“We are down 50 percent from last year, and we are hemorrhaging money every month now,” says chef Bo Porytko, owner of Misfit and the nearby Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails; he hopes to reopen Misfit in its own brick-and- mortar. “We will be closing on our seven-year anniversary," adds Porytko. "This is the second time this has happened to me. The city doesn’t give a fuck about small businesses.”
The city has created a grant program for impacted businesses along Colfax; Middleman is still waiting to hear if it qualifies. In the meantime, regulars and others aren't waiting to share their thoughts on the BRT construction and the loss of Middleman/Misfit. Says Derrick:
Aw, that's a bummer. I like that bar. Had my first shot of Malort there.Responds Kim:
I totally understand that construction affects these businesses significantly, but restaurants and bars are shutting down all over the city and will continue to do so until the owners of these places pull their head out of the sand and start listening to what people actually want. Most people just want relaxed, affordable neighborhood places to hang out with their friends and meet their neighbors. We don’t care about James Beard Awards when it comes to a neighborhood dive bar… especially not one referring to itself as “Misfit.“
The cheapest item on this menu is a $12 order of chips and dip described simply as “whatever dip I feel like making." No, thank you. Who is this actually supposed to appeal to? Especially on Colfax?
This place is closing down because it was pretentious and nobody liked it. End of story.
Suggests Jonathan:
The construction is pretty much ruining all small businesses, for a small fraction that will even ride that bus.Adds Megan:
I live right here and am very over the construction and blocked access to businesses, but what else is the city supposed to do if construction is necessary? I have no idea what the answer is, and I’m actually curious if there’s an alternative.Responds Jeremy:
Do it a section of Colfax at a time. No point in closing the entire road down if you don’t have enough workers to work on the entire road.Notes Gavril:
I’m all for small business, but I also see the point in upgrading city streets. There should be a way to speed up the construction and/or subsidize the small businesses while the construction is happening. Maybe I'm too “woke”?!Notes Danny:
You can't convince me that the construction downtown and on Colfax isn’t a conspiracy to push out all small businesses and scoop up buildings for cheap. Someone is definitely getting a kickback. As someone who has worked in construction, none of the construction on Colfax or 16th Street is major. In any major city, these projects would have been completed in a few months tops, Colfax probably sooner.Offers Adrian:
This city has turned its back on all the businesses that made Denver interesting. They're just suffocating them 'til they're forced to close, and then the big developers will come make it another boring shithole with bland architecture and mediocre coffee shops.Recalls Stacy:
I bartended at a place called the Music Box on Colfax in the '90s. It was craaaazy. Hookers, skinheads, drooling dirty bums. I never in my life thought that the city would try to clean up/gentrify Cap Hill only to make it worse. Sorry that dudes are going through this craziness. Denver is treating the very businesses that kept us afloat like crap, and it ain’t even cool.Concludes Matthew:
Ask not what Denver can do for you, but what you can do for Denver.Have you been to Middleman/Misfit Snack Bar? What do you think should be done for the businesses along Colfax? Post a comment or share your thoughts at [email protected].
