Friday Live: Jerry Greene interviews The Peras (Jack & Davine Pera)

Description

A KOTO Radio show, called Friday Live, that aired December 21, 1979. Jerry Greene interviews long-time residents Jack and Davine Pera. They are the owners of the hardware store, Timberline Hardware. They have owned the business for 10-11 years. Jack tells the story of how he came about the idea of the hardware store—when Joe Zoline announced the ski area opening, Jack decided Telluride was going to grow and would be in need of a hardware business. Jack says that at that time (about 10 or 11 years ago), the town was very different—only around 5% of the people that live in Telluride today were there. Jack says that Davine and him worked very hard for the first 5 years, trying to make a profit. There were not that many people in town and they didn’t have the money to acquire the inventory they needed to make the store a success. Jack worked elsewhere to earn money to get the inventory and as more people moved to town, they were able to finally make money. Jack believes the ski area saved Telluride—before, about 60% of the homes were vacant. Jack likes the current development rate. He says it’s slow and controlled and he hopes that the development rate doesn’t increase too much (even though Joe Zoline said he wants Telluride to be “bigger than Vail”). Then, Davine speaks of being on the school board for the past 2.5 years. She joined the board, because she wants a better educational system in Telluride. She says that the school has changed since she joined because now they have a better curriculum. More credits and classes are needed to graduate. Davine hasn’t heard too much criticism about this. The only problems have been juggling class schedules and the budget. There is an increase in enrollment rates which has led to school crowding. The board is looking for a grant to allow for school expansion. Jack is a runner, a wildlife photographer, and part of the Masons. Jack has ran the Imogene Pass race for the past couple of years. He started running at age 39. What kind of town will Telluride be in the future? Davine thinks it will grow and be much busier. Both Davine and Jack know pretty much everyone in town and currently like the small town feel. Davine mentions that new-comers have to adjust to the slower paced lives, and they do, after a few months of living here. Are Davine and Jack going to sell the hardware store? They don’t currently have any plans. But they would like to sell it to have a little more free time—Jack would especially like to have more time for photographing animals. Jack is also interested in saving and protecting the wilderness. Before owning the hardware store, Jack worked for the Idarado mine in the warehouse department for 10 years and then as a purchaser. He did not like the all-day desk job, so that is when he started the hardware business. Davine states she probably won’t continue on the school board because it is very time consuming. She’s not interested in politics—she’s interested in children. The couple then discusses the amount (over 400!) of credit accounts that they have at the store. Davine states it is because of all of the new construction taking place in Telluride. Finally, they speak of the weather lately, namely the drought. This recording is about 30 minutes long. Supported in part by an award from the Colorado Historical Records Advisory Board, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), National Archives Records Administration