Spilling the Beans: Getting Adjusted With Pizza And A Smile
Three Businesses Open At 28th and Fairfax
Interviews and photos by Cara DeGette
Editor, GPHN
Park Hill Commons has had its starts and fits. The residential and commercial development that stretches the entire east side of Fairfax between 28th and 29th avenues had an original completion date of two years ago. Delays, including a controversial park-land swap between the city and the project developer, slowed things down. And in March, the world was thrown off-kilter by the arrival of COVID-19.
Much of the project is still under construction. And, the latest date for the completion of the public park in the middle of the block is now slated for the end of 2021 – more than a year away. But in July and August, the first three businesses at Park Hill Commons opened. The owners of Sexy Pizza, Body In Motion Chiropractic and Seto Family Dentistry are happy, relieved, and celebrating bigtime. (A fourth business – Knotty Kids Salon – is scheduled to open early this month, so stay tuned …)
Sexy Pizza
www.sexy.pizza
Behind every sexy pizza is a force for good. Here’s how it all started:
“The team behind Sexy Pizza originally met in the summer of 2005 while working on the campaign to decriminalize cannabis in the city of Denver,” says Kyle Peters, the director of operations. “After a long process of experimenting with recipes, discussing our ethics and values, and making the most of a shoestring budget, we opened our first Sexy Pizza location in Capitol Hill in 2008. This humble pizzeria quickly became a gathering spot for activists, artists and business entrepreneurs looking to collaborate on community projects.”
Locations on Old South Pearl and Jefferson Park followed, and the Park Hill eatery opened on Aug. 9. The concept of Sexy Pizza is to combine high-quality food with civic and community engagement, including working to combat homelessness, drug policy reform, and offering employees fully compensated health and dental insurance and a 401k retirement plan match.
GPHN: Why did you decide to open in Park Hill?
Kyle Peters: Park Hill is a great neighborhood with a lot of history in Denver. Having all of our locations being in the heart of a neighborhood is important. Engaging with the community and helping in whatever way we can is as important to Sexy Pizza as making a delicious (and sexy) pizza.
GPHN: Opening a business is hard enough in regular times, but in the middle of a pandemic must be especially challenging. What are some of the hurdles you’ve encountered, and how have you worked to overcome the difficulties?
Kyle Peters: This was our first experience opening a location that was brand new construction. Navigating that process, especially during COVID-19, was certainly challenging at times. With all different types of industries being forced to shut down in some capacity if not all together, coordinating everything took some figuring out.
GPHN: Can you share a thought, or an anecdote, about one of the most rewarding experiences you’ve encountered since opening?
Kyle Peters: Honestly being welcomed to the neighborhood by so many people who call Park Hill home has been amazing. Having the opportunity to call some of these individuals new Team Members has been exceptionally rewarding as well.
GPHN: Anything else you’d like to add?
Kyle Peters: We have five Philanthropies – which are pizzas where a portion of the revenue from those pizzas are donated directly to a local nonprofit organization. We are currently looking to add a sixth “Philanthropie” and connecting with another local organization for this as well.
Seto Family Dentistry
www.SetoFamilyDentistry.com
Dr. Angelica Seto specializes in the treatment of sleep apnea through non-invasive, non-surgical treatment options designed to restore normal breathing and improve overall health. She also provides general dental care (check out her website for a menu of services) and is a fluent Spanish speaker.
GPHN: Why did you decide to open in Park Hill?
Dr. Seto: I looked at many different neighborhoods for a location that not only seemed like a good fit for me, but somewhere that felt like home. I was immediately drawn to Park Hill, as it is a very tight-knit community full of families, which is important to me because I enjoy treating both adults and children alike. Park Hill is permeated with a sense of warmth and intimacy that is palpable. Instead of feeling like I am entering an office, I feel like I am coming home.
GPHN: What are some of the hurdles you’ve encountered, opening in the middle of a pandemic?
Dr. Seto: The opening of my dental practice had certainly been a long time coming. I was eager to get up and running, and then March 17 came. That was the day that all dental offices had to close their doors [due to COVID-19]. What started out as excitement and eagerness to open quickly turned into uncertainty for what the future would hold. However, I had an entire team of people counting on me to make it through this hardship. My team is what ultimately helped me overcome these challenges.
GPHN: Can you share a thought, or an anecdote, about one of the most
rewarding experiences you’ve encountered since opening?
Dr. Seto: My goal with Seto Family Dentistry was to create an environment that feels inviting and calm. Despite being a dentist, I have always had extreme dental anxiety. A wave of anxiety would hit me as soon as I walk through the doors of the sterile, grim-looking dental office from my childhood. I knew my team had created the welcoming atmosphere I had hoped for when a repairman fixing the frame of our front door said, “I feel so calm just being in here.”
Body In Motion Chiropractic
www.bodyinmotiondc.com
www.bodyinmotionfit.com
Justin Dukes, DC, CSCS grew up in Colorado and played football and lacrosse in high school. After obtaining his Doctor of Chiropractic degree in Portland, Oregon, he returned to Denver and opened Body In Motion Chiropractic inside the Runner’s Roost store on South Colorado Boulevard. In Park Hill, his second location, he’s added another program, Body in Motion Fitness.
“Over the past 11 years I have seen countless patients struggle with the same pains and injuries time and time again,” Dukes said. “Most of these recurring problems are caused by key strength and mobility issues. Wanting to rectify this problem and bridge the gap from rehab back to optimal performance, I created a fitness program to address these common issues.”
GPHN: Why did you decide to open in Park Hill?
Dr. Dukes: My wife and I have lived in Park Hill since 2009 and have been working to open a second location here for the past four years. Besides commuting [to work] on foot, the best thing about finally being in business in the neighborhood is having the chance to meet even more of our neighbors and neighborhood business owners.
GPHN: What are some of the hurdles you’ve encountered?
Dr. Dukes: The process of opening our Park Hill office has been the ultimate exercise in patience and perseverance. After missing out on two other retail spaces in Park Hill we were one of the original tenants signed on to join the Park Hill Commons development in 2018. Even prior to the pandemic, the development was delayed over a year with the disputes over the park placement, which ended up pushing our build-out into the chaos of 2020. Our South Denver location was closed for eight weeks due to the “stay-at-home” orders at the exact time we were supposed to be opening our doors in Park Hill. Finally, we were able to officially open our office in July.
GPHN: Can you share a thought, or an anecdote, about a rewarding experience you’ve encountered since opening?
Dr. Dukes: One of the most rewarding parts of opening our Park Hill location has been having my longtime patients walk into my new space and comment that it is “so me.” My patients have always been loyal, but what I didn’t expect was for the neighborhood to get behind me so quickly.
Do you have news about a business in and around the neighborhood? Has ownership changed hands? Has a local shop recently opened? Closed? Won an award? Send your business news tips to editor@greaterparkhill.org for consideration.