Philmont's village downtown is an evolving story. Let's rethink what it means to have a thriving local creative economy that's not so different from the way it was before big box stores, before Amazon. Every village was self-sufficient with small shops, artisan studios, barber shops, hotels, opera houses, theaters, ice-cream parlors, cobblers, public parks and strolling residents. They were teeming with children and extended families enjoying window displays, stopping to chat, grabbing a bite to eat and conversing with neighbors. At the heart was the Mom&Pop Shop and its own unique tradition of looking out for folk, hiring locally and engaging local civic life.