Pizza the Action: Enzo's on Colfax Launches GoFundMe to Counter Construction

When Enzo's End came to an end after 28 years in June 2024, founder Charlie Puma said that he and Pete Siahamis, who owns the building that housed the pizzeria at 3424 East Colfax Avenue, hoped someone might step in to keep Enzo's going.

Enter Robert Cherenzia.

"I literally read your article saying that this place was gonna close and they were going to retire," CherenziaI told Westword in early March. "I got in my car up by Boulder, drove down here, walked in next door and found Pete, and I said, 'Hey, you need somebody over there?' And he said, 'Yeah, you're gonna make pizzas?' And I said, 'Yeah!' We talked a couple of times, and I went to Italy for three weeks and he went to Greece for three weeks. I came back. We talked a few more times, and about five months later, he finally was like, 'Yeah, let's give it a go.'"

Enzo's on Colfax opened in early March — and on the second day of business, construction work on the Colfax Bus Rapid Transit project reached the block between Cook and Madison streets. Fencing on the sidewalk blocked the storefronts. Enzo's was hiding in plain sight.

Even longtime eateries on the block like Tommy's Thai were soon suffering. For a new restaurant, times were particularly tough.

For the first six weeks, as a few customers found his place, Cherenzia had hopes that Enzo's would make it. But after "no more growth and no real movement," he grew worried about Enzo's staying open. "Sales that we were looking at were not consistent," he says. "It was hit or miss, and it has been since day one. We really have no idea what we're going to do on a business format from day to day."

After BRT construction started late last year, the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity office set up a Business Impact Opportunity Fund to provide grants of up to $15,000 for businesses adversely affected by the project. Cherenzia applied for the second round of grants, but learned that Enzo's wasn't eligible since it hadn't been in business for the six-month minimum. (The Velvet Banjo encountered a similar problem, since it just opened last fall.)

With costs mounting and funds falling short, Cherenzia decided to set up a GoFundMe. "We were trending the right way until the fences were moved up onto the sidewalk, that has caused an unforeseen loss in business, that we may not recover from without outside help," says the Enzo's GoFundMe page. "We are looking for assistance with operational costs, rent, labor and inventory."

Other spots have already given up. Capitol Cigars closed in April; Middleman (and Misfit Snack Bar) shuttered at the end of June.

On September 2, DEDO will open applications for the third round of grants, with businesses on Colfax from Glencoe Street to Broadway eligible if they meet all requirements (they can't be nonprofits, for example, which has ruled out any help for SAME Cafe).

Since Enzo's will have hit the six-month mark by then, Cherenzia plans to apply. In the meantime, he's encouraging locals to patronize the small businesses that are hurting...including his own. "If you're hungry, get a good pizza. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to have started this," he says. "We're holding on by a thread, but we're here and happy to have the clientele that we have."

Here are the 29 businesses that received grants in the second round:

$15,000 grants: Brothers BBQ Catering, Cerebral Brewing, Denver Fresh Mex, Ethiopian Restaurant, Good Chemistry/DanksAlot, Hollywood Nails, John's Liquor, Kinga's, Le Clare's Patisserie, Living Younger Longer Institute, Lulu Rose General Store, Molotov Kitschen, Pampered Paws, Pho-Natic, Phone Repair and More, Saucey Bombay and Bombay Clay Oven, Squire Lounge, Starbucks, Eyebrow Lady, Learned Lemur, Tommy's Thai, Vincent Convenience Market, Yahya's Mediterranean Grill and Pastries

$7,500 grants: Gustattoo, Lawrence and Larimer, Love and Glory, Ornament Adornments, Preston and James, Shelliedidit

Find information on the BIO grant program here.