Business News: Center Of The Universe
Welcome to 23rd And Dexter, The Heart Of Park Hill And World Travel Destination
Story and photos by Cara DeGette
GPHN Editor
When asked what’s new at the Park Hill Bookstore, Polly Wirtz shares a fascinating discovery.
With surprising regularity, Wirtz encounters people at the bookstore who report they are just passing through the neighborhood, popping in to pick up a good read on their way to the … airport.
These book browsers, says Wirtz, report driving from distant neighborhoods, even mountain towns. Their route is planned with a Park Hill stopover in mind.
Once they reach the short business block along 23rd Avenue between Cherry and Dexter, they are ready — often beyond ready — to get out of the car. Everything’s within reach: Send the kids over to Turtle Park to run around. Head to Honey Hill for a jolt of coffee and maybe a snack. Jaunt across the street to Spinelli’s for a to-go sandwich for the airplane ride ahead. Pop into the bookstore, and find far better prices and a way better selection than anything at DIA.
“I swear that happens every time I’m in there,” says Wirtz, who recently finished a stint as treasurer of the city’s oldest nonprofit bookstore.
Other businesses round out the block. The Cherry Tomato has been an old-school Italian fixture for 26 years — even Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl has stopped in for a bite. Two years ago the owners of Spinelli’s opened a liquor shop next door to the market. Kyndred, a boutique store, opened in October.
If the Park Hill-to-the-airport stopovers really want full service, they can also drop off their dry cleaning at Park Hill Cleaners and Tailors and pop in for a quick teeth cleaning at Park Hill Dental Arts.
Breaking news at Honey Hill Cafe
Honey Hill Cafe had only been open for eight months when the pandemic hit. It was just about the worst scenario imaginable for a restaurant. Owner Asal Danesh had envisioned a community gathering spot; her overnight reality became the equivalent of, no customers allowed.
But she and her team persevered. As the cafe approached its first anniversary in business, a handmade sign in the window thanked the neighborhood for ongoing support, and proclaimed, “We Can Do Hard Things.”
Three years later it’s hard to envision those bleak days. Honey Hill is undeniably a neighborhood hub. “I like the idea that everybody from this area has a place to walk to and it’s not overrun like the rest of Denver,” she says.
And, Danesh has some breaking news: On Wednesday, Aug. 23, Honey Hill will host its first pop-up flea market. Danesh is inviting local vendors who specialize in everything from custom jewelry to handmade planters and baby clothes, vintage vinyl and other one-of-a-kind treasures. She’s hoping other retail shops on the block will join the fun. If it’s a success she plans to schedule additional markets.
Spinelli’s is 29; time for a facelift.
It’s been nine years since Mary Ellen and Jerry Spinelli passed the baton — and the front door keys — of their iconic neighborhood market and specialty store to brothers John and Ted Moutzouris.
In a 2014 Greater Park Hill News feature, contributing writer (and former newspaper editor) Erin Vanderberg recounted Mary Ellen Spinelli’s first impression of the store that she and her husband bought 20 years earlier.
“Mary Ellen first saw the store on a Memorial Day weekend,” Vanderberg wrote. “It was oppressively hot inside — no blinds, no air conditioning, the scarce chocolate in stock melting on the shelves. Outside, there were bars on the window and a woman using the payphone out front to call the police to make a complaint about the owner. ‘I’m thinking to myself, Hello! What are we going to do here?’ Spinelli was quoted saying.
Hard work, luck, and a strong connection with the neighborhood transformed the store into well, Spinelli’s. Since taking it over, the Moutzourises have kept the faith. This year Westword deemed Spinelli’s the best sandwich shop in town in its annual Best Of issue. And, the owners just completed a remodel, adding new shelving and displays designed to make it more open and friendly, says store manager Matt King. New specialty products have been added to the inventory.
“We’re very excited for our customers to come in and check it out,” King says. “They will have their minds blown.”
Two years ago, the Moutzourises expanded, opening a wine and liquor store. The shop is in the space previously occupied by Moss Pink Flora and Botanicals — which is thriving in its new spot on the south side of Colfax at Forest Street.
Kyndred spirits, and mysteries
The newest addition to the block is Kyndred, which opened in the former doggie spa space next to the liquor store on Oct 8. Kyndred is filled with home decor and gifts — everything from elegant living room, kitchen, bar and bath accessories to baby gear and cards. It is owned by the married interior designer and home renovation team Kyndra and Larry Georgeson.
“Larry grew up in Park Hill and I relocated to Denver after college nearly 28 years ago, so this has always been our dream — to work together, build our brand and launch a retail location in one of our favorite neighborhoods,” Kyndra Georgeson said.
Which brings us back to the Park Hill Bookstore — the oldest kid on the block. The nonprofit book shop, with a membership model, opened in 1971. Over the years, it has also housed some sideline businesses, including possibly a bakery, and a potters’ studio in the upstairs loft — a space that is now bulging with mysteries.
Wirtz says that while renewals are down a bit, the store has recently experienced a surge of new memberships. Wirtz chalks that up to “all the new families moving in, and new people are finding us — that’s my take anyway.” Also, other independent bookstores closed during the pandemic. “We’ve found that people are coming across town to see us and bringing [book] donations to us.”
John Krauss, the current president of the board of directors, says the bookstore is in the process of weaning itself from its Amazon addiction — that is, not listing as many of its books on the online retailer, which Krauss describes as rapacious for the fees and other costs of doing business.
“It’s kind of scary, because we are bucking a trend,” Krauss says, noting many bookstores have come to rely on hitching to the Amazon sales train. Not doing that, he says, means many of the books on the shelves are reserved for people who actually come and shop at the bookstore — most of whom embrace the concept of local and non-corporate.
For Krauss, that independence is vital. It’s a sentiment shared by many on the block.
This is the second in a series highlighting happenings, historical insights and new developments in the several business blocks and districts in Park Hill. The focus last month was on the Oneida Park Center at 23rd Avenue and Oneida Street. (That story can be read at greaterparkhill.org/summer-at-oneida-park/). Other blocks will be featured in the months ahead. To share your business news tips, email editor@greaterparkhill.org.
