Wheat Ridge Butcher Shop Hopes to Reopen After City Seizure

Wheat Ridge Poultry & Meats, the 78-year-old butcher shop that once offered fresh cuts of beef, pork and chicken from local farmers, has been closed since its final everything-must-go sale on May 14. The City of Wheat Ridge subsequently seized the business and its assets for failure to pay sales taxes in excess of $80,000, including taxes and penalties.

But the owner of the neighborhood grocer and community pantry, Jessica Bobitsky, says she's paying down the principal owed with the community's support — a GoFundMe page raised nearly $20,000 over the last month — and hopes the shop will reopen despite both Bobitsky and the City of Wheat Ridge expressing frustration over a perceived lack of communication.

Those frustrations were evident on Facebook a couple Fridays back, when Bobitsky posted an open letter to the City of Wheat Ridge on Wheat Ridge Poultry's page. In the letter, Bobitsky says she's unsure who to address at the city, and notes that she'd paid nearly half of the principal back taxes owed, and hopes for a deal with the city that leads to the business's swift reopening.

The same day, June 2, the City of Wheat Ridge Government Facebook page posted a rebuttal of sorts: "We know that Wheat Ridge Poultry and Meats holds a special place in the hearts of many, and we recognize the disappointment and concern felt by our community following its closure.

"That said, the City of Wheat Ridge has both a legal and ethical responsibility to enforce local and state tax laws fairly and consistently. Despite multiple efforts to resolve the matter: two payment plans, two separate tax liens, and repeated outreach, the business continued to collect sales taxes from customers without returning those funds to the city since 2022. Unfortunately, this left the city no choice but to take formal enforcement action. ...Our hope is that the business owner will resolve the outstanding tax debt. We remain open to dialogue and are committed to supporting local businesses."

Bobitsky responded to the post herself: "Wheat Ridge Poultry & Meats has not denied the fact that money is owed to the community and has made payments. Our request for dialogue was shut down with 'no' to every request. ... We want to get back to business and we are not trying to dodge our responsibility but in fairness a flat 'no,' “never,' and no response isn’t open dialogue and isn’t good for the community. I welcome open dialogue and discussion and would love to have my questions and emails answered."

Bobitsky, whose husband died in March 2024, tells Westword she hopes the City of Wheat Ridge will work with her on the interest and penalties if she pays the back taxes owed, but she also complains that she doesn't know who to speak to at the city about her proposal for a deal.

Allison Scheck, deputy city manager for Wheat Ridge, tells Westword, "The first time this has come up has been on social media, and never in our attempts to reach out. We were never at a point where the business was willing to say, 'Okay, we're ready to settle this debt.'"

Scheck says the City of Wheat Ridge is "incredibly business-friendly," and that "the sorts of actions that we've had to take in this matter are absolutely our last resort. ... We've tried a lot of outreach, informal and formal — 'Please come in and talk to us. What can we do? Let us walk you through.' We do that with all businesses that need help."

According to Scheck, a deal is not impossible. "Given their history, I don't know that it's a simple matter," she says. "But I do think the door could be open at that point if there was some confidence that the taxpayer could decide to operate differently, to make sure that they're able to conduct their business in compliance with the laws."