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When he founded the fast-casual Kokoro more than two decades ago, Mareo Torito had visions of growing the concept into a national chain. But from its original location at 2390 South Colorado Boulevard, it never spread beyond metro Denver -- and now one of the three locations, at 555 Broadway, has closed.
It wasn't for a lack of business, employees report, but rather a reluctance to sign a new lease on the strip-mall space. The original spot and another outpost at 5535 Wadsworth Boulevard in Arvada are still going strong.
And a sign on the Broadway location that shuttered early this week offers this: "We are sorry for the inconvenience, but we hope to see you with a new location downtown very soon."
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