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WOODLAND PARK, COLO. -- At the height of the recession, things were looking scary for Woodland Park.

But that all changed in 2010 when the city's sales tax revenue ended at the highest level in city history.

The uptick in business hasn't slowed. City hall has handed out 18 business licenses since the start of 2011.

Vintage Vine is one of the newest stores, open for just one month.

"I thought 'well, I don't want another empty storefront right in the heart of downtown,'" Jan Cummer, the store owner, said.

So Cummer put together a consignment store right below her original business, Curves.

While it's been a lot of work, the city has put a big emphasis on shopping local and promoting each other.

"A town like this needs businesses to survive, especially in the summer, and we get a lot of people walking through," Paul Walchok, a Woodland Park resident, said.

The folks over at Bierwerks are part of the 'new kids on the block' and are located in an old auto shop.

The store manager said things were slow when they first opened, but the recession can't stop the the brewing industry.

"As you can see from statistical standpoints, they are always going good, and everybody's loving their beer," Jon Lavasque, the Bierwerks Manager, said.

City officials in Woodland Park are loving their recent boost in business, so what's changed? More people with disposable income are moving into the area, as well as semi-retired individuals.