A trio of business closures on a popular stretch of East Colfax Avenue has left devotees of Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs, Fox Run Cafe and Enzo’s End Pizzeria wondering what will take their places.
But their owners, and the leader of the Bluebird District — a nine-block stretch of properties along Colfax between St. Paul Street and Colorado Boulevard — say the timing is coincidental ahead of a major construction project on East Colfax expected to start this month.
“It’s not because sales are hurting,” said Steve Ballas, the 70-year-old owner and founder of Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs, which will close later this month (the 10-year-old location at Denver International Airport will remain open.)
“I’ve been here almost 20 years and I’m not as fast as I used to be. My wife has health issues and it’s time to retire,” said Ballas, who formerly ran Corporate Deli downtown.
“Closing is a personal choice, not business,” said Lucien Reichart, who opened Fox Run Cafe in March 2020 and managed to survive through the COVID pandemic. He’ll close his breakfast- and lunch-centered business on Oct. 21.
“But when people are like, ‘Your business is great; how could you possibly close?,’ I remind them that Denver has some of the highest food costs in the country because we’re essentially an island,” he said. “I’m seriously pro-worker, but at the end of the day you have a crazy high minimum wage and the city is not doing much to support small businesses.”
Reichart pointed to independent businesses such as Mutiny Information Cafe and Fancy Tiger Crafts, which have recently moved from South Broadway’s Baker neighborhood to Englewood, where they were “welcomed with open arms.”
“I hope Denver can continue to support independently run businesses, especially restaurants, and not these big McGregor Squares and Cherry Creek Norths where it’s $70 per square foot and you’re getting a concept from New York City or Austin,” he said.
Like Charlie Puma, the owner of longtime pizza restaurant Enzo’s End, Reichart and Ballas told The Denver Post that while they were mostly closing for personal reasons, they were wary of upcoming sidewalk closures as part of the $300 million Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. The construction will disrupt traffic as it adds dedicated bus lines in the middle of Colfax, new bus stops, and other features designed to increase capacity and ease congestion along the corridor, officials have said.
Construction on the East Colfax Avenue portion of the BRT, which has been compared to a light rail-like service, is starting this month between Broadway and Williams Street before moving east to the intersections at Monroe (in the Bluebird District), Niagara and Yosemite streets, according to the city’s website.
“The start of the Colfax BRT project was probably the last straw,” Puma told The Denver Post before Enzo’s June 30 closure. “I’m thinking that three years of construction, parking limitations, access issues, brutal traffic, and finally a BRT station right in front of the shop is not to my liking.”
District officials are hopeful, however, that they can limit disruptions and preserve pedestrian access along a stretch that’s home to the Lost Lake lounge, Mezcal, Goosetown Tavern, Tommy’s Thai, Bastien’s, PS Lounge, Spice Room, Atomic Cowboy and Denver Biscuit Company, the Bluebird Theater and many other well-known businesses.
“Believe me, it’s a bummer to see these (recent closures),” said Sean Mandel, president of the Bluebird Business Improvement District, and the owner of the properties being leased by Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs and Fox Run Cafe. “But I’ve talked to them and know it wasn’t because business was hurting. It’s just coincidental that they’re all three closing this year. We’ve had very little turnover in general in the district.”
Mandel also said the upcoming BRT project is complicated and its effects won’t immediately be known. But there is reason to be optimistic about the changes, he said.
“I would be naive not to have some concerns. There will be disruptions, and we’re not sure how much yet,” he said. “But we know the city is working to minimize those. And neither Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs nor Fox Ruin will be empty for long, as there’s lots of interest. But we can’t quite talk about that yet.”
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