New Music Venue Lot 46 Opens in Old Edgewater Inn

What's old is new again in Edgewater with the arrival of Lot 46 Music Bar at the Edgewater Inn.

Lot 46 comes to the neighborhood courtesy of longtime Denver entrepreneurs and music venue owners Niya and Grant Gingerich. The couple established the popular Local 46 music venue and beer garden in 2012 after taking over the Music Bar, which had been an anchor at 46th and Tennyson for decades. Niya and Grant seem destined to provide live local music to a close-knit community in the spirit of the classic public house. As Niya always tells friends and neighbors, “I want this to be the locals' spot, the home away from home.”

The Berkeley neighborhood was reeling two years ago when real estate development closed Local 46, a beloved music venue and watering hole. Niya and Grant quickly found a new location, buying the historic Edgewater Inn, a 75-year-old pizza institution founded by Denver legend Ben DiPietro. “I grew up going there for pizza,” Niya reflects. After purchasing the Edgewater, it wasn’t long before she was itching to expand and provide local music again.

Conventional business wisdom is to find a niche and not try to be everything. But that never really sat well with Niya. “I want to be the place where there’s something for everyone,” she says. That idea reflects a sociological concept known as a community’s third place: After home and work, there’s the gathering place, often the pub or local watering hole, and any place Niya runs will inevitably showcase live local music.

Amy James, a longtime friend and patron, knows Niya’s gift for providing that special place. “If we weren’t at home or at work, we were there,” she recalls of Local 46. “And I can’t tell you how many fun artists we’ve wandered across. On so many nights, it was a great band we knew nothing about, and by the end we’re buying albums.”

And that's what people can expect with the new venue, which has its grand opening on Friday, April 26, to kick off a weekend of live music. Friday will showcase longtime Denver folk-rock/alt-country band the Reals, led by Matthew Kowal. The Grown A$$ Man Band will bring its blues-country-soul music on Saturday, April 27, and the Edgewater Project will round out the weekend on Sunday, April 28, with its unique ’70s rock and funk. DJ Soup and DJ Lowz will be on hand for the late-shift Nonstop Dance Party on Friday and Saturday.
Branded as Lot 46 Music Bar at the Edgewater Inn, the venue’s name is a serendipitous connection to the past, and the lot is, literally, number 46. The new space, according to Niya, will be “a stepped-up dive bar with a classic ’70s retro music vibe.” With the redesign, customers will enjoy a customized groovy space built for bar music. The long wooden bar feels classic and old, while the designated stage and elite sound system make it slick and new. The lounge area offers high-top bar tables with the obligatory pool table in the corner.

The challenge of following such a beloved place as Local 46 is to somehow re-create the magic in a new location. But with the community supporting and following along, Niya believes “the magic is still circling around us. It never left.” And the magic will come full circle musically on Friday, when the Reals, who played the final show at Local 46, open the new place.

The Reals’ Kowal knows that Lot 46 will revive what made the last venue so special, and he’s excited to kick off the weekend. He believes the community in Edgewater is “in good hands with Niya’s extended community of musicians and the tradition of the public house in the best sense.” Lot 46 Music Bar, he says, “will be a place to meet people from all walks of life to celebrate and enjoy food and drink and music together.”

The Gingeriches faced endless financial challenges in creating Lot 46, exacerbated by construction on 25th Avenue. Because they’re known in the community, Niya says, “I didn’t want to just ask for money on a GoFundMe.” Instead, she developed a VIP membership plan for patrons to be involved. She describes the plans — poetically named the Vinyl, Cassette and 8-Track memberships — as "a cool way for people to buy in and see a return on their investment and help us build this community together," adding that "the best way to support local businesses is just to show up."

Lot 46 Music Bar has a consistent entertainment calendar: On Tuesdays, producer and keyboardist Blake Mobley hosts an open mic dubbed the Local Sessions jam. Wednesdays will feature guitarist Eric Martinez hosting what Niya calls “a stepped-up open mic” with a rotating cast of local and touring musicians who sit in with him for an evening of Americana-flavored tunes. Thursdays will be karaoke night, and Friday nights offer live bands, such as the Grown A$$ Man Band. A local DJ will spin music every Saturday night, and Sundays will include a rotating cast of performers.

Martinez, a widely known, respected Denver musician who lives in Edgewater, says, “When we heard Niya bought the Edgewater, I thought, 'Well, this is awesome — her staff is the best in the business.'” He expects that Lot 46 will become "a cool little music venue,” because in his experience, “Niya’s establishments couldn't be more perfectly integrated into whatever neighborhood” she joins.

“So many neighbors and former patrons have told us they just can't wait to see music again,” Niya adds. In music-rich metro Denver, there’s not much live music west of I-25 on the Northside. With Lot 46 at the Edgewater, a new institution is set to serve up craft beers, handcrafted cocktails and an engaging lineup of live music for the next 75 years.

Lot 46 grand opening, April 26-28, 5302 West 25th Avenue, Edgewater. Find more information at lot46bar.com.