Construction workers, event planners, police officers, a nearby resident, and a person in media. Within a single hour, all of these people individually visited the massive project at 2501 Dallas in Aurora for various reasons. The site has a constant chirp of activity as anticipation grows for Stanley Marketplace.

The 140,000-square foot building that was used to manufacture aviation ejector seats will be a food and entertainment hub, Stanley Marketplace, and open in spring 2016. Demolition was completed at the end of August, launching full-on construction in early September. The building received landmark status in August for three elements: maintaining the hangar doors, restoring the original Stanley sign, and keeping the color scheme.

The marketplace will be organized by “neighborhoods,” or areas of similar businesses, like a health and beauty neighborhood or a breakfast and coffee neighborhood. The owners of Stanley have selected their favorite Denver businesses to join their vision. The new businesses already meet for happy hours and discuss how they can collaborate on events and deals for customers. “We’d like for people regionally to come here to spend their hard-earned bucks on people who are really good at what they do, but also share the same values of a collaborative culture,” owner Mark Shaker says.

For an element of suspense, he is revealing the businesses gradually. Here are the latest eight businesses to be announced.

RESTAURANTS

Denver Biscuit Company

For the first time, Denver Biscuit Company is going out on its own when it opens at Stanley. In its three current locations, the biscuit-centric business shares space and a partnership with the Atomic Cowboy bar and Fat Sully’s Pizza, serving people morning to night. At Stanley, Denver Biscuit Company will continue serving items based on giant buttermilk biscuits including sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, and shrimp and grits over biscuits.

The restaurant will be full service with their own bar and open for breakfast, lunch and brunch. Owner Drew Shader says the atmosphere will be comfortable, encouraging people to linger but describes the offshoot as being “less Atomic Cowboy-ee and more brunchy.”

After several years having the company’s Biscuit Bus food truck at the Stapleton Farmers Market, Shader is looking forward to having a more permanent presence in the area. “We know Stapleton pretty well and that’s why we’re excited about the Stanley. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime project for me,” says Shader. “I think it’s so unique and so cool and it’s an amazing mix of people and businesses. And it’s a good way to get in between Aurora and Stapleton and be part of something that’s much bigger than us.”

For more information, visit www.denbisco.com

Comida

It’s not an official Pantone® color, but what owner Rayme Rossello coins “Comida Pink” will show up at her newest Comida location in the Stanley Marketplace. It’s the familiar and bright color of her Comida Food Truck and appears in touches at her other locations in Longmont and at The Source in Denver. Rossello will continue to serve Mexican street food with a southern twist including sweet potatoes, grits and slow-cooked meats, reflecting Rossello’s southern roots. As with each of her locations, Rossello will leave some creative license to the chef to come up with their own creations.

The Stanley location will have a spacious feeling with an open kitchen, bar, patio, community seating and smaller tables. “We hope our guests will feel like we’re a fun, lively, approachable and affordable cantina,” she says.

“There’s going to be a good synergy,” says Rossello of the tenant mix. And she likes the vision of the project: “The story of the City of Aurora getting behind the project from the start and being very proactive and wanting something that was going to enhance and elevate the dining options for the community… It brings so much community to that area in one building without it being a mall.”

For more information, visit http://www.thesourcedenver.com/comida.

Sweet Cow at Stanley

As a company, it’s Sweet Cow ice cream’s model to become part of the fabric of the community. Drew Honness, co-owner, says it typically takes two to three years of being in a neighborhood for that to happen. “All of a sudden, we’re a destination for a good report card, after choir or basketball practice, or for a first date,” he says.

Opening his fifth location in November, Honness is excited to continue serving 24 flavors of house-made ice cream and sorbet (from 135 rotating recipes) in Sweet Cow at Stanley, the sixth location.

“I think the project itself is the coolest thing to hit the Denver area in a decade. The design is going to be tremendous,” says Honness, who has wanted to be in the Stapleton neighborhood for a year and a half but couldn’t find the right location. “This is why we’re going in there—it’s how we’re being incorporated into the Stapleton neighborhood, how they are creating this gathering place, this community center of shops and businesses and opportunities. Most communities don’t have a big enough piece of land to be able to do this. We saw this as a ground-breaking opportunity.”

For more information, visit sweetcowicecream.com/

Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen

Josh Pollack, owner of Rosenberg’s, is serious about bagels—so serious that he developed a water filtration machine to re-create the New York water that gives bagels in the Big Apple their distinctive character. “The different levels of minerals create a texture that enhances the strength of the gluten, making the crust crunchy and chewy, so it will stretch and not crack,” Pollack said.

Pollack opened his first Rosenberg’s Deli in the Five Points neighborhood in 2014 and will join the restaurant options at the Stanley next year. “We’ll have about 2,500 square feet, similar to our size in Five Points. The design allows us a large patio and we have a corner space, so people can pop in from the inside or the outside. We plan to re-purpose the old guard booth for drive-through orders.”

Pollack grew up in New Jersey and learned the deli business from his best friend’s father. “The deli world has seen a generational shift,” he said. “Two generations ago, lots of people had delis, but not all their kids wanted to keep doing that. I was lucky to find an expert to pass the torch along.”

For more information, go to rosenbergsbagels.com or call 720.440.9880.

GoodBird Kitchen

GoodBird Kitchen is the newest of 10 restaurants owned by the Big Red F Restaurant Group, including nine in Colorado and one in Kansas City.

GoodBird at Stanley will be a smaller version of The Post Brewing Company in Lafayette, serving fried and rotisserie chicken, seasonal side dishes and Post beers. “It will be a similar menu,” said Dana Faulk Query, wife of owner Dave Query and marketing director at Big Red F Restaurant Group. “We’ll also serve the green chile mac-and-cheese and mashed potatoes that are so popular at The Post.”

Faulk Query said the big difference at the Stanley restaurant will be its “supreme casual” concept, meaning diners can order at the counter and then get full service at their table. “You can be in and out quickly; it’s perfect for kids who can’t sit still. Or you can take your time. We want people to use our restaurant however they want.”

Faulk Query said GoodBird’s décor will have a Colorado-mountain-meets-Michigan-roadhouse feel, inspired by husband Dave’s Boulder upbringing and summers spent in rural Michigan. “It’ll be rustic, super casual and fun,” she said.

For more information, see bigredf.com or call Faulk Query at 303.807.4687.

Sazza

Sazza owners Jeff Rogoff and Jenni Hayes want to demonstrate the connection between farm and table. Their new restaurant at Stanley will include a half-acre farm for education and to add hyper-local ingredients on their menu. “Reclaiming the half-acre off the Stanley parking lot will demonstrate food transparency and how to sustain a farm in the city,” said Rogoff. “We’re all about food justice, sustainability and leaving the planet a better place.”

Rogoff and Hayes, a married couple with two sons, opened their first Sazza (short for salads and pizza) in Greenwood Village in 2006, where they also ran a small farm until this year. They’ll expand their menu at the Stanley to include sandwiches, homemade rolls, pasta dishes and “sazzones” (their version of calzones). Specialty dishes will feature produce from the new farm, called High Street Farm. “High Street Farm soup will be a specialty,” said Hayes.

Besides supplying some ingredients for the restaurant, High Street Farm will offer educational programs for schools, as well as farm-to-table dinner events. “We hope to eventually have bees and chickens as well,” said Rogoff.

At 3,100 square feet, Sazza at the Stanley will be about twice the size of the Greenwood Village location and will have a patio for dining. As at the original restaurant, recycled tables, tableware and even staff shirts will demonstrate the couple’s commitment to sustainability. “Everything has a purpose and a reason,” said Rogoff. “Our outdoor tables are made from recycled bottles and our glassware is made from wine bottles. Our mismatched silverware and employee shirts are donated by our customers.”

For more information, go to sazzarestaurant.com, or call 303.797.2992.

RETAIL

Clementine’s Salon

Dani Everson, owner of Clementine’s Salon, knew she wanted to expand her business to Stanley as soon as she heard about the project. “We have clientele in Stapleton and they kept talking about the Stanley,” Everson said. “It’s a unique project because unlike The Source—which is mostly food-oriented—the Stanley will have a wide variety of businesses. We want to be a part of it.”

Clementine’s offers men’s and women’s haircuts, color and styling, as well as makeup application. The salon opened in 2011 in the Highlands neighborhood at 33rd Ave. and Tejon St. “Other Highlands businesses are expanding to the Stanley, so there will be people we know there,” said Everson.

“The Stanley is an old building, like our space now. I like a space with character, with history attached to it. The new space is 2,000 square feet, nearly double the 1,100 we have now, so we’ll have more stylists working. Also, we’ll be able to host educators to teach our stylists the latest trends.”

Everson said the new Clementine’s will keep its signature look, with a bit of a difference. “We’ll keep our ‘shabby-chic’ décor, with a bit more polished look.”

For more information, see clementinesdenver.com or call 720.328.3594.

Hope Tank

Hope Tank is a boutique with a mission to help the community. Owner Erika Righter, a former social worker, helps nearly 70 local charities through sales of handmade and imported gifts, toys and clothing. Artists donate a portion of their sales to a charity of their choice.

“I wanted to create a place where inspired people could come together to have an impact on our community. I built a store that could introduce customers to interesting products, and at the same time, educate and inspire them to give. I want people to own their impact, and plant the seeds to do more.”

Since Righter opened Hope Tank in 2012 at 64 Broadway, the store has donated almost $60,000 to charities benefiting people and animals.

She said the Stanley store will carry mostly children’s products. “We’ve had lots of requests for a kid store version of Hope Tank. We’ll feature educational toys and items for special-needs children.”

The “look” of the Stanley store will be unusual and different, said Righter. “It’s a surprise, a secret. We’re asking our nonprofits to help design it, which is different than the way most people do this.”

Learn more at www.HopeTank.org or call 720.837.1565.