Businesses hope border troops spend locally in Sierra Vista

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Troops bound for Fort Huachuca as part of President Trump’s deployment of thousands to the U.S. - Mexico border would be just the latest round of temporary, potential new customers for local businesses in Sierra Vista.

Politics aside, business owners and managers seem to agree that any increase to personnel on post should be a nice addition to their customer base.

George Broxton, owner of Broxton’s Coffee located on East Fry Boulevard, said practically everyone in town for training tends to venture into the city for some local flavor.

"It's really cool because we can meet people from all over," he said. "We get to hear, like, different stories and different perspective on things."

Everyone in town could use the business, according to Broxton. His coffee shop started as a kiosk at Cochise College. Five years later, he moved into the current location where soldiers are just as regular as locals.

"It's always great to see them coming in, both in or out of uniform," said Broxton. "It's really great. I love it."

An Army veteran himself, Broxton looks for Special Forces patches on anyone who walks in. The Sierra Vista native spent most of his time with the 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was there that Broxton discovered his appreciation for the welcoming environment of coffee houses and the community-building potential of coffee.

"(It's a) very social beverage," he said. "It's good to see, like, how people gather around the drink."

As more troops are headed for Sierra Vista, Broxton hopes some will gather around the drinks he's serving up just a few miles off post. More importantly, he hopes they leave the small city with an appreciation for southern Arizona.

“People can see truly how beautiful it is,” said Broxton.

Several other businesses we spoke to for comment echoed Broxton’s optimism but declined to be quoted.

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