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Steamboat Springs — Howelsen Place is steadily stocking commercial tenants, and among them are new art, clothing and food vendors. The development at the southwest corner of Lincoln Avenue and Seventh Street is home to Howelsen Place Gallery, which opened in June. Linda Cullen plans to move her Quiksilver shop to the corner slot in 2011, and Lynne Romeo and Massimo Erspamer aim to open Ciao Gelato on the Yampa Street side this fall.

Howelsen Place Gallery sells artwork by Scotland native David Marshall. He uses primarily aluminum and brass to create sculptures, as well as functional items such as candelabra and chairs, gallery owner Barbara McNary said. "This is the first time his designs have been shown in the states, only in Steamboat," McNary said.

Jon Sanders, commercial broker for Ski Town Lifestyle Properties, has worked with would-be tenants to get them set up at Howelsen Place. Green Courte Partners, a Chicago-based private-equity real estate firm, owns Ski Town Lifestyle Properties.

The company is using the Seventh and Lincoln spot for its offices. Quiksilver will take that space. Cullen said she looks forward to the new location. Her store is upstairs at Old Town Square, near Backcountry Provisions.

"Having talked to various owners on Main Street, I just think I could probably have a better visual to the customer roaming Steamboat and just gain more business," Cullen said.

Another of her stores, 970, will be housed inside Quiksilver. Cullen also owns Chez Nous, which will stay where it is at Old Town Square. She wants the Quiksilver store to be a hangout spot for youths interested in the clothing, which Cullen said was targeted at "people who are into adrenaline sports."

"I think the center of downtown is Seventh and Lincoln, and it's kind of the vibe is happening in that area," she said.

Quiksilver probably won't be open in the new location until late spring 2011, Cullen said. Her current lease will have ended, and she's hoping the economy rebounds by then.

"That's a big concern, as well," she said. "I wouldn't want to be moving the store right now."

Down Seventh and around the corner on Yampa, Erspamer and his wife, Romeo, are working with their sons on Ciao Gelato. Erspamer is from Rovereto in northern Italy. His family members have operated bars and gelaterias for years, Romeo said.

She said her family wanted to open a place with a true Italian feel. They'll serve panini, coffee drinks and homemade pizzas, as well as the Italian ice cream, Romeo said.

"I think our little niche will be Italy, the language and homemade Italian gelato," she said.

The couple's sons, 16-year-old Mirko and 14-year-old Gabri, have encouraged their parents to take the business risk.

"I don't think if it hadn't been for them, we would have thought about starting this place," Romeo said.

Gabri helped design the logo, and Mirko has been working on the color scheme and painting plans. The two also were born in Rovereto, and the family moved to Steamboat when Mirko was 8.

They'd tossed around the idea of a gelato shop for years, finally deciding last fall that they would go for it. Romeo stopped by Howelsen Place on a whim, and Sanders showed her the spot on Yampa Street. It was perfect, she said.

Mirko and Gabri said they've seen their parents go through the challenging process of starting a business. When Romeo and Erspamer get discouraged, their sons talk them through it.

"They always come to us when they think the numbers won't work," Gabri said. "We tell them, 'Everything's going to be fine. Everyone's going to like it; no one's going to hate this place.'"

The recipes and the gelato ingredients will come from Italy, Romeo said. She hopes the cafe becomes a gathering spot for high school students, people interested in speaking Italian and locals.

The family is excited about the adventure of opening Ciao Gelato, recession or no recession.

"We love people; we love stories," Romeo said. "Italians are into that. There's nothing like having a piece of pizza or a gelato and hearing someone's story."