Two Rays of Hope Amidst the Gloom

When we spoke with Maplewood Village Manager Amy Koehler on Friday, she said there was still work to be done for Saturday’s double ribbon-cutting ceremony. For example, she hadn’t yet bought a ribbon.

But the ceremony went off without a hitch, at least as far as we could tell. Core Mind and Body pilates and fitness studio and Words Bookstore, the two recently opened stores being honored, both got a celebratory send-off. 

“There’s a lot of doom and gloom in the economy. It’s nice to get some good news,” Koehler said.

It was the first ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new business in some time – Koehler wasn’t sure how long. The event, she said, was the brainchild of Mayor Vic Deluca, who has recently been vocal about improving the business climate in Maplewood.

Chris Devers, who along with fellow Maplewood resident Michelle Gaudette co-owns Core, had been looking forward to Saturday morning's event.

“It’s definitely nice,” Devers said. “All of our efforts have been directed towards the community, and this is an event for the community.”