It's celebrating with a soft opening from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday, March 14, offering "employee pricing" — 30 percent off all drinks — for the evening. There will be no set menu; co-owner Savanna Phibbs says for night one, what you see is what you can get.
The staff will decide day-of whether to open on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16, with a full opening planned for Monday, March 17.
The Larimer Liquors team includes Phibbs, Colin Hankins, Corey Costello, and Michael Reilly, who each co-own one or more of Kudva's other bars, as well as Caleb Sanford, a bartender at the 715 Club and the Matchbox.
The kitschy basement decor includes a bunch of quirky collectible ceramic whiskey decanters.
Kristin Pazulski
The team delivered on the basement theme. Each wood-panel covered wall has weird thrift store finds, including a collection of beer-themed mirror frames, a cross stitch, an E.T.-themed Coors ad, and a large framed painting of a teary Elvis Presley. A booth-lined lounge greets guests along with an old glowing Miller Lite menu that Phibbs found on Facebook Marketplace. The sellers said it belonged to their mom, who was a regular at a Denver bar that closed and gifted her the piece. Behind the bar, there are a dozen or so collectible ceramic whiskey decanters, including one from the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, an NRA-themed golden wolf and a cat.
The name was an easy choice. When Kudva checked out the space, he found a decades-old blue awning in the back room that was still in incredibly good shape. It read, "Larimer Liquor" (sans the "s") on it from when Conrad and Kathy Nuanes, who still own the building today, operated a liquor store out of the space in the 1960s.
Starting Monday, March 17, the bar will be open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with a daily happy hour from open to 8 p.m.
