If she wanted to, Karen Jacobs could make a laundry list of ways her retail business has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

But Jacobs, who’s owned Jasper’s premiere clothing boutique, Mountain Air, for the last 10 years, isn’t that kind of gal. 

“It’s not all doom and gloom,” Jacobs said.

For one, the mild weather this winter has been stellar. The days are getting longer. And spring is coming. 

“Getting outside has been a lifesaver,” she said.

More to the point, the pandemic has brought local retailers together, Jacobs suggested. She and many of her fellow business owners support each other in part by keeping tabs on what each other are carrying. That way, if a customer can’t find what they’re looking for in one shop, staff know where to send them to get what they need.