MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — For longtime Manitou Springs resident Jen Barrow and her store’s mascot, Fern, parking along Manitou Springs’ busy roads can be a tall task.
“This town wasn’t built for cars. It was built for horses," said Barrow, owner of Flowers... and the Moon in Manitou Springs.
December 14 was the first day visitors to Manitou Springs could park free for the first two hours. Barrow says the free two hours came at an important time.
“I think that some people were settling in for the change of the seasons," she said. “We had a huge influx [Saturday] so that could’ve been part of it for sure.”
Just a few doors down is one of Manitou’s newest storefronts.
“I grew up coming to Manitou as a kid," said Orenda Natural Wear's owner Cory Nigbur. “It’s been strikes and gutters, peaks and valleys.”
Cory Nigbur says shoppers at Orenda are taking note of the free parking and says it will help the city end the year on a peak.
"100% people are definitely commenting on it and happy that that they have that option," he said.

One dead following crash on the north east side of Colorado Springs Tuesday
One person is dead following a crash on the north east side of the city, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).
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