But at Lifetime Tattoo, located at 1510 East Colfax Avenue, the walk-ins these days are few and far between.
"Last week they tried to close down the sidewalk in front of the shop," says Joe Nepomuceno, a tattoo artist at Lifetime since 2011. "They put up 'Sidewalk Closed' signs, and we asked them not to, because such a huge part of our business comes from walk-ins. They left them there, but the next day they were gone. Then the day after that, they were back again. We didn't see why it had to be closed. It didn't make any sense. But our clients were confused, even the ones who had appointments. And they were already having a hard time finding parking, anyway. It's like our clients are just being pushed away."
Construction began in October on Denver's Bus Rapid Transit project, or BRT, the massive venture aimed at adding an RTD bus lane down the center of East Colfax, stretching from Capitol Hill to Aurora. The work has ripped up asphalt, cluttered curbs with heavy machinery, blocked lanes and narrowed others, and necessitated the relocation of longstanding RTD stops.
It's also causing many Colfax businesses to worry about their future.
Capitol Hill Books, at 300 East Colfax, and its neighbor, the Satellite Bar, have complained about the challenges they're facing because of BRT construction. "This is just monstrous," Holly Brooks, owner of Capitol Hill Books, told Westword in December. "I don't know how we're going to survive."
Colfax and Cream, a locally owned ice cream shop that opened in May at 1238 East Colfax, is also feeling the existential chill."The ongoing Colfax road construction has posed significant challenges for our business," says owner Senait Bailey. "Foot traffic to Colfax and Cream has decreased by about 50 percent, largely due to the lack of available parking for our customers. Additionally, the relocation of the bus stop directly in front of our shop has led to an increase in panhandling, making some of our customers feel unsafe."
Phil Newland owns Buddies at 504 East Colfax, a gay bar that opened in 2023. "Our business is easily down 30 percent from 2 to 5 p.m., and I'd say the 5 to 8 p.m. crowd is down 15 percent. Fortunately, our evenings have not been terribly affected, but we do hear more complaints about even less parking."
One of the primary plans to help Colfax businesses weather the BRT storm is a grant program overseen by Denver Economic Development & Opportunity and the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure. Funded by federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act, the program was announced by DEDO last summer. Initially, Denver suggested that applications for the grants would be available "in early 2025." In a December 20 DOTI newsletter, that opening date was changed to March 1, 2025. And now?
"We will be planning to open up applications around that time frame, but we have not landed on a specific date quite yet. I do know that it will be on a weekday, and March 1 is a Saturday," says Shelby Morse, DEDO's marketing and communications director. "Currently, the Colfax Business Improvement District is conducting grassroots communication outreach prior to applications opening to businesses who may be eligible to apply located near the beginning of the construction areas. The Colfax BID has outlined monthly outreach events and communications to promote resources as well as sharing that applications will be made available for eligible businesses."
The Colfax BID, which is funded by taxes on local businesses, says it has instituted efforts to keep mom-and-pops updated about the grant application process. "The hope is that [the program] is open for applicants in mid-February or by March 1," says Frank Locantore, Colfax BID's executive director. "But we certainly don't want it to be any later than that."
Colfax businesses worry that even the most optimistic date for applications might be too late, since they've already faced months of hardships.
"We are aware that the City of Denver will be awarding grant money to small businesses on Colfax affected by the construction," says Bailey, who is eager to apply for funds to help keep Colfax and Cream afloat. "We were informed about this initiative back in June, which was encouraging. But we haven't received any updates since then. The city was quite proactive in communicating with us before the construction started, and we hope to hear more soon to help us navigate these challenging times."
According to Locantore, the Colfax BID is "overcommunicating out the wazoo. What we try to say in every conversation with businesses is, 'This is the information that we have today. This is how it's going to be, as far as we know today.' This is a $280 million, very complicated infrastructure construction project, and things evolve and change. We as the BID are in perpetual communication. My director of business support is out on the street right now, talking with businesses and keeping people informed about what's going on.
"There's a difficult task here," he adds, "in wanting to communicate early and often while communicating about evolving dynamics and changes. Because when you communicate thoroughly, things are likely to change after that. So it's not a lie. It's not mal intent. It's not an effort to deceive. It's an effort to keep people apprised with as much information and accuracy as possible. Unfortunately, as we all know, when we call CenturyLink or the plumber and they say they're going to be there on Tuesday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., they will call you at noon and say, 'Hey, it's going to be tomorrow.'"
"Colfax BID communicates with Lifetime, but not with important updates," counters Nepomuceno. "They reach out, but with no helpful information like road closures, sidewalk closures or parking alternatives. A recent communication from them told us to come pick up a free doormat.
"Which is funny, because no one is walking in."
