Annual Echo Progress Edition not as robust as previous years

There were stories and photos to fill up the 17 pages in this year’s Ely Echo Progress Edition but there certainly weren’t as many as previous years. In fact, there’s just one more page than what we had the first four years, down 11 pages from a high of 28 pages when the business community was thriving.
This year’s edition is a reflection of Ely’s economic downturn that continues despite the cheerleaders who refuse to see the reality of our current situation.
We could’ve written a story about the number of businesses for sale. We could’ve written about the businesses that closed up shop, giving in to declining sales and a lack of customers.
But that’s not what the Ely Echo Progress Edition has been about over the past 23 years. We’ve focused on the businesses who have persevered and made investments in the community. New owners, improvements, additions and a few new businesses are what we wrote about for the 2017 edition.
Our thanks to the advertisers in this year’s Progress Edition. They’re the reason we’re able to make this happen.
We hope you enjoy reading the stories and looking at the photos. It’s a team effort each year and everyone works hard to put it all together.
Look for the 24th Ely Echo Progress Edition in April of 2018.