Every Opening and Closing This Week: Federal Coffee Shutters Two Months After Reopening, and More

On Monday, January 13, the first spot on our list of the most anticipated openings of the year will become reality when Leven Supply opens in Wash Park. But the first full week of 2025 brought two closures.

Federal Coffee originally debuted in 2018 in a space that co-owner Sonia Rosas's mother had leased for 21 years as the owner of the Cosma Vida naturista store. The cozy shop operated for two years before COVID caused it to close its doors. To keep afloat during its public hiatus from 2020 to 2024, the space was rented out as a private events venue.

But in November, Federal Coffee came bouncing back, boasting a new cocktail-stocked bar, a host of renovations and an expanded calendar that included everything from Chess Thursdays to customer vinyl-spinning nights. On January 9, though, it posted this announcement on its Facebook page: "It is with sorrow in our hearts that we announce that FedCo/Federal Coffee will be closing its doors after only two months of being reopened. The landlords Gilbert and Brenda Vazquez of Vazquez Investments have decided that after 28 years of a relationship and renting from them, they will not renew our lease even after all the improvements, time, money and a liquor license elevating the neighborhood and trying to bring something new and different to everyone."

Saturday, January 11, is Federal Coffee's last day in that space. "We are looking to relocate and reopen," the post concludes, "because you can’t keep good people down for long. This is not the last you hear of us!"
Also saying goodbye on January 11 is Farow, which husband-and-wife team Patrick and Lisa Balcom opened in the small town of Niwot in 2021. The upscale farm-to-table concept notably sourced 90 percent of its ingredients from farms within ten miles of the restaurant. But in an announcement of the closure, the Balcoms say that "the rising costs of doing business have made it impossible for us to continue in a sustainable way."

This week also brought two comebacks: Mr. Lucky's reopened in Capitol Hill and LoHi. Last month, owner Galen Juracek had decided to close both locations following a tangle with a fraudulent lender that left the business's future uncertain. "We're going to do our best to increase our exposure and online presence and continue to search for the right financial partner and make it to the busy season," Juracek tells Westword, adding that he's working on developing an app for easy ordering and "new marketing, new ideas to try to get people in the door." But in the meantime, both spots are open.

Brand-new additions include Anne's Pie Cafe in Wheat Ridge, from the owner of Anne's à la Mode food truck, and a standalone brick-and-mortar for the PZA, which previously operated from the kitchen at Colfax bar Tight End and serves some of the best pizza in the city.

In other openings-and-closings news:

• Fruition's last day is Sunday, January 12.
• January 12 is also the last day for several concepts at Avanti Denver, which is closing its first floor temporarily for a remodel.
• Cart-Driver is reopening on January 16, more than a year after plumbing issues forced it to close.

Here's the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened and closed this week*:

Openings

Anne’s Pie Cafe, 5640 West 29th Avenue, Wheat Ridge
The PZA, 644 Santa Fe Drive

Reopening

Mr. Lucky's Fine Sandwiches, 711 East Sixth Avenue and 3326 Tejon Street

Closures

Farow, 7916 Niwot Road, Niwot
Federal Coffee, 2307 Federal Boulevard

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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