Belcaro/Bonnie Brae
Our business news starts off on a sad note this month as a neighborhood landmark closes after a 40-year run. Campus Lounge at 701 S. University Blvd. served its last drink on Sept. 25.
“After 40 years, I want to do other things, like travel. I want it to be under my terms and be the customer now,” owner Jim Wiste said.
Bon voyage and safe travels, Jim.
Cory/Merrill
Fante Eye & Face Centre at 3900 E. Mexico Ave. (drfante.com) is celebrating 18 years of business and they’re planning something special. RSVP on their website for the Thursday and Friday, Oct. 20 and 21 event which has Marketing Manager Ree Varcoe proclaiming, “we’ve never had discounts like this before, ever.”
On hand will be suppliers of products, demonstrations of injectable treatments, giveaways and discounts on upcoming procedures.
Varcoe truly believes these types of procedures are best done by a physician and explained that “Dr. Fante is a surgeon and knows the eye and face intimately.”
Platt Park
Lots of literary news on South Broadway. Anderson Butler Rare Books is now open at 1460 S. Broadway (andersonsbooks.com). Owner Mark Anderson closed a Seattle bookshop to move to the Denver area to continue to do what he loves: sell old and rare books.
“I think Denver, like Seattle, is a good book town,” Anderson said.
We think he’s right.
Gallagher Books at 1454 S. Broadway (gcbooks.com), just a few doors down from Anderson Butler Rare Books, is celebrating a grand reopening, and Sue Gallagher is excited to welcome Anderson to the neighborhood.
Rather than competition, there appears to be a comradery among book shop owners.
“We’d love Broadway to be known as book row,” said Sue, “while at the same time realizing we have a long way to go before we’re the next Hay-on-Wye.”
Join both stores for a celebration Friday and Saturday, Oct. 21-22. The type of festivities have yet to be announced, so we’ll have to put up with a little mystery in our lives for now.
Black Pearl at 1529 S. Pearl St. (blackpearldenver.com) is closed after 11 years in business. Dry those tears, though, their website promises they will reopen soon to provide us a local hangout with an “exciting new concept.” The mystery continues.
Rosedale
If you like fried chicken and beer, you’re going to love Post Chicken & Beer, a new restaurant opening this month at 2220 S. Broadway (postchickenandbeer.com).
The brainchild of The Post Brewing Company’s Brett Smith, this eatery will serve up more than just chicken. Diners can also enjoy salads, fish and even hot roast beef. Everything can be washed down with drafts and cans of the best The Post Brewing Company has to offer, or you can choose from other local beers, cocktails and wine.
Baker Wine & Spirits opened their doors in February at 440 Broadway (bakerwineshop.com).
This isn’t the first rodeo for co-owners Lawrence Slade and Tim Martin; they owned Vino Vino in Cherry Hills Village for four years before moving to Baker to take advantage of the up-and-coming neighborhood.
Slade said they’re “glad to be on Broadway and excited about the revival and expansion of businesses there.”
When asked about their products he told me they are “focusing on local- and Colorado-made products.”
If you like to find hidden gems, you’re also in luck because Slade went on to say that they “try to find smaller and lesser-known producers.”
Cheers guys, and welcome to the neighborhood.
University Hills
Happy one year anniversary to Tulip, located at 2312 S. Colorado Blvd. (tulipgiftsandcards.com).
The gift boutique, which features 22 Colorado artists and five from out of state, is ramping their inventory up for the holiday season.
“Our goal is to keep our products affordable. We want to be able to have something for everyone. Whether it’s a piece of art or a piece of jewelry,” owner Sharon Trowbridge said.
Trowbridge loves handcrafted goods and is proud of her collection of artists. There will be a two-day celebration to mark their one year in business on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 6 and 7, beginning at 10:30a.m.
The store will serve refreshments and anyone mentioning the one year anniversary will get 15 percent off their purchase. It’s never too early to start on that holiday gift list.
Washington/Virginia/Vale
JCC Denver at 350 S. Dahlia Street (jccdenver.org) has a new CEO. Ali Hill has joined the organization, which is almost a century old. Hill moved to Denver with her family in 2015 and immediately got involved in the community. Her credentials are impressive and include a master’s degree from Columbia University and a Ph.D. from City University of New York.
Hill told BusinessDen, “our future is about creating the capacity to meet the demands of our growing community.”
It will be exciting to see where Hill’s leadership will take the organization as it heads toward its second century.
Around Town
SupperBell (supperbell.com) is expanding their delivery range to deliver fresh meals to more doorsteps.
“At Supperbell, we provide restaurant-quality meals by taking advantage of fresh, farm-sourced ingredients,” said renowned chef Frank Bonanno, Culinary Director of SupperBell. “Our new fall menu, launching in October, will feature some of my favorite seasonal and locally sourced products.”
The company is now serving our Washington Park Profile neighborhoods and there’s even an app you can use for ordering.
Kerry Hammond investigates and reports on the neighborhood happenings in the “Business as Usual” column and is a freelance book reviewer for the Washington Park Profile. Contact her with any business-related news at bau@washparkprofile.com.
