GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - You may have noticed that a number of businesses around town are closing their doors, but it’s not all bad news for business in the Valley.

The recession has many watching how they spend their money and local businesses are feeling the difference as many of them are closing their doors.

Diane Schwenke with the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce says they’ve seen an increased number of businesses that are not renewing their Chamber memberships because they’re going out of business.

The Chamber says it’s hard for many small businesses to survive the down economy but they also say it’s not all bad news.

They are seeing some new growth. They have 20 new members this month which is double what they saw at the same time last year.

Schwenke says many Chamber members are view the recession as a good time to fine-tune their business.

There are a number of tools the Chamber provides to help local businesses out, including providing marketing help. Plus, they’re working on a local stimulus package. They say that will help local businesses be more competitive when bidding on contracting jobs with local government institutions.