If you're reading this editorial then you're probably what is known as a townie. That is to say you live here, in Boulder, all the time. You don't necessarily come and go with the changing semesters and holidays. You are not a student.

Being a college student is loads of fun, but there's a lot about being a townie that's really nice too.

For instance, it's pretty cool to be able to go to your favorite restaurant on the Hill during summer break and sit wherever you want. The roads are pretty empty too. You could probably have a picnic in the middle of 13th Street at 2 a.m. this weekend and no one would disturb you.

And that's all fine and well. Unless, of course, you own a business that relies on the money, students' money, to stay afloat in this less-than-ideal economy. For business owners in areas of high student concentration like University Hill, summer is a tough time, the season that determines whether or not they'll be back to serve students in the fall.

Some probably won't. That's business for you.

But unlike a lot of problems facing small businesses right now, there is something the townies of Boulder can do to help out: go shopping.

We're not talking about packing the family in the car and driving out to Broomfield to hunt for bathing suits and camping gear. Why not take advantage of the summer doldrums that make it so easy to get around town and head up to the Hill for some student-free shopping?

Boulder has a lot to offer townies when most of the students are gone, not the least of which is parking. Without much trouble you could visit a downtown business and find a parking spot practically in the lobby. Even if you insist on driving one of those extra-long, super-wide SUVs with the pristine off-road tires, there's bound to be room.

And just think of the things you can do without milling through crowds of 20-somethings chattering away on their cell phones. Now you can mill around with just a handful of 40-somethings, chattering away on their cell phones while you enjoy food from restaurants you didn't even know were there.

If you've been avoiding locally- owned businesses because of the crowds, then now is your chance. And remember: if townies make an effort to patronize townie-owned businesses it could mean the difference between making ends meet and going belly up for some proprietors. The next time all the students leave, so might some businesses.