Coloradans to Watch: Jevon Taylor, Bringing Back Downtown

During the pandemic, Jevon Taylor was priced out of the RiNo market when the rent increased on his clothing store, False Ego. So he closed up shop and invested in Green Spaces Denver, a “sustainable hub for co-working, creativity, collaboration and community” at 2590 Walnut Street. “I asked myself: How do we give access to small businesses and artists in a thriving commercial area?” Taylor told Westword at the time.

Four years later, Taylor’s asking a new question: How does he use those small businesses and artists to create a thriving commercial area in the heart of downtown.?

“We’re taking over two buildings (a whole block) on 16th Street,” he announced after his proposal to construct an 18,000 square-foot version of Green Spaces in the McClintock Building at 1554 California Street got a $2.7 million seal of approval from the Downtown Development Authority. “This isn’t just about filling empty storefronts for me. It’s about creating a downtown that feels alive again. A place where people want to pull up, post up, and experience something unique every time they come through. A block full of culture, something Downtown Denver hasn’t had in a long time.”

The thirty-year-old Taylor was front and center at the first round of DDA project announcements in late July. “Right now, at 16th, you can see a lot of change that you kind of find anywhere in America,” Taylor told the crowd. “So we’re looking to make 16th like a unique hub.”

His ambitious proposal calls for more of the same sort of mix in his current space — a marketplace of galleries, clothing stores, food and beverage outfits, as well as artist spots and coworking spaces.

His plan definitely stood out among the other proposals that got the nod: money for city projects at Civic Center Park, the McNichols Building and Skyline Park; purchasing two parking lots behind the Denver Pavilions (which was later added to the list for an additional $45 million acquisition by the city); funding to help convert two office buildings into residential units; $750,000 to expand Sundae Artisan Ice Cream; $640,000 to relocate Milk Tea People; and $400,000 to help create the Denver Immersive Repertory Theater, the only proposal that didn’t need the approval of Denver City Council because it was below the $500,000 threshold that requires council’s okay.

But Taylor had no problem securing that this fall. “Huge thank you to the DDA, the Mayor, and everyone from the city staff and beyond that played a part in making this happen and for believing in the vision we have,” he says.

Seeing is believing, though, and we’ll be watching as Taylor ramps up his game to create what could become a critical, creative component in downtown’s resurrection.

Meanwhile, the DDA is continuing to consider proposals, since it will have an estimated $400 million more to dole out.

That’s a lot of green!