Some in La Pine are saying this has been a crazy year all the way around… for business, the weather, the housing market, and so on. And I would agree it has been a roller coaster kind of year, but not so unprecedented. After 46 years of bending and rebuilding and weathering all types of “storms” myself while living in La Pine, I can say that folks here are nothing but resilient and flexible. If the “same ole, same ole” is what you want in life then La Pine is not for you.
Mild has been the operative word for the weather this entire year, and then we get a last-ditch wallop of extra cold to show us who is in charge… actually, more typical than not. Languishing might be a good word for the housing market this year… again not unprecedented. Slump might accurately describe the levels of retail sales this year, according to local businesses, but we have been there before. The trick is not to let it stop us in our tracks.
To This Point
This year, we have seen a tremendous increase in cottage businesses from bread baking to healthcare services. I see an uptick in smallish general contractors from building to excavating and so forth. There seems to be an increase in much-needed services such as appliance and automotive repair, computer and IT services, etc. Soon the City of La Pine will have completed its “business incubator” building in the Business Park and that will open much-needed space for small businesses to start up and grow. We have a brand new small manufacturing company in the business park.
It is all encouraging to us at the Chamber… as my friend Dan Varcoe always says, “A rising tide floats all boats…” couldn’t be truer than when shaking off a less than exciting year. The best advice is to take a deep breath and keep moving forward. Change something up if you must, give up something that is just not working, tweak your strategy and focus on an emergence of some kind to give you a burst of new excitement in your day-to-day.
The La Pine Chamber is looking forward to focusing on a stronger and more active collaboration with the Sunriver Chamber. We are closely interwoven with our friends to the north, even as we have evolved into two very distinct communities over the years of growth. Together we are “South County…” watch for our “Turn Left, Turn Right” campaign as we show you the wise choices you can make for buying, recreating, health and wellness and so much more right here in our “neck of the woods!”
I say, Cheers to 2026 and our business and personal resilience… bring it on!
