It’s no small task to open a new local business. Time, money, and planning go into making the venture a success. Front Porch visited three new businesses (including a new indoor pickleball facility shown here) in the northeast Denver and northwest Aurora areas, where owners are investing in the community.
Several new local businesses opened in September and October, all owned and operated by northeast Denver residents who are fulfilling their dreams. Front Porch visited all three locations to talk to the owners and learn about their hopes for success and support from the community and each other. “We’re just hoping that we can kind of pull this little neighborhood [Aurora Arts District] up,” says Heather Adams of Vanishing West Ciders. “We’ve got some strong business owners. A lot of us want to collaborate.”
The Baking Room
11690 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora
The smell of freshly-baked bread greets customers at The Baking Room, a new bakery in northwest Aurora. Park Hill resident Eric Theil is the owner of the business, where coffee and tea are served in the morning, and loaves and baguettes in the afternoon. The refrigerator case also holds whipped butters.
Eric Theil is busy baking inside The Baking Room on East Montview Blvd. in Aurora. Stacks of fresh baguettes and sourdough loaves await customers Tuesday through Saturday. Pizza is coming soon.
Theil has big plans for the space where tables and chairs sit out front. “We’re also planning on doing pizza nights in the summertime. So next summer, we want to pursue a beer and wine license and be able to take advantage of this space.”
For now, breakfast foods are offered, and he’s getting plenty of help from his family. Theil’s son Caleb was behind the coffee bar the day Front Porch visited, helping his father get the business launched.
The bakery is open 8am–4pm Tuesday through Sunday.
Co-owner Heather Adams holds a sampler tray of the ciders available at the new Vanishing West Ciders on East Colfax Ave in Aurora. On tap are ciders, wine, and beer.
Vanishing West Ciders
9735 East Colfax Ave., Aurora
Heather Adams and her husband Doug, both architects, have transformed the former Lady Justice Brewery space into a cidery, adding another new business to the Aurora Arts District.
Along with a line of ciders, Vanishing West has a few beer and wine options—and a slushie machine. Adams worked with the nearby La Victoria Healing Kitchen to create the food menu. “We have charcuterie boards and we’re doing our apple cider donut holes with a Chantilly cream and our blackberry reduction.”
The place has western decor, and the owners hope to launch theme nights, such as poker, movies, or vinyl.
Adams says her husband started taking cider-making classes a few years ago and worked toward his official certificate. She is happy to tell patrons about their journey and how the cider is made.
The cidery is open Tuesday through Friday from 3–9pm and weekends from 12–9pm.
Tricia and Brant Houston stand beside one of the 11 pickleball courts at the new Mile Hi Pickelball. Located on Havana St. in Denver, the facility also provides several seating areas and a bar.
Mile Hi Pickleball
3700 Havana St. Suite 305., Denver
Off I-70 in a sprawling business complex, where a drywall and tire business once operated, pickleball has moved in: The Mile Hi Pickleball Club, a 35,000-square-foot indoor business.
Eleven courts, along with a bar and lounge, greet customers in the spacious facility. Owners Tricia and Brant Houston hope to make it an inclusive place for pickleball enthusiasts. “Pickleball is very much a social thing, which is why it’s taking off, and it’s not hard to learn it, and it’s not hard to play,” Tricia says.
She owns a mortgage company and he works in investment management, so the project is a very big side gig. Tricia says the project “took on a life of its own,” and she’s encouraged by the response from the community.
The Central Park couple, both pickleball players, saw a need for another indoor space to play and started looking for buildings that had the right amount of space for courts. It turned out older buildings were better suited for what they needed, and new ownership of the Havana 37 Business Center seemed like a good fit.
Along with the courts, lessons, and leagues, there will be a corporate rental space for events and parties, and a bar and lounge offering beer, wine, and some snacks.
An annual membership at the club costs $840 a year which gives players priority booking and discounts. A one-hour guest rental is $15 an hour per person.
Front Porch photos by Christie Gosch
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