“We’re in a good place financially,” he says of the Skylark. “We’re not closing. We’re not going away. It’s time for me to do the next thing. I’d like to do some sailing. I’d like to travel. I’d like to do something with solar energy.”
And he'd like the new owner to keep the place as is. "It would be nice if someone already in the business would buy it and liked it the way it is," Heron says.
Says Sue:
Can anyone lend me $2.5 mil? Love this place and don't want to see it changed.Replies Steve:
I love it, but I'm broke.Counters Michael:
The original was such a cool little hangout, then he moved and it became very seedy ....Comments Brooke:
I’m so sad to see everything go. Running down Broadway has been a bummer, and the worst part is, it will continue to happen everywhere.Concludes Joshua:
Hey if you’re worried about Sputnik, hi-dive or any other place on Broadway, spend some money with them. Tip the people fat. Facebook sympathies don’t pay rent.Back in 1998, Heron bought the original Skylark for around $82,000; it was a run-down dive that had been open since 1943 at 58 Broadway, named after a sentimental Hoagy Carmichael song.
He turned it into an Americana, honky-tonk, rockabilly joint, giving the space a nostalgic air and creating a Denver music destination. When his landlord wouldn't renew the lease in 2003, he bought the Skylark's current location at 140 South Broadway and remodeled it with a big bar and music space on the main floor, then added a billiards room on the second. “It would be a shame for someone to go in there, spend a fortune to make it into something else," Heron says. "It’s a solid, successful business that runs well when things are in a normal environment."
What do you think of the Skylark? Post a comment or email your thoughts to [email protected].
