When Richard Polk enthusiastically co-founded The Pedestrian Shops in 1971 to sell footwear on Boulder鈥檚 Pearl Street, he was one of the few new business owners settling in Boulder鈥檚 downtown. Vacant storefronts lined the once lively downtown as anchor stores like J.C. Penny and Montgomery Ward moved to the indoor Crossroads Mall 鈥� which opened in 1963 on Boulder鈥檚 29th Street. Some of Polk鈥檚 neighboring shop owners who hadn鈥檛 shuttered their doors or relocated were not keen on changing with the times.
During this time of transition in the 1970s, however, one woman stood out as a strong advocate for the downtown, recalls Polk.听Virginia Wheeler Patterson听(Jour鈥�46), co-owner of Pearl Street鈥檚 The Printed Page bookstore and a downtown board member, often visited with other shop owners and attended meetings related to rejuvenation of the area. Her persistence and vision are two of the driving forces that have made Pearl Street the vibrant street scene it is today.
鈥淚 would invite people to come to breakfast at the Hotel Boulderado and just talk,鈥� Patterson says. 鈥淲e were trying to get people who rented or owned property downtown to work together to present an attractive shopping venue and gathering place.鈥�
In the late 1960s, designs for an improved downtown were created but often were rejected as impractical or too expensive. The idea to establish a mall on the street didn鈥檛 flourish until Gov. John Love signed the Public Mall Act in 1970, which allowed Colorado cities to close streets to build pedestrian malls. Pearl Street was closed to vehicles between 11th and 15th streets in the summer of 1976, and the mall was officially dedicated on Aug. 6, 1977.
Even so, Pearl Street business owners worried about restricted public access to their stores once the roads closed. It took the skills and persuasion of board members like Patterson to convince them to stay.
鈥淰irginia was always an icon of what you hoped you could be,鈥� Polk says. 鈥淪he was a real promoter of downtown business.鈥�
Patterson鈥檚 love for Boulder began as a CU journalism student.
She arrived by train from Wauwatosa, Wis., with her twin sister during World War II. She was paid $4 a week to edit CU鈥檚听Silver and Gold, the student paper produced twice a week on a linotype machine. As a senior, she won a nationwide contest to be guest editor-in-chief of听Mademoiselle, a New York-based young women鈥檚 magazine that covered fashion and beauty trends, for a month. The experience was memorable, but she longed to return to Boulder.
鈥淚 missed the Flatirons!鈥� she says.
Afterwards the听Daily听Camera听hired her to sell display advertising,听but before long she joined CU as a writer and editor, where she met her late husband Rev. A.B. Patterson Jr. 鈥� a longtime campus chaplain and CU sports announcer 鈥� and started a family.
In 1978 she and her husband took over The Printed Page and ultimately moved it to the 1200 block of Pearl Street. Shortly after, two of Boulder鈥檚 businessmen invited her husband to join the Downtown Businessmen鈥檚 Association.
鈥淗e said, 鈥榃ell you know committee stuff isn鈥檛 my bag. Gingy is the one who does that,鈥� 鈥� she says. 鈥淪o it became the downtown businessmen and me [on the board].鈥�
Patterson was in charge of marketing and spent her time working with business owners to buy into the city鈥檚 plans for the downtown.
鈥淸Virginia] has been involved since day one,鈥� says George Karakehian, a city council member and owner of Pearl Street鈥檚 Art Source International since 1978. 鈥淪he was its driving force for many years.鈥�
Patterson鈥檚 deeds haven鈥檛 gone unnoticed. The birthing center at the Boulder Community Foothills Hospital is named for her, as is an alley between Pearl and Spruce on 13th Street. She is a lifetime member of the Downtown Boulder board and has the Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award named for her, among many other recognitions.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of anybody who has done more for the vitality and for the creative energy of the downtown,鈥� says听Sean Maher听(MBA鈥�90), CEO of the Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District. 鈥淪he鈥檚 been a mentor to hundreds of small businesses downtown. You name it, Virginia has been involved in it.鈥�
Yet, in true Patterson form, none of these endeavors are considered her proudest accomplishment.
鈥淚t鈥檚 having a happy married life that included being parents of three wonderful sons,鈥� she says, then pauses and adds, 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 sound very career-minded, does it?鈥�
Photo courtesy听Daily Camera Collection / Carnegie Branch Library for Local History
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