliers. And excess inventories are not just a retailer problem — this problem is currently being confronted by companies in computer system components to packaged meals owning issues marketing at inflationary selling prices. “U.S. business inventories are now higher than the pre-pandemic craze inventories for Russell 1000 customer names have risen by more than $80 billion considering the fact that the end of 2019, led primarily by stores. Pitfalls are soaring as momentum in products-led usage could be waning and stimulus is reversing,” explained Evercore ISI strategist Julian Emanuel in a new notice.
Paralyzed leaders: In the present setting, there is mainly not a great deal leaders can do to correct the difficulty of surging inflation and waning consumer self esteem. The Biden administration isn’t really heading to suggest a new round of stimulus checks, as that would only increase gas to the inflationary hearth and is unlikely to have any shot at currently being handed. Gas costs have continued to climb regardless of many limited-time period attempts by the administration to arrest the difficulty. So they are paralyzed. In the meantime, the Federal Reserve is unlikely to hint at slicing rates until finally 2024, allow alone counsel it will pause its recent rate of fee hikes. And last of all, business leaders are paralyzed since they are bumping up against the stages where consumers will not commit “X” far more pounds on a good or service.

And on that take note, appreciate your morning coffee. Joyful Investing!

What to Enjoy Nowadays

Overall economy

Earnings

Pre-market

Article-current market

Yahoo Finance Highlights

—

Click on here for the hottest stock current market information and in-depth investigation, including occasions that transfer shares

Read the most recent financial and company information from Yahoo Finance

Obtain the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android

Abide by Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Fb, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and YouTube

June 3, 2022

Gas prices add to business cost burdens | Business News

PS_0527 Gas prices | Jeanne Davant 2 copy 2.jpg — Sign of the times

Jeanne Davant

Rising gasoline prices are hitting consumers in the pocketbook, and no relief appears to be in sight.

A complex variety of factors rules the global market for oil, which determines the price of gasoline.

But at the outset of the summer season, Colorado tourism officials are not expecting people to stop traveling — they’re just going to be doing it differently this year.

Businesses, too, are feeling the effects of higher gas prices.

Those that consume the most fuel — the trucking trucking industry, for example — are the most directly affected, but gas price spikes trickle down to other businesses in the form of higher costs.

Even though gas prices have risen more than a dollar a gallon since this time last year, some small business owners say they’ve had other cost increases that were more troubling — and that gas prices are just another few drops in the bucket.

Christian Patriarca, who co-owns Slice 420 Pizza with his wife Stefany, said the companies from which he buys supplies have added fuel surcharges, but they’re small in relation to the cost of chicken — what used to be a $50 order now costs him $220.

For now, business owners like Patriarca and Becky Elder, owner of Becky Elder the Gardener, have not increased delivery charges but say they may have to if the surge in gas prices continues.

While most businesses are having to compensate for higher fuel prices, a few businesses are benefiting from the gas price rise — buyers are showing increased interest in hybrid and electric vehicles.

SUPPLY AND DEMAND

According to AAA Colorado, the price of a gallon of regular gas as of May 31 averaged $4.257 in Colorado Springs — an increase of 29 cents since last month ($3.971). A year ago, a gallon of regular gas cost an average of $3,097, or $1.16 lower than the current average.

Colorado Springs’ gas prices on May 31 were a bit better than the state as a whole, which averaged $4.278 per gallon, and were below the national average of $4.622.

Midgrade fuel averaged $4.602 per gallon on May 31 in Colorado Springs, and premium and diesel gas prices soared even higher, to $4.902 and $5.320, respectively.

The cost of gas is determined by a variety of factors that influence demand and supply, said Skyler McKinley, regional director, public affairs for AAA Colorado.

“Heading into 2022, the petroleum market was already squeezed tight,” McKinley said. “The reason for that is that as COVID-19 hit the world, a lot of oil and gas production shuttered because there wasn’t much demand. Demand came roaring back in the post vaccine world when folks were commuting back to their offices, when they were getting on cruise ships, when they were getting on airplanes.”

Demand returned much more quickly than supply, McKinley said.

“The OPEC countries were not meeting their production targets,” he said. “U.S. production did not return, and still has not returned.”

The tight market stiffened even more when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, he said.

“Russia accounts for about 12 percent of all global energy exports,” McKinley said. “We only use about 3 percent of Russian oil in the United States, but it’s a global market, and taking Russian oil out of the equation created additional shocks on the supply side.”

Cassie Tanner, deputy director of public affairs at AAA Colorado, noted that crude oil prices are hovering around $110 a barrel and pointed out that every year, gas prices jump just before Memorial Day and traditionally remain high during the summer, when demand increases.

“The switch to the more expensive summer blend of gasoline, which usually adds 7-10 cents per gallon, is happening now,” Tanner said. “That switchover should be completed nationwide by early June.”

McKinley said AAA is starting to see data that indicates a softening in demand because of the high cost.

“That could stabilize prices,” he said. “But I still suspect we’re going to see gradual increases throughout the summer.”

McKinley said he doesn’t expect to see major price spikes this summer, but that could change if a severe hurricane season causes domestic production and refining to suffer.

But he also doesn’t foresee prices to fall much until after Labor Day, “unless for some reason there is a flood of new production entering the market, and there’s not really an economic incentive for producers to produce oil right now.”

That’s because oil companies took big losses during the early days of the pandemic and are looking to make up some of those losses, he said.

“Right now, they’re getting much more profit per barrel of oil by keeping supply limited,” he said. “There’s talk within leadership with the oil companies that they’re not going to jump back into the market, because it is very profitable right now, and there’s a lot of uncertainty about how long demand will stay up.”

The high cost of diesel fuel is greatly impacting the trucking industry, McKinley said.

“We’re going to see rising costs because it’s just costing a lot more to ship things,” he said. “Everybody to some extent is going to have to pay the piper.”

TOURISTS TIGHTEN BELTS

As the summer tourism season opens, McKinley said travel interest remains strong.

“We might lose some out-of-state travelers, but some in state might be cutting costs by staying closer to home,” he said.

For example, people in the Denver metro area might come to Colorado Springs rather than planning a trip to Yellowstone.

However, demand for flights to Colorado Springs is strong, said Doug Price, president and CEO of Visit Colorado Springs.

“According to the most recent research we’ve seen from Tourism Economics, 80 percent of people in this country are ready to travel and 90 percent plan to travel in the next six months,” Price said. “The airlines are reporting that ticket sales are going through the roof. That’s why I am optimistic, overall, about the summer.”

Whether they fly or drive, visitors will be looking to spend less in other ways to make up for higher fuel prices.

“They’ll look to save money on lodging, meals and attractions,” Price said. “I think the one decrease we’re going to see is in RV travel because of gas prices.”

He said Visit COS for the first time has posted a page on its website that highlights low-cost activities like walking tours and sightseeing in Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs, and affordable attractions such as Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs, the Space Foundation Discovery Center and the Ghost Town Museum.

“Once you get here, if you stay downtown, you can walk to a lot of things, or you can take PikeRide or a scooter or Mountain Metro to get around,” Price said. “We’re trying to help people who are a little bit more budget-minded than maybe they would have been a couple of months ago.”

Colorado Springs is a regional drive destination, Price said, but Visit COS also is advertising in six markets located farther away. They include Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and Washington, D.C. The Colorado Springs Airport offers nonstop service to and from the first five markets, and one-stop service for the nation’s capital.

Price said he thinks a bigger wild card for the summer tourist season is COVID.

“What I’m most concerned about is COVID coming back — the things we really can’t control,” he said. “We’re watching that very carefully.”

ALL COSTS INCREASING

Local businesses like Patriarca’s Slice 420 Pizza have been hamstrung by rising costs for the past two years.

“A lot of our costs have dramatically increased way before the last six months,” he said, adding that he’s paying more for flour and items like pepperoni.

Patriarca uses his own employees for delivery, and while they have to buy their own gas, drivers are paid $3 more per hour than the minimum wage for restaurant employees.

“That should help them compensate,” he said.

Big suppliers have already added delivery surcharges, but Slice 420 has not increased its delivery charge, which is $3.50, he said. But he added he might have to increase the charge if gas prices keep climbing.

“At the end of the day, we can afford that extra dollar [per gallon] because we’re Americans and we go to work and do what we need to do,” he said.

Elder said she does a lot of driving in her landscaping business, including picking up and delivering supplies.

Elder hires independent contractors to help with garden planting and maintenance.

“We try to encourage carpooling,” she said. “If they have to drive a long way, I pay them for half the drive.”

Elder said she may end up putting a small surcharge on client invoices — “something reasonable, like $5-10, depending on the drive. That gives some buffer so that you can give gas money to your gardeners if you need to.”

Personally, she said, her gas expenses have doubled, and she is looking to trade in her gas-powered vehicle for a Prius.

Elder apparently isn’t the only business owner thinking that way.

Peter Buckles, general manager and partner of Phil Long EVOutlet and Phil Long Kia, said the dealership is seeing increased interest in electric or hybrid cars and SUVs.

“The Phil Long EV Outlet opened in May 2021, and monthly sales have doubled in electrical vehicle sales from last year,” Buckles said.

However, “we have not seen a negative impact in sales volume of gas-powered vehicles; actually it’s the exact opposite,” he said. “We have seen many more people shopping for vehicles — all kinds not just the good gas mileage ones. Phil Long Kia is up 92 percent year-over-year in used car sales, and we don’t see it slowing down.”