Community Steps in to Help Family-Owned Bike Shop

MacKenzie Hardt is part of the community, whether it’s flipping pancakes alongside his wife, Abby, at Winter Bike to Work Day; leading a bike bus to a school; or running a Kidical Mass event. The Hardts host 40 free events a year. Now the community is stepping up to help them in return.

The reason for the support: nine thefts in two years, including overnight burglaries and robberies during the day. The most recent crime happened in early March when 15 bicycles were stolen from Hardt’s warehouse in northwest Aurora.

“They’re fast,” MacKenzie explained, sitting in his shop and greeting customers. “It takes two minutes. They bust a high window, drop someone in, get the door open, and they’re gone.”

He added, “They know exactly what they’re doing. They only take what they can resell.”

After each crime, he’s increased security, but “cameras can only do so much,” he said.

“We reinforced the showroom, and we got the shop locked down really well, and then they hit the warehouse. So now we’ve reinforced the warehouse. Recently, we’ve been cased at night a few times with people looking into our building to maybe break in or come back to break in.”

The crimes are always on Hardt’s mind: the mental toll and the financial cost, including $10,000 spent on extra security in the past two years. He said he’s lost almost $150,000 in total from these break-ins and damage. Insurance covers some of the cost of the lost bikes, but not all of it.

Hardt is not the type of person to ask for financial help, and he said he likely would not have asked for himself—that’s where the community has stepped in.

Friends have started a GoFundMe and hosted a neighborhood fundraising barbecue on April 19 at the family- owned shop at 10255 E. 25th Ave.

The fund will be open through May and is set to raise $30,000, the net loss from the most recent robbery. “Not everyone can donate,” Hardt said. “And that’s OK.”

There are other ways to support the small business, he said. “Word of mouth is the biggest one. If you’ve had a good experience here, tell people. Leave a review. That matters more than people think.”

Those reviews also matter to Hardt’s staff, who he called the best techs around. “We’re not the wealthiest bike shop in Colorado or the world. We never will be. But that’s not our goal. You know, our goal is always to be a better bike shop and a community builder,” he said.

“We’re here because these are our neighbors. This is our family.” He added, “If you do good work, it comes back to you. Especially when you need it.”

Investigators Looking for Cause of Fire at Bluff Lake Nature Center

The flames from a fire at the Bluff Lake Nature Center in Denver could be seen for miles. The 5.5-acre fire brought out firefighters from both Denver and Aurora late on March 31.

Fire investigators were back at the site at 11255 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. the morning of April 1 to try to determine the cause of the blaze, which ripped through cattails by the lake. Several trees were also burned and were cut down by fire crews.

Rachel Hutchens, executive director of Bluff Lake, said the fire started to the south of the lake and worked its way around the east side toward the boardwalk, where firefighters fought back the flames of the burning cattails.

The security camera on the new campus building captured the site of where the fire ignited, but not how it started, she said. The video recording was given to Denver Fire. The cause is still undetermined.

Since the fire, visitors and students have been interested in learning more about what happened, including 9-year-old Olivia Simone, who saw the aftermath and decided to paint what she saw for a school project related to nature. Her father said she loves Bluff Lake and was very concerned about the fire.

The wildlife area, which has about 100,000 visitors a year, is in the middle of an urban area. Hutchens said Denver Fire Station 26 had previously trained at the nature center, and firefighters have access to all locked entrances.

New Name and Look for Shops at Northfield

Construction is underway on a multi-million-dollar renovation project at The Shops at Northfield, now renamed Avenues at Northfield.

A new pedestrian-only main street has been designed for what Stockdale Partners, owners of the area, call a “vibrant community hub for Central Park and the broader community upon the project’s completion.”

The road running through the center of the shopping area is being converted into a 6,000-square-foot pedestrian space that includes a children’s play area and space for family programming. The project is expected to be completed before the 2026 holiday season begins.

The Wayfair store at the former Macy’s building is still set to open in the fourth quarter of 2026, with Life Time athletic club expected to open in the JCPenney space in 2027.

Denver Library Closure Extended

The Schlessman Family Branch Library in Lowry will remain closed until early 2027.

The location has been undergoing its first major renovation since opening in 2002, adding square footage to accommodate a larger community room, study spaces, a new teen area, and a children’s section.

Much of the inside work has been completed with funding from the Elevate GO Bond. The building also needed a new HVAC system, which was recently approved for city capital and library funds, pushing back the reopening until next year.

The Schlessman branch closed in January of 2025.