Aztec isn’t the only town in New Mexico whose residents want a vibrant and stable downtown business district, but it’s one town where leaders are moving forward with plans to create that environment.
Spurred by the city’s economic development advisory board, the Four Corners community is opening a retail incubator in a downtown building to nurture fledgling businesses until they’re ready to stand on their own.
The Aztec Business Incubator, also called the Aztec Business Hub, will host businesses in various stages of development and provide member businesses access to the expertise of on-site service providers from the Small Business Development Center, WESST, New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Four Corners Economic Development and the San Juan College Enterprise Center.
“One of our biggest issues is the instability of businesses downtown,” Mayor Sally Burbridge said. “It feeds into the (misperception) that there’s nothing going on downtown.”