Boulder, Colorado is an extraordinary place to be. Within my five days exploring Boulder I fell in love with the culture and the environment. I was excited with the opportunity to explore on my own and mingle with the cheerful residents. Throughout my encounters I found a common trait with almost everyone of the people I met; they were ecstatic to live in Boulder.

On my first full day in Boulder, I took to the streets with two of my fellow classmates. We stumbled upon a hidden coffee shop called Espressoria. This shop was been owned by a woman named Yeti for fifteen years. It has gone through many name changes but has kept the same 40 regulars that come every day. We talked to one of her employees named Tashi and he described Boulder as being funky. This seems to be a trending word to explain the atmosphere in Boulder.

After grabbing some lunch we continued our quest to find start ups. Our next discovery was a shop called Chelsea. We met with two of the employees there, Olivia and Rachel. They both expressed their love for Boulder but Olivia informed me that it is very hard for new companies to thrive in Boulder. The residents are so committed to their normal companies that it is extremely hard for them to change their habits and accept these new businesses.

One of my favorite businesses that I encountered was Ramble on Pearl street. Not only does this shop get most of its products from donations, it also takes people in and provides them with work experience on six week programs. They then help their trainees get a job.  I really enjoyed this business and how open they were to helping everyone in the community.

Throughout the rest of the five days I visited many small businesses and I was surprised at how many of the businesses did not express a desire to expand their companies. They loved Boulder and wanted to keep their devotion to their town. I did not want to leave Boulder, it is a wonderful community and will continue to grow and become more popular.