It is interesting to think about what it means that so many buildings that were once restaurants have been repurposed, many of them to residential uses. This is, of course, a function of property values. In Telluride’s changing economy, land and buildings are less valuable as restaurants (or for retail) than as residences. What does this do to the viability of the tourist economy? What does it do to the community? Does it matter? Even if it does matter, can anything be done about it? Then again, new restaurants do keep opening up.