Carbondale has had a taste of Eastern culture and tradition on Main Street for quite some time. Those who lived here in the ‘90s and early 2000s likely remember perusing incensed Sherpa Imports; and Strange Imports has been nestled near the center of the Dinkel Building on Main Street in Carbondale for more than 10 years, but is now on its way out the door.
Owner Dave Dixon has been working in the importing business since the ‘80s, previously selling wholesale merchandise through a warehouse at Thunder River Market for much of that time, with a few satellite stores along the way. He settled the business on Main Street around 2012 and said he wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without his “amazing” wife, Karen, who he started Strange Imports with.
The time he spent traveling, mainly in Asia, sparked an interest within Dixon. “It’s the people and cultures that really attracted me,” he told The Sopris Sun.
Steven Colby, the manager of Strange Imports, has worked on and off with Dixon for 20 years, first stumbling into the warehouse at Thunder River Market, fascinated.
“It wasn’t that hard to find … but you walk into this warehouse door and it was like a museum,” Colby recalled. “As soon as I walked in I was like, ‘I can spend all day here.’ And little did I know that I wouldn’t [just] spend all day there.”
Colby was planning to buy the business from Dixon, but it didn’t work out that way. “We had gotten very far along in the process,” stated Dixon. “We had contracts ready and Steven had his financing.” The hiccup, according to Dixon, was that the current landlord, Rick Holmstrom of California-based Menlo Equities, only offered a four-year lease. With the previous landlord, Tony Mazza, Dixon had secured a five-year lease with two guaranteed five-year extensions.
Colby and Menlo Equities went back and forth on negotiations, Colby pushing for a longer lease period. According to the business partners, the landlord asked for an immediate 40% rental increase. With the fluctuating market, Dixon wouldn’t advise going in on a lease that would have to be renegotiated four years later.
Since the new landlord bought the building, Dixon has been operating without a lease. During recent renovations the landlord abated Strange Imports’ rent. But, Dixon noted, a temporary wall was constructed through the middle of the store to separate the construction from the retail, hindering business.
Allegedly, the Menlo Equities rep Dixon and Colby had been in touch with “ghosted” them after settling on the four-year term. Dixon started the liquidation process on June 15.
“There was disappointment, but it’s more or less just status-quo. It’s always been a challenge to scrape by in this valley and hold on,” said Colby. He plans to work more in his pottery studio, teach “and look for opportunities to be more active in the community.”
Regulars and not-so-regulars have been coming into the shop expressing sadness about its loss. Colby encourages them not to be sad, but acknowledges that “it is a loss for Main Street.”
Some other business owners within the Dinkel building have expressed concern for when it comes time to renew their own leases. Others expressed gratitude for the new landlord and what he’s done for the building.
The Sopris Sun received this statement from Menlo Equities: “We purchased the Dinkel Building in 2021 with the intent of revitalizing a building that had experienced years of neglected maintenance and was in dire need of significant capital investment. The Dinkel Building is an emblem not only of Carbondale’s past, but also of the cultural and economic vibrancy of the town today. It has been our mission over the course of our tenured ownership to preserve the building and create a sustainable … and economic environment for the businesses there. We have endeavored to propose fair, often below-market, lease terms in an effort to maintain and create a diverse tenant mix that reflects the community and honors the history of the building. We take our stewardship of the Dinkel Building very seriously and are committed to providing a fair, business-friendly environment.”
“This has been a wonderful experience,” concluded Dixon. “This is truly a great community. It’s not like anyplace else.”
Dixon will continue selling pieces through his website, www.strangeimports.com, and keeps busy appraising people’s treasures. The liquidation sale lasts through the end of the month.