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Greeley Raised, Greeley Rooted

Local Real Estate Agent and Family Make New Greeley Memories

Article by Susan McKenzie

Photography by Delaney Morrow Photography

Originally published in Greeley Lifestyle

Real Estate Agent, Sonja Belfiore, is Greeley Raised and Greeley Rooted. Her and her husband Sean, along with their two kids are proud to call this place their home. Sonja loves the small-town mindset that Greeley has. “It’s small enough that there are always people around who know you, but it’s also large enough to be your own person.” They have consistently felt so much support through our community, and are excited to be able to turn around and give it back through their family-owned local businesses. With 4 liquor stores, and 3 Hiroshi restaurants with a fourth one on the way, their businesses are directly benefiting the people that live within our city. “Further fostering the development of Greeley is something that is important to us. We are committed to being the pillar of the community that we once leaned on.”

When Sonja was growing up, Greeley didn’t go past 47th Avenue. Her house backed up to 35th Avenue and it was just a field before the Westlake Village Shopping Center was built. “Now, there is so much to do here. There are more stores and choices that we didn’t have when I was growing up. There is also access to trails and safe spaces to get to without having to drive.” 

Thinking back to her childhood, Sonja reminisced about the freedom she had riding her bike to the pool or to Tropical Sno. “We could go everywhere and be safe and have reign of the town.” Now she is excited to help her kids establish some memories of their own. “It’s really fun to watch both of my kids grow up here with the same support I had,” Sonja remarked. “My daughter, Brynlee loves her town and is already very opinionated about what the best places here are,” she laughed. 

We asked Brynlee what her favorite parts about Greeley are and compared them to her mom’s childhood favorites:

Favorite Park?

B: The Park at the Baseball Fields!

S: Woodbriar Park

Favorite Library?

B: Doug Farr - they have a scavenger hunt!

S: Centennial Park Library - we could ride our bikes there and my mom would take me there once a week every summer. They also had the reading pizza challenge.

Favorite Pool Spot?

B: Country Club pool with the diving board

S: Centennial Pool with the big slide

Favorite Food:

B: The Love Potion Smoothie from Berry Blendz

S: JB’s

Favorite Summer Activity:

B: Fridayfest - There are bubbles, balloon animals, music and dancing, and face painting! 

S: Staying out riding bikes until dark


 

While Brynlee and her little brother are growing up in a very different Greeley than Sonja and Sean did, one thing is evident - Greeley is home. “I hadn’t wanted to stay here, but when I moved away, I never found a place that felt the same,” Sonja recalled. “Greeley had all the aspects of a community that we were looking for when deciding where to raise our kids. Maintaining our roots and giving back to our community through our various businesses is important to us, and we are thrilled to be able to do so.

Born and raised in Greeley, my husband and I are proud to be raising our family here. Our kids, Brynlee and Preston, help us feel alive and enjoy the little things. In addition to real estate, our family owns and operates eight independent businesses throughout Greeley and Northern Colorado. Our entrepreneurial spirit drives us to work hard and give back to our community

Sonja's work as a realtor is inspired by her parents who still live in the same house she grew up in. They instilled in her the pride that comes with homeownership, which she strives to help others achieve by helping them establish their own roots in the community. Sonja has grown to love Greeley and wants to increase the community buy-in by increasing homeownership.

Businesses featured in this article