Starting off the year, we saw many businesses that had endured difficult economic times or new business ready to open where others had not survived. Pacific Beach, being a major tourist destination attracting millions of visitors each year, has always had a business mix that understood the importance of capturing those visitors during peak months in order to get through the slower times. When times were tough and tourism went down, many businesses were forced to look closer to home to make it through. Reliance on the year-round crowd became more important than ever. As a result, we have seen a resurgence of culinary focus and distinctive concepts. The small business owner finally felt confident to invest, and these ideas resulted in many remodels and change-overs in 2014, bringing a fresh perspective to our business community. While we lost some of our favorites, we gained some unique and exciting new ventures. As the summer came, businesses saw the return of the visitors – but as one business owner put it, “Now the tourist are the icing on the cake rather than the bread and butter.” The hospitality industry has always been a leader in trends; however, that was not the only place we saw these changes. In fact, 2014 brought 50 new members to Discover Pacific Beach, making PB the largest business improvement district in San Diego, with 1,556 businesses. Similar to trends in cities all over the nation, 2014 brought innovation and opportunity, particularly in the tech and health industries. Pacific Beach is home to hundreds of professionals, from accountants to acupuncturists, all living and working in a beautiful beach setting. Discover Pacific Beach was busy keeping up with the booming business this year, continuing its longstanding programs and adjusting to changes as well. We focused heavily on social media and targeted marketing to promote local events and businesses, seeing some of our most successful events yet. Our two restaurant walks and Pacific Beachfest reached record attendances in 2014, and we hosted the Pacific Beach Holiday Parade for the third consecutive year since canceling it in 2009 due to economic difficulties. Thanks to the funds collected from Pacific Beach’s Tuesday farmers market, we have continued sidewalk cleaning services for our most heavily trafficked streets and continued the Beach Area Community Court Program. Discover Pacific Beach could not have been successful without the contribution and support from the volunteers and sponsors that contributed this year. Collaboration was also key this year as citywide changes affected our neighborhood. Community groups, government officials and volunteers worked together to help navigate these changes. The biggest project of all was bringing the Pacific Beach Eco-District to life in partnership with beautifulPB, the Pacific Beach Planning Group and many others. With change comes growth – smart growth, that is. This year, there will be a big focus on continuing efforts in smart growth, particularly in alternative transportation and development that continues to be a need as our city and neighborhoods grow. We are seeing a refocus on the neighborhood not just here but nationwide. The importance of shopping local, buying local and supporting local will be a trend we hope to foster in Pacific Beach. Whether that means supporting our local public schools, spending a little more time offline when shopping or getting out and exploring your neighborhood, we at Discover Pacific Beach encourage you to rediscover PB in 2015! Happy New Year!