After fifteen years in the doggie daycare business, Troy and Jen Reynolds, owners of the Daily Wag, decided to pursue their passion for coffee and open a coffee and kombucha shop, Brew Culture Coffee, at 3620 West Colfax Avenue.
"Coffee was the original dream," says Troy. When he decided to leave his corporate day job almost two decades ago, he thought of opening a coffee shop, but in the end the couple decided to opt for a doggie daycare, based on personal need. "I'm kind of glad I didn't get into it back then, because coffee has changed a lot since then."
Two and a half years ago, the dream came back. Troy was sitting in Sweet Bloom, as he often did, and told the owner, Andy Sprenger, that he wanted to start a coffee business. "I told Andy that I wanted...to serve Sweet Bloom because I really do think that they're the best," recalls Troy. He started driving up and down Colfax Avenue, looking for the right location.
"I wanted to be on West Colfax because there's just not a lot of coffee shops besides the big guys," explains Troy. He finally found a spot, next to Seedstock Brewery, in a former garage once owned by former Denver Nuggets player Carmelo Anthony.
Along with a passion for craft beverages, Seedstock and Brew Culture share a large outdoor patio, perfect for enjoying Colorado-made products and sunshine. Colorado natives Troy and Jen wanted to keep things local, to keep their footprint small as well as support their community. The nine kombucha taps pour rotating brews from InJoyCHA (Denver), TruBucha (Lone Tree), Cliffhouse (Jamestown) and Elevated Elixirs (Aspen). Food options include oatmeal, sandwiches and pastries from the Noshery. Also on tap is a nitro cold brew, which may be joined in the future by a cold brew aged in whiskey barrels, a personal experiment of Troy's.
After years working with pooches, Troy admits the transition to operating a coffee shop came with a learning curve. With the behind-the-scenes knowledge of running a business down, he relied on help from Sweet Bloom to brush up on his barista skills and an architect to design the interior. "We wanted there to be a lot of space. We wanted there to be meeting space, but we also wanted personal space for people," he explains.
Brew Culture plans to celebrate the Reynolds's dream come to fruition at their grand opening on Saturday, September 22, with two live jazz bands and giveaways, including bags of coffee. Regular hours thereafter will be Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.