An old downtown Winter Park shopping center is redefining itself. With seven new shops joining the lineup in the past two years and a host of other changes, Cooper Creek Square is turning it focus to serving locals and creating a sense of community.

When the structure was first completed in 1982, many of the shops were focused on tourists, said marketing director Marie Hedrick.

“There were a lot of resort wear shops and professional offices,” she said, “and they all kind of looked the same.”

Now the 23-shop pedestrian mall represents a tapestry of interests to appeal to locals and tourists alike. A few of the original shops are still there with a classic collection of Winter Park wear and memorabilia (including B. Jammin' and the General Store).

For foodies, there are five restaurants serving Indian (Star of India), Italian (Albertos, operated by the owners of Tabernash Tavern), Chinese (New Hong Kong), Mexican (Carlos & Maria's) and barbecue (Smokin' Moe's) with an added side of live music on its recently expanded stage.

There's a coffee shop (Mountain Grind) that serves breakfast, lunch, gelato, and homemade fudge. And, now that it has a liquor license, Mountain Grind can mix up some killer Bloody Marys to serve with Sunday brunch. The coffee shop, which recently doubled in size, also hosts live music on Fridays for Java Night.

There is a new gourmet kitchen shop (Wild Horse Gourmet) with cookbooks, table decor, chefs gadgets, take-home gourmet dinners, plus a selection deli meats and cheeses. Samples are always on hand. Look for weekend pairings and tastings.

A true taste of Colorado is available at the wine bar (Verso Cellars) with a sampling on nine Colorado wines for $5. Or, just sit down for a tall glass of Riesling or cabernet sauvignon. A Russian specialty shop (Anastasia) offers rare collectibles, jewelry and handcrafted items, if you can catch her when she's open.

A Colorado art gallery (Nest) features 15 Grand County artists and a place to paint your own pottery. The home decor shop (Moose Hollow) recently added a full line of wintery pajamas, perfect for snuggling by the fire.

Three clothing and accessory shops abound with knitted scarves, funky hats, big bags, fun blazers and lots and lots of jewelry (Peezie Marie, Be Boutique and Seven Sisters).

A new custom jeweler offers repairs and even changes watch batteries (Silver Mountain Jewelry).

For the young and young at heart, there's a toy shop (Imaginations), a ski shop (Christy's) and a snowboard/skate shop (Powder Tools) with skate shoes, blue jeans and a selection of electronics for cranking tunes on and off the slopes.

There's a full service spa and organic tea bar (Body Works) and a hair salon (Kut Above). There's even a place to get your taxes done (Pope & Associates).

“It's a more relevant place for locals than it's ever been,” said Stephanie Carey, who works on promotions for the mall.

With a brick courtyard, fire pit and water feature, Cooper Creek Square has become a hub for community events all year long. From Music on the Mall, block parties and ice cream socials in the summer to indoor concerts, ice skating and holiday celebrations in the winter Cooper Creek Square has its sights set on becoming the town center of Winter Park.

“Having a vibrant downtown center has been our goal since the beginning,” said Ron Jones, managing partner at Cooper Creek.

Hedrick added that the new mix of stores makes it easier than ever before to shop locally.

“We live in a small community and these business owners are our neighbors and friends,” she said. “We want to do whatever we can to help them be successful.”

— Reid Armstrong can be reached at 970-887-3334 ext. 19610 or rarmstrong@skyhidailynews.com.