Tor Ericksen opened EastFax Tap in the former Hangar Bar space in 2019; he'd recently sold the business to a longtime employee. On December 11, the bar announced via social media that it would be "closed until further notice."
Ericksen has created a GoFundMe with a goal of $30,000. The description reads:
This is the hardest thing I have had to do...ask for help. ... The city just seized EastFax Tap for back taxes. The agents met me at the bar on September 25 with a demand for over $42,000. A big chunk of this was for a New Business Use tax they filed for me in March 2019. We didn't even open for business until April 2019. I have fought this for the last two months and got it down to a much more reasonable number. However, I take full responsibility that I have been behind on other taxes since COVID, which is ultimately the reason for the seizure. Even though I have been making more than double the payments since our Sept 25th meeting and have significantly reduced my overall debt, they kept demanding full payment. I even got behind on rent and property tax because of trying to get the city their money. The city was never interested in working with me. They even tried to shake me down while we were feeding 75 families during Punksgiving.Ericksen's hopes were realized, as noted in an update on the GoFundMe page:
Now here I am after a sale agreement was reached for the bar, having to tell my dear friend that his new business was seized because of me.
All I ever wanted was a place for everyone to feel safe and have a sense of community. I feel we built that with everyone's help. My hope is to reopen ASAP so that community still has a place to spend the holidays, cheer on the Birds and that our employees don't miss too many shifts.
Friday the 13th turns out to be a lucky day! With the unbelievable support and contributions from not only the community, but friends across the entire country, we have been able to REOPEN!!! Your generosity has been incredibly humbling and heartfelt. This truly is your home and you treat it as such. Between your donations and a generous private loan from a dear friend, EastFax Tap reopened its doors at 4pm. The 48 hour turnaround is nothing short of miraculous. Thank you everyone! I'm sorry I put you all through this ordeal.Other spots have closed for good, however. The short-lived taco joint Pancho & Jane from the team behind the Eddy Taproom & Hotel shuttered in late October, just five months after its debut. "The decision was not an easy one, but it was made with a deep respect and consideration for its team members and immense gratitude for its guests who the team had the pleasure of serving over the last several months," the owners say.
The Colfax outpost of Latin-Asian concept Chuey Fu's also had a short run. It expanded to the City Park neighborhood in April, but it's now back to a single brick-and-mortar location on Santa Fe Drive.
Another spot has made a comeback. El Señor Sol is finally open again in Centennial after a drunk driver crashed into the building located on a curve off South University, forcing it to close in January.
There are also eight additions to the scene, including two bars. The 99ers is Denver's first bar dedicated to women's sports, while the Golden Triangle's Flora comes from the owner of one of the Top 100 Bars in the metro area, Hello Darling. Like its sister concept, it operates as a cafe during the day and turns the focus to wine and light bites at night.
There have been a couple of flips on East Colfax, with Trophy Pizza moving into the kitchen at Tight End, where the PZA previously operated (that concept is planning a comeback in a new location). Across from East High School, the building that had been a Pizza Express before becoming the second location of longtime Englewood staple Rico's last year is now Cairo Food & Pizza. Its menu includes pies, subs and calzones, plus a smattering of Egyptian dishes.
When Meta Burger closed in late November, it left no strictly vegan spots in Boulder. Now that hole has been filled with the opening of Lotus Moon Vegan Pho. Also back in Boulder is Cheba Hut, marking the brand's return to the city after a five-year hiatus. “The people of Boulder have been asking for our return, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to do so," says David Timmons, CEO of the sub sandwich chain's parent company, Elevated Inc.
Denver's dumpling boom continues with the debut of locally owned Lan's Noodles and Dumplings in Glendale.
The NADC burger features 100% RC Ranch wagyu beef, American cheese, secret sauce, onions, pickles and jalapeños.
NADC
In other openings-and-closings news:
- Tua Mama's/Mora's Pizza, which is now serving in the former Cap Hill Benny Blanco's, is celebrating its grand opening on Sunday, December 15, with 100 free cheese slices (vegan or traditional) to the first guests in line. Doors open at 11 a.m.
- No-frills Midwest bar Larimer Liquors is set to open soon in RiNo, next door to Gold Point.
- Get a first look at Uptown's new upscale Thai restaurant, Som Dee.
Openings
The 99ers Sports Bar, 909 East Colfax AvenueCairo Food & Pizza, 2700 East Colfax Avenue
Cheba Hut, 1346 Pearl Street, Boulder
Flora, 370 West 12th Avenue
Lan's Noodles and Dumplings, 1000 South Colorado Boulevard, Glendale
Lotus Moon Vegan Pho, 2770 Pearl Street, Boulder
NADC Burger, 1441 Larimer Street
Trophy Pizza, 1501 East Colfax Avenue
Reopening
El Señor Sol, 6651 South University Boulevard, CentennialClosures
Chuey Fu's, 2205 East Colfax AvenuePancho & Jane, 16500 South Golden Road, Golden
*Or earlier and not previously reported.
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