Your Guide to Community, Politics, Arts and Culture in North Denver DenverNor thStar.com
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Volume 2, Issue 3
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December 15, 2020 -Januar y 14, 2021
Turning Restaurants Inside Out for 2020's Pandemic Finale
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ALWAYS FREE!
3 days, 10 bills, Some Masks: North Denver’s Role in the Special Session
T COMMUNITY Changing Face of Tennyson Street
PAGE 4
PHOTOS BY BASHA COHEN
Restaurants throughout North Denver have turned inside out to stay afloat through the pandemic. Happy Camper, 3211 Pecos Street, provides a tongue in cheek view of the "good life" in 2020.
DINING A different type of bar
PAGE 12
ARTS & CULTURE Local Gift Guide
(Wreath from Va Va Bloom)
PAGES 8-9
STUDENT VOICES PAGES 10-11
OPINION Education Leaders Respond to Mayor, Critics of Board
PAGE 14
HEALTH & WELLNESS Co-housing in Chaffee Park
PAGE 15
T
By Basha Cohen hrough adversity comes innovation. There is no one who has been unaffected by the pandemic of 2020, but restaurants and bars have undoubtedly been hit the hardest. Expanded patios offered a summer respite for the struggling hospitality sector, but as the cold front of winter stretches ahead, it has required a deep stretch of imagination for businesses to remain open. And an even deeper stretch into financing. Due to the unthinkable second shutdown since March that bans indoor seating and requires 8 p.m. closures, restaurateurs have been forced to rethink their survival strategies. Capacity and cash limitations have demanded scrutiny over every detail from menu offerings, operating hours and staffing, weighing labor costs against the customer’s appetite for dining out. For a profession that thrives on creativity, it has given new meaning to being an “Iron Chef.” Aside from critical-to-survive take away, free delivery, cocktails-to-go, and pre-packaged meal kits, businesses are reinventing how to serve guests who have had enough of home. Restaurateurs throughout Denver have shown their scrappy, Northside Pride and Viking grit to innovate and create magical outdoor dining experiences. Gargantuan tents, geodesic solar domes, igloos, snow globes, greenhouses, shipping containers, canvas and plastic shower curtains have created the framework for foodies in streets, sidewalks, parking lots and alleys. These creative imaginings have been “Santafied,”laced in glittery lights, decorated with trendy furniture, stoked with fires and warmed with carpets and heaters appealing to hipsters and romantics alike. Quirky marketing messages beckon apres-street guests to BYOB (bring your own blanket) and #DoItLikeaNative. In other words, if
you can ski in a bikini in Keystone, you can surely dine outdoors and weather the weather. Innovation is at every turn. My Brother’s Bar, the oldest bar in Denver, open since 1873, has taken it up a wild notch with six enchanting and beautifully designed geodesic solar dome, dine-in living rooms. Co-owner Danny Newman calls them “snow globes.” These outdoor igloos are designed to track solar gain, but they also have individually controlled space heaters. Happy Camper provides a dramatic skylight tent and hilarious cross between Miami meets Santa meets camping cookouts. Signs throughout the whacky space shout, “WEAR YOUR F*&@!#$ MASK!” The Family Jones Spirit House brings their natural mossy, eclectic spirit to the streets with lovely greenhouse sitting rooms, as does Bar Dough’s elegant horticultural privacy suite. Who knew that we would be eating in greenhouses in 2020? Apparently, climate change is real. It all comes with a cost, though. Tents, structures, propane and electric heaters, exhaust fans and decor add up. Newman’s snowglobes alone cost $1,000 each. Director of Operations for the Family Jones, Terry Freeman said, “We use ten propane tanks a week just to heat the picnic tables. The whole winter project including the greenhouses cost $11,000. We’ve applied for the CRA outdoor grant, but haven’t heard yet.” The state of Colorado and the Colorado Restaurant Association have created grants to help, but there are no guarantees of receiving them. Dave Query, owner of the Big Red F group including Lola Coastal Mexican said in his recent newsletter, “When we all fell into this COVID world last March, it was unconscionable that we'd be ‘in this’
See RESTAURANTS, Page 6
By David Sabados he state legislature typically meets from mid-January through mid May of each year. When the need arises, however, the governor can call them into a special session to address specific needs. With federal gridlock, COVID-19 numbers surging, small businesses closing, and unemployment still high, Governor Polis decided there were too many pressing issues to wait until January; the legislature met from November 30 through December 2. While Democrats control both chambers and the governor’s office, the majority of bills were bipartisan, with the more partisan moments having less to do with policy and more to do with face coverings. House District 4 Representative Serena G on z a le s- Gut ier re z suppor ted t he Governor’s move to call the legislature in early. “If we wait until January it won't happen fast enough,” said Gonzales-Gutierrez in an interview with The Denver North Star just before the session began. “We want to make sure people have the relief they need.” In a follow-up conversation after the session she said she believed it was a productive three days resulting in meaningful bills.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE COLORADO CHANNEL
Representative Serena GonzalesGutierrez (right) speaks alongside Rep. Dave Williams (left), one of a number of Republicans who refused to wear a mask during the special session.
One bill of particular interest to many small businesses was sponsored by North Denver House District 5 Representative Alex Valdez. Bill HB20B-1004 was a bipartisan Highland neighborhood and Highlands Ranch effort, co-sponsored by Douglas County Republican Kevin Van Winkle and allows bars, restaurants, food trucks, and similar businesses to keep up to $2000 in sales tax they collect each month, up to a total of $8,000. Valdez explained that members were working in pods by their expertise and he was “really intensively looking at the small business side of things.” Valdez hopes the additional funds help keep more small businesses open. One of the largest bills was sponsored by North Denver SD34 Senator Julie Gonzales and kept the Denver-Douglas county bipartisan cooperation going with cosponsorship from Republican Chris Holbert. The bill allotted $60 million to families impacted by COVID-19, with $54 million going toward rental and mortgage assistance, including allowing landlords to file with tenants on their behalf. $1 million for an eviction defense fund, and another $5
See SESSION, Page 15