Cars lined the streets, filled with families ready to spend their Labor Day in Manitou Springs.

Two months ago, when the Waldo Canyon fire swept through our community that was a much different story, business at the time was almost nonexistent.

Retail stores like Cherokee’s of Manitou are now turning the corner. Owner Sharon Dahlen says it has not been easy.

"If it wasn’t for our already established customers, coming in to pick up a birthday card - I mean our sales were dreadful," she said.

The Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce agrees things have started to pick up. Already most restaurants have been able to bounce back. Jake Colbin works at Patsy’s: "The community coming together helped bring the business back together, it made everything good," he said.

The chamber says it’s the lodging industry that’s still struggling.

"People had to actually leave their hotel rooms; I mean a lot of them are still trying to recover. It’s going to be a long year for everybody,” Dahlen said.

To help, the chamber says they're ramping up their efforts; they plan on marketing outside of Colorado to let everyone know they're open for business.