Toni Tresca
Audio By Carbonatix
At first glance, Divine Darkness looks like the kind of place designed for Denver’s goth and alternative crowds to quickly stock up on body paint, dramatic contact lenses and witchy décor before heading to an event. But several weeks after opening its doors inside the Metlo building at 1111 N. Broadway, the queer-owned business is quickly becoming a gathering place for people who often struggle to find one.
“We want to be a place for the community, not just a store,” says co-owner James Eveland. “We want people to be able to come in, feel comfortable and have something to do.”
Spend an afternoon there, and that mission quickly becomes apparent. The shop opened on Saturday, April 4, in a second-floor double unit on the fourth floor of the Metlo, a former hotel transformed into a maze of hair salons and small businesses. Divine Darkness is stocked with shelves of special effects makeup, wigs, occult-inspired accessories and handmade cosmetics. Customers relax in seating around the venue, often staying long after they’ve finished shopping.
“On our grand opening day, when we were very busy and it was really crowded up there, we had people just sit on our couch and hang out for two or three hours,” Eveland says. “I asked them, ‘Do you have any other plans besides today?’ They said, ‘No, this was it, but it’s just so comfortable here. Is it okay if we hang out longer?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t care. You’ve got the spot on the couch.'”
Toni Tresca
Divine Darkness is technically owned by three people: Eveland, his longtime collaborator Mythica Blessyng and Eveland’s wife, Aurelia. But the business itself stretches back far longer than the storefront’s brief existence. Eveland estimates the project has been “about twenty years in the making.”
Before moving to Colorado in 2022, Eveland lived in Florida and spent much of his adult life working at Walt Disney World during the week and traveling the country selling makeup at trade shows and conventions on weekends. At one point, he says, he and Blessyng were on the road nearly 50 weeks a year. COVID abruptly halted that lifestyle and forced them to rethink what came next.
“Opening a store was something we always talked about and wanted to do,” Eveland says. “Especially after COVID, we wanted to not be on the road so much. During COVID, all the shows got canceled. Everything was canceled, and so we were trying to find something else to do.”
The trio began operating out of a Commerce City workspace where they manufactured and shipped their products online under the Darkness Cosmetics and Mile High Effects brands. But the setup lacked a true retail presence. Customers would text Eveland directly, asking if he could meet them to pick up emergency makeup supplies before drag performances or events.
“That space wasn’t really retail forward or friendly,” Eveland says. “I was hoping we would be able to find a space pretty quickly, but it took a while.”
The search for a permanent storefront lasted roughly two years. Eveland says they toured numerous properties around Denver before stumbling into the Metlo building almost by accident after stopping at SelvaSur Coffee downstairs.
“I actually just finished telling my wife the day before, ‘I am done looking for a place. I am exhausted,'” Eveland says. “And then we came here.”
While seated downstairs in the SelvaSur Coffee, they spotted the building owner carrying a “for lease” sign upstairs. The location ultimately checked multiple boxes: affordability, visibility and perhaps most importantly, comfort. Eveland says finding a space where they felt safe operating an openly queer business mattered deeply after leaving Florida.
“We just had to get out of Florida because Florida’s not very queer-friendly, and our clients are in the queer community, as well as everyone who works with us; we’re all in the queer community,” Eveland says. “I talked to my wife, and we said ‘We gotta go,’ so we moved up here.”
Eveland, who previously worked at Disney for 16 years in roles ranging from parking operations to food service and attractions, began experimenting with makeup while involved in Florida’s drag scene.
“Back then, you couldn’t really go into a makeup shop as someone who is male-presenting in Florida,” Eveland says. “That was the fastest way to get run out of a place. Even if you went to Walmart, you had a very short amount of time to get into that department, get what you needed and get out.”
So he started making products himself, initially creating colors for drag performers and friends before expanding into theatrical and special effects makeup. Over time, the business developed a following among haunt performers, goth communities and alternative artists seeking products unavailable through mainstream cosmetic brands.
The walls of Divine Darkness still carry traces of those influences. Eveland jokingly describes the venue as “the spooky fun store that has some really cool makeup.” But increasingly, events rather than products are becoming central to the company’s identity.
Toni Tresca
On Wednesday nights, Divine Darkness partners with SelvaSur Coffee to host chess nights. Twice monthly, Blessyng leads Reiki healing circles. On weekends, the shop organizes craft gatherings, including “Frankenstuffies,” where participants dismember thrift-store stuffed animals and sew mismatched limbs into grotesque hybrid creatures. The business is also planning several rooftop events this year, including a Pride market on June 28, a Mystics and Makers Market on Aug. 15 and a Samhain market on Halloween.
“We’re trying to do more things just to bring people to us,” Eveland says. “We’re trying to keep things relatively affordable while giving people something fun to do.”
That collaborative spirit extends throughout the Metlo building, where Divine Darkness has formed close relationships with fellow queer-friendly tenants, including the BDSM boutique Vanilla Kink. Jessica Kugelman, owner of Vanilla Kink, says the businesses naturally complement one another.
“I’d love to see Metlo develop into a hub of queer and alternative businesses,” Kugelman says. “Having makeup and body paint at Divine Darkness ties in really well with the kinky costuming and all of the harnesses we have here. Especially with the tattoo shop and the coffee shop downstairs, it gives people a nice little space to have like a date or just plan a cute little day or a trip just to this building.”
For now, Divine Darkness remains small and crowded, with nearly every inch of the storefront packed with inventory. Eveland says the owners already dream of expanding into either a larger space or a second location someday. But barely a month after opening, the store’s early success suggests Denver’s appetite for spaces blending alternative culture and community may be larger than even its owners anticipated.
“We love being who we are,” Eveland says. “Everyone is welcome inside.”
Divine Darkness is located at 1111 N. Broadway Ste. 401. Learn more at divinedarknessshoppe.com.