Ear to the ground

“I thought I was cool with 170 friends on Facebook. But I woke up when I realized I haven’t had any plans for the last two weekends”

– A local woman commenting on her recent case of cybershock

Endangered Crocs

The Croc appears to be going the way of the dinosaur. The bright, plastic footwear company that has taken Durango and much of the world by storm is currently in deep financial trouble.

The plastic clogs originally introduced for gardeners rapidly walked into the mainstream. In the seven years since their invention, customers have bought more than 100 million pairs, according to the Washington Post. The boom in the spongy shoes made for a huge financial windfall with Crocs, Inc. enjoying $168.2 million in 2007 alone.

But how the mighty have fallen.

In 2008, Crocs, Inc. tumbled into $185.1 million in debt and the company’s stock price fell by 76 percent. The company has until September to repay the debt and has been forced to cut 2,000 jobs. The Post also noted that auditors have expressed serious doubts about Crocs Inc.’s ability to continue.

Damon Vickers, of Nine Points Capital Partners, told the paper, “The company’s toast. They’re zombie-ish. They’re dead, and they don’t know it.”

There is a culprit in this riches-to-rags tale. The inexpensive shoes may have been made too well. As it turns out, the rainbow clogs are nearly indestructible; some of the first vintages are still strolling Main Avenue. The phenomenon has killed Crocs’ repeat customer base and left it with massive inventory of spongy shoes just sitting in the warehouse.

Best in show

Durango is still hanging out with the cool kids. The local burg earned another “Best,” when Backpacker magazine rated Durango as one of “The Best Cities to Raise an Outdoor Kid.”

Working with the Outdoor Foundation, Backpacker identified America’s top 25 towns and cities to raise “outdoor” children for its August edition. Boulder took top honors; Durango garnered the third spot; and cities like Jackson, Wyo., Burlington, Vt., and Seattle all made the cut.

Durango got marks for its proximity to the San Juans, “uncrowded 14ers,” the Colorado Trail and the Utah desert. The Animas River, locally supported open space and trails, and the Durango Rec Center also edged Durango higher on the list.