Karen DeVincenzo, Gold Hill. There are many roads that lead up to Gold Hill. Serious cyclists climb up the challenging Four Mile Canyon Road to reach the 8,300 foot destination. The rest of us might drive up Sunshine Canyon from 4th and Mapleton in Boulder, or the Gold Hill Road from the Peak-to-Peak Highway. It’s also accessible from Left Hand Canyon via Lick Skillet Road. Whichever road is taken, and by whatever means, the Gold Hill Store and Pub awaits.
Dwight “Whitey” DeBroux recently stepped in to take over for Hugh S. Moore, who has kept the store up and running since 1995.
Originally from a small town in Wisconsin, Whitey was a firefighter for six years with an Associate’s degree in Fire Science, set for life with an early retirement and a good pension. But he was too ambitious to sit back and settle for this. So, he started moving. He got on a bike and pedaled his way to a more fulfilling and challenging lifestyle.
When he quit the fire department in Wisconsin to pursue racing, his fire chief thought he was crazy. “Nobody quits this job.” he had said. But Whitey followed his passion that led him to Boulder, the hot spot for all the fastest racers. At the time, Vic’s on Broadway was the northernmost coffee shop where the cyclists converged before heading up the canyons so he got a job there to meet and train with them. Finally, he was doing what he loved and raced professionally for 5 years.
In the process, he discovered how much he loved business and, when he had reached the top of his level and made it as far as he wanted to go as a pro, he quit racing to manage Vic’s. But he never stopped riding. For the last 16 years he has ridden up to Gold Hill where he met Hugh who was looking for the right buyer for the Gold Hill Store. They started talking about the sale 5 years ago and closed on it at the end of May this year.
Whitey wants to increase inventory and improve consistency in the store without changing any of the old character and goodness that is already in place.
“It’s so easy to make things new but it’s hard to keep the character of old things” he says.
And character abounds! Stepping into the store is like taking a step back in time. The old pot belly stove welcomes with its warmth, the original wooden floor creaks its hello, and history permeates all around. When longtime natives come in, they comment that it “hasn’t changed at all.”
There have been improvements though, like extended hours and a remodeled patio in the back of the building. Pizza nights have been added to Fridays and Saturdays and will be open a little later on those nights. Basic essentials are available for purchase, like milk, flour and butter (pretty much anything from the kitchen, to save residents trips down the canyon) as well as prepared food and alcohol.
During the cold winter months, the store offers the “Cabin Fever Series” of live music so folks can come out of their cabins and socialize with one another. Whitey loves being a part of all this and watching it happen. There are games in the cupboards that might get pulled out on a cold winter night and before you know it, there’s a whole table full of people playing Yahtzee!
Tourists are always surprised when they open the door and step into something completely different from the city they’ve just driven from down the canyon.
But maybe it’s the cyclists who are the happiest of all, climbing all that way, accomplishing their goal and rewarding themselves with a slice of pie and a good cup of coffee.
Whatever the means, reaching the Gold Hill Store never disappoints. Whether it’s a piece of quiche, or a slice of cake, a beer or a coke, there is something for everybody at the Gold Hill Store.
The store is open every day! Hours: Monday-Thursday 11a.m.-5p.m., Friday 11a.m.-9p.m., Saturday 10a.m.-9p.m. and Sunday 9a.m.-5p.m.
Check out their website: goldhillstore.com
(Originally published in the June 6, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
