Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems).
It was probably hard to imagine playgrounds, breweries and an ice cream shop on the site of Stanley Aviation when it opened 70 years ago on the Denver-Aurora border.
The company, which for a time was the largest employer in Aurora, made ejection seats for the military and in a few short years nearly doubled its operation to 140,000 square feet, according to History Colorado. The area to the northeast was Stapleton Airport, serving the metro area starting in 1929 and all the way up to the 1995 debut of Denver International Airport.
These days, it’s known as Central Park (formerly: Stapleton neighborhood), a housing-and-condo redevelopment concern where the trees still feel freshly planted and the lots are still sprouting wooden frames. That makes the Stanley Marketplace, which opened on Dec. 20, 2016, in the former Stanley Aviation space, all the more valuable next to the scant food-and-retail offerings in Central Park.
The gutted Stanley warehouse has been handsomely repurposed as a 50-vendor court featuring some of the metro area’s best-known restaurants and shops. That includes Annette — the James Beard award-winning concept from Caroline Glover — but also Maria Empanada, Denver Biscuit Company, Famous J’s, Rosenberg’s Bagels, Rolling Smoke BBQ and others. Not all make it, as with any collection of businesses (RIP, Comida), but the churn is agreeable and occasionally surprising.
Alongside that, there’s shopping (local boutiques, books, a market, etc.), gymnastics, skin care, yoga, dental care and touring, top-notch VR- and immersive-art exhibits. Aurora has plenty of services for its diverse population, and Stanley’s profile can look a little bougie at times, with prices that match its top-notch offerings. Adventurous eaters may be more drawn to Mango House, the savory collection of global cuisines run by refugees in the heart of Aurora than the cold brews and craft beers at the Stanley.
But you don’t have to choose one over the other. I’ve written about this place before, but feel an update is warranted because there’s still more that’s new to discover. The Stanley is also kid-friendly, spacious and relaxing. You can drink outside while your kids zoom around, sit inside and people-watch, or plant yourself at the multi-tap Stanley Beer Hall, where visitors serve their own beers (and pay at the end). Even when it gets busy, it never feels tightly packed.
Stanley Aviation may have closed in 2007, but the Stanley Marketplace still feels like it’s just getting started.
