Courtesy of Patrick Robson/Little Bear
Audio By Carbonatix
The Little Bear — a classic mountain bar at 28075 Colorado Highway 74 in Evergreen — has made headlines lately for all the wrong reasons. Most recently, a BusinessDen report suggested that the iconic venue is perched on a “financial precipice” owing to a falling out among members of its ownership group. But Patrick Robson, who purchased the watering hole in conjunction with his wife, Alexandra, just over two years ago, insists that the news-making problems are on the cusp of being resolved and expresses confidence that Little Bear’s roar won’t be interrupted.
According to a statement provided by attorney Jesse Witt of Boulder-based Frascona, Joiner, Goodman & Greenstein, PC: “The Robsons intend to continue serving the Evergreen community with the same level of service providing live music and community, capturing and continuing the legendary, old-school saloon vibe that has existed for the past 51 years.”
The building that provides Little Bear’s den was originally St. Mark’s in the Wilderness Episcopal Church, which first invited the faithful into its pews back in 1875. The space subsequently took a less holy turn, morphing into the home of Prince McCracken’s Drug Store and the Round-Up Dance Hall, said to have been a favorite spot for liquor lovers during Prohibition. In the 1960s, the joint was rechristened the Red Ram and booked the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie.
But in 1975, the Little Bear was born, and the rustic ambience of the place attracted regulars who dropped in for solid burgers, as well as tourists who gawked at the collection of bras hanging overhead. And there were plenty of high-caliber artists: Among those listed in a 2015 Westword post marking the Little Bear’s fortieth anniversary were onetime Evergreen area resident Willie Nelson, plus Kris Kristofferson, George Thorogood, Neil Young, Gregg Allman and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band founder John McEuen.
Just before the bar turned fifty, it changed hands again. “The Robsons purchased the Little Bear in October 2023,” continues Witt’s statement. “A few months later, they invited Rob ‘JR’ Iannacone to become their partner.” But within two years, the relationship between Iannacone and the Robsons had deteriorated to such a degree that it eventually landed in Jefferson County Court.
Courtesy of Patrick Robson/Little Bear
Iannacone’s legal representatives from Evergreen’s Coaty & Woods have not responded to Westword‘s request for comment. But the Robsons’ response to his second motion for entry of judgment, filed on February 19, lays out the dispute’s legal timeline.
In June 2025, Iannacone filed “various claims” against the Robsons, who responded by moving for the partnership to be dissolved and putting forward counterclaims. In December, the document continues, “the parties reached a settlement…that contemplated Iannacone surrendering his membership interests in exchange for a cash buyout.” But the Robsons were late with this payment “for reasons that remain in dispute,” the narrative contends — and on February 4, “the Court entered a judgment…in favor of Iannacone over the Robsons’ objections. That judgment resolved the case and terminated all of the claims that had been asserted in the parties’ pleadings.”
What went wrong? The Robson statement maintains that “completion of the buyout has been complicated by claims that their lender First Bank asserted in the meantime, even after the Robsons believed the parties had negotiated a forbearance agreement. The remaining balance of the operating capital business loan is being restructured, however, and the Robsons are in the process of settling this loan so the business operations can continue debt-free” — and without Iannacone’s participation.
This process has yet to be completed, but Patrick Robson is confident that a happy ending is near. In a separate comment to Westword, he points out that “Alexandra and myself purchased the Bear with the intention of creating a place where music and community intersected for all to enjoy. This last year has been a big distraction from that core mission. We’re happy to have most of that behind us and look forward to a successful future.”
And in the meantime, the kitchen’s open.
Click to read the response to the second motion for entry of judgment in the case of Robert Iannaccone Jr. and Little Bear Holdings Saloon LLC, v. Alexandra Robson and Patrick Robson.
