By Jason Heller (former Wax Traxxer), Westword | Our thanks to Wax Trax for alerting us to this story! |
Love for Old Denver gets a lot of lip service, and for good reason. Many longstanding, even legendary Denver businesses and landmarks have disappeared over the past few years, thanks largely to rapid expansion, renovation and gentrification.
Two beloved Old Denver bars have held steady, however: the Squire Lounge at 1800 East Colfax Avenue and the Lion’s Lair at 2022 East Colfax. Until now, that is.
“We’re probably around 40 percent down from where we were a year ago,” says Sudhir Kudva, one of the owners of the Squire, which doubles as a neighborhood bar and a music venue. “There’s no parking. Foot traffic is down. Our visibility is gone. We’re definitely feeling it. We had to lay off our manager and one of our music bookers, but bands still want to play here. I’m telling them, ‘Hey, guys, I can’t afford to pay you, pay a sound guy and pay a door guy to have your band play.'”
The culprit is obvious to anyone who’s been on East Colfax lately: Bus Rapid Transit. The construction project, which broke ground last fall, is in the midst of transforming East Colfax. It will ultimately add a dedicated center lane that runs from downtown Denver to Aurora, the entire length of RTD’s 15 route. But BRT comes at a cost far beyond the $150 million in federal money that’s being poured into it. Small, independent, locally-owned business — which comprise the vast majority of the East Colfax economic corridor — are being sent into an economic tailspin by ripped-up roads, blocked sidewalks, heavy machinery and mazes of barricades that restrict parking and access.
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When it comes to the Lion’s Lair, there’s no ambiguity about its place in BRT’s plan. Situated two and a half blocks east of the Squire, the Lair is solidly within Segment 2. That means the Lair will not be eligible to apply for a BIO Fund grant this time around; the application window for the second round of grants hasn’t yet been announced. But the changes in this area are already starting.
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The good news is that Walgreens right next door to us said that we can send people to park in their large lot during construction. They just ask two things: please park in the back of the lot so that their customers have priority, and please do not leave cars overnight, but just until the bar closes. We cannot thank Walgreens enough for helping us out.
https://www.westword.com/restaurants/colfax-construction-impacting-business-at-beloved-bars-23632398?