Finding a fresh buzz at The Shindig

Corner co ee joint leans into its social scene

BY RACHEL LORENZ SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

A new name and a bright coat of paint are the most obvious signs that a longstanding Lone Tree co ee shop and live music venue is evolving.

“We’re rebranding into more of a social bar and kitchen,” Lily Main, owner of e Shindig Bar and Kitchen, told Colorado Community Media. Just steps from the Lincoln Station RTD light-rail stop, the location was previously home to Java Jam Café and more recently known as Lincoln Station Co ee Pizza Music.

e 2,000-square-foot spot held a ribbon-cutting party June 10 after closing for a day and a half earlier in the week to refresh the space and update the lighting.

“We’re excited to see what e Shindig is going to o er,” Kamesha Stevens said at the celebration, which she attended with a friend. Stevens lives close by and said she’s been popping into the place since Main bought it in August 2020.

e newly rechristened business still serves co ee, but it no longer has weekday breakfast. Since the weekends, particularly Friday and Saturday nights, are its busiest time, Main has shifted attention to the midday and evening o erings. e Shindig has a dozen local and national beers on tap, wine by the glass and a specialty cocktail list. For folks who want to sample what’s available, there are ights of hard seltzer, beer or mimosas. Towers, on the other hand, are for those that know what they like and want plenty of it. Looming nearly 3 feet above the cafe’s tables, towers hold 100 ounces and can be lled with margaritas, seltzers or beer. ey’re great for fostering conversation and sharing, Main said, just like e Shindig’s revamped menu,which features sharable favorites like nachos, hummus, pizza and charcuterie in addition to salads and sandwiches.

Trying to be a co eehouse in the morning and a bar at night made it di cult to do either well, Main said. But by narrowing the business’s focus, “we could feel really strong about perfecting our craft and doing what we do really well,” she said.

Cultivating a social experience for her customers is important to Main, who has a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism management. She recently rearranged the seating

If You Go

The Shindig Bar and Kitchen is at 9360 Station St., Suite 175, in Lone Tree. The kitchen is open for lunch, dinner and drinks Monday through Saturday. Brunch is available Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Happy hour runs weekdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

inside to improve ow and added lounge furniture, both inside and on the bar’s patio, to give patrons a comfortable place to linger. ere’s even a stack of board games people can play.

“It just kind of fosters that connection with others,” Main said. “I’ve tried to intentionally design the spaces to do that within the restaurant.”

Regular events like free poker games, karaoke nights and line dancing classes are another way e Shindig encourages guests to engage with each other instead of screens. Plus Main is going to continue the location’s long tradition of hosting live, local music.

“We really do like to focus on people that live in the area that can bring in their community into our space,” Main said about e Shindig’s musical talent. “We get to join our communities together.”