Stanley Marketplace, which will open its doors later this year, expects to have a total of 35-40 tenants and currently has letters of interest from 75 businesses. They anticipate four full-service restaurants (three lunch and dinner, one breakfast) and likely some quick-service options.

The former headquarters for Stanley Aviation, which produced military plane ejector seats, has over 100,000 square feet of interior space and 22 acres of land that extends across Westerly Creek, offering creekside views for outdoor eating areas and events. It is located at 2501 Dallas St. in Aurora.

The Stanley owners have now announced five retailers, in addition to Kevin Taylor’s Stanley Beer Hall: Kindness Yoga, Tootsies the Nail Shoppe, Kismet, Wax and Endorphin.

Kindness Yoga offers a dozen different styles of yoga, as well as acupuncture and massage, in the Hilltop, Cherry Creek, South Broadway and Capitol Hill neighborhoods. Owners Patrick Harrington and wife, Cameron Dabney, decided to open a fifth studio in the Stanley Marketplace to join with other “like-minded businesses.”

“Mark [Shaker] approached us because he was looking for an independent yoga studio,” said Harrington. “He has a compelling vision for the Stanley. When I met him, we fell into a ‘bromance.’ The tenants will be synergistic together. We are all about doing life in a life-affirming way and we’ll attract clients who feel the same way.”

Kindness will occupy 4,000 square feet of the building, divided into three studios. “We’ll sublet one of the studios to Enshin Karate for kids and share locker room space with Endorphin Fitness,” Harrington said. See kindnesscollective.com or call 303.388.3000.

Endorphin got a jump start at Stanley, offering classes there this past fall.
Photo courtesy of Stanley Aviation.

Tootsies the Nail Shoppe, first opened in 2006, offers pedicures, manicures and waxing services in the Highlands neighborhood and the South Pearl Street business district. Owner Castle Searcy said she was inspired to move into the Stanley building “because I love the building itself and I love its aviation history. I grew up going to Stapleton airport and my mom was a flight attendant. This 1950s building was an ejector-seat factory and it still has that industrial feel. It’s so much better to use it rather than tearing it down.”

Searcy, a graphic and interior designer, plans to carry the atmosphere of her existing salons into the new space. “We have an Art Deco/old New York/‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ theme, with teal walls and pressed tin panels. The 1,000-square-foot Stanley space is larger than our other locations, but it will still have the intimate feel where our clients get to know each other. It’s like a barber shop for women.” See tootsiesnailshoppe.com.

Kismet offers clothing, jewelry, handbags and other accessories at their nine-year-old Highlands location, as well as in Lowry and Southglenn. Owner Shana Colbin Dunn said she chose Stanley Marketplace for its focus on small Denver businesses: “It’s so community-oriented. I love my co-tenants, businesses that want to do more with the world. The whole concept is where I’m headed as a company. It has a homemade, local, high-quality feel.”

Colbin Dunn also appreciates the space: “I love recycling the building. When you walk in, you can feel it. The space is unique, not pre-fab. The developers will keep the good parts intact. It preserves a piece of Denver history. It’s a great place to bring our ‘happy’ look.” See kismetaccessories.com.

Wax. Owner Tawnya Hutchinson started the business in her Stapleton home in 2007. She moved to Larimer Square in 2014 and now offers waxing and skin care services for men and women. “Expanding to the Stanley Marketplace is an opportunity to come back to the neighborhood,” said Hutchinson. “I wasn’t looking in Stapleton but it was serendipitous. After talking to Mark about his vision, I realized this is important for our community. The larger developers don’t consider the little people in their plans. But Mark and his partners are fluid and open to ideas from the businesses and neighborhood residents. They ask, listen and make it happen.”

At 600–800 square feet, Hutchinson’s new Stanley space is larger than the current salon (about 400 square feet). “We’ll have more treatment rooms,” she said. “We plan to keep our Urban/Retro/Mad Men style, with a blend of masculine and feminine elements. The barn doors and wood paneling are installed by my boyfriend. We put our love into it. It’s our love story.” See www.waxdenver.com or call 720.550.6673.

Endorphin offers indoor cycling, boxing, yoga, kinesis and fitness classes at City Park, Lowry, Park Hill, East Colfax, Broadway and Wheat Ridge locations. Proprietor Chris Lindley started the business in 2007. “We have been looking at locations in the Stapleton area for the past year. When we learned about Stanley we immediately knew we had found our new space,” Lindley said. “The developers and tenants are all individuals we want to be associated with: independent owners and operators working together to provide the best goods and services we can to our customers.”

Lindley said the new Stanley space, slightly bigger than his other locations, will allow more diversity in class offerings. “Everything about the space excites us, from the history to the redevelopment. It is easy to get to, and you have everything you need all in one location.” See myendorphin.com or call 303.993.4041.

Retailer interviews by Laurie Dunklee