The year 2023 was a good one in Montrose. Projects like Montrose Regional Hospital’s ambulatory care center on the south side of town and the Colorado Outdoors project on the north have helped Montrosians see some growth in our town.

There were also some sad moments, like the closing of longtime downtown bakery and cafe, The Daily Bread, and some happy moments, like the expansion and addition of new businesses. Below are just some of the stories we think are included in the best of 2023.

David Dragoo at the Colorado Outdoors project in April. (Gunnison Clamp for the Montrose Business Times)

• The Colorado Outdoors project has welcomed in new businesses and will be partially anchored by a new distillery. They are also adding medical offices. This is an ongoing story, but read our coverage from April, in our first edition of the Montrose Business Times.

Montrose Regional Airport Director of Aviation Lloyd Arnold points at the secured exit from the terminal, which now includes digital displays of the Black Canyon as people exit.
(Justin Tubbs | Montrose Business Times)

• The biggest economic driver in Montrose, by far, is Montrose Regional Airport. The airport received a huge upgrade in 2023, with more gates, the first escalator in Montrose County, and two jet bridges. It also welcomed Shelter Distilling as a new vendor. Read our coverage from May, which details the plans, which all eventually came to fruition when the expansion was all but completed this December.

Margaret Johnson, owner of The Daily Bread Bakery and Cafe, and Maudey Johnson, her daughter, pose for a photo. (Photo by Shelby Ortega for the MBT)

• The Daily Bread was a longtime downtown business that sadly closed this past year. We detailed the story of how the business came to be in this story.

• A local favorite taco stand got a permanent brick-and-mortar shop in 2023.

• Everyone knows Centennial Plaza as an important downtown meeting place for Montrose residents and visitors alike. This ongoing story tells how efforts are being made to update the plaza.

The K.P. Building is under construction, but it will become the Rathbone Hotel, as pictured here. (Provided)

• An investor made a big decision by opting to renovate and update one of downtown Montrose’s most well-known historic buildings. That project is still in the work, but we profiled it earlier this year.

John Gibson of Secret Creek stands above the 2,700 square-foot manufacturing space on the business’ campus at Colorado Outdoors. John and Kelly Gibson acquired the company in early 2020 and shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic began. (Justin Tubbs | Montrose Business Times)

• Colorado Yurt Company was for a long time a beloved business here in Montrose. Well, it was purchased and rebranded last year. We talked about the changes to the company with owner John Gibson in August.

• The Montrose Regional Health Ambulatory Care Center is going to make healthcare much more accessible in Montrose. It’s going to allow for same-day surgeries and more when it opens in early 2024. We wrote about the project earlier this year.

If you think we missed something, or if you think there were even better stories than these, write to us at submissions@montrosebusinesstimes.com or email editor Justin Tubbs at justin@montrosebusinesstimes.com