Photo: Brightwood Music Store (before the fire) | By John Herrick and Por Jaijongkit, Boulder Reporting Lab | In the early hours of Oct. 9, a fire tore through the Caribou Village Shopping Center in Nederland, destroying every one of the more than a dozen businesses and leveling a cornerstone of the community.
John Thompson, owner of the Mountain Man Outdoor Store, stood in front of his smoldering storefront. He compared the scene to a funeral.
“It’s like standing in front of a dead body,” he told Boulder Reporting Lab. “It was the anchor” of the town.
The blaze, called the Lakeview Fire by officials, began around 3 a.m. Thursday and spread rapidly through the wooden structures before crews could contain it. Firefighters from the Nederland Fire Protection District and neighboring agencies worked through the early hours to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby landmarks, including The B & F Mountain Market, The Train Cars Coffee and Kava, and the Carousel of Happiness, all of which were spared.
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Among the businesses lost were Brightwood Music, which sold and repaired instruments and provided a space for music lessons; Very Nice Brewing Company, a gathering spot; and the Wild Bear Nature Center. The nonprofit lost a turtle, a snake, two salamanders, isopods and cockroaches, along with irreplaceable memorabilia and animal specimens, according to Matthew Celesta, Wild Bear’s director of development.
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The following businesses were affected by the fire:
Augustina’s Winery – A one-woman winery founded by Gussie Walter, established in 1997 as Boulder County’s first winery before relocating to Nederland in 2016. All wines are made from Colorado-grown grapes.
Brightwood Music – A total loss, according to the owner. The shop featured locally handcrafted instruments, lessons and repairs. “We are absolutely devastated by the fire that took out about 20 businesses today, including ours,” the owners wrote on Facebook. “We appreciate everyone reaching out to us. We just can’t respond right now as we process what is happening.”
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Adam Hunt on Facebook: There are so many awesome businesses, lives, and jobs in that building.
Like, Brightwood Music, the ONLY instrument shop in Nederland. Ned – a town that is famous for its music and musicians – without an acoustic instrument store? That’s wild. (Side note: I was really in love with an Eastman that Brightwood had on its wall, too. I’d been thinking about saving up and making the purchase for about six months. You snooze, you lose, I guess.)
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Help Brightwood Music After Nederland Shopping Center Fire
I’m helping my brother Doug and his wife Barb raise funds to recover from a devastating fire that destroyed their local music shop. Brightwood Music was a pillar of the community, a meeting place for young and old, with an extensive inventory of beautiful instruments now in ashes. Doug and Barb built Brightwood up from nothing, and they have lost everything. Please help!
By Cliff Armitage, Nederland, CO
Photo: Caribou SC – Brightwood Music Store
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1503552071258075&set=pcb.1503552331258049
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Predawn fire destroys Nederland shopping center
No injuries reported at Caribou Village Shopping Center, but every business is lost
https://www.dailycamera.com/2025/10/09/nederland-fire-caribou-village-shopping-center/