Westword's last office was across the street from the Wynkoop Brewing Company at 1634 Wynkoop Street -- and in the early days of that brewpub, our staffers drank a lot of beers (and other things) there. "Westword kept us in business for two years," former brewmeister/now mayor John Hickenlooper recalled today when he arrived at the new Tony's Market for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
This Tony's, at 950 Broadway, is across the street from Westword's current office, so it can't be coincidence that this is the only one of the Tony's outposts to also include a bar -- wine and beer only -- as part of its in-store Bistro.
But liquor was nowhere in evidence at the dedication ceremony, where Hickenlooper proclaimed Tony's "like the Tattered Cover of markets," and proof of what "the Office of Economic Development does right -- not that they do anything wrong." The OED provided small business financing through the City's Revolving LOan Fund program, workforce recruitment services and other resources for Tony's.And so far, business is going better than expected at the 15,000 square-foot store. Especially in the section where the wine starts pouring as workers stop for a little shopping -- and something extra -- on their way home. That, says founder Tony Rosacci, has been the real surprise at this Tony's: a booming happy-hour market.
