John Scarffe, Peak to Peak. The Peak to Peak region from Nederland to Central City boasts more than 14 liquor stores and dispensaries, and more are coming. Nederland has two main liquor stores.
Peak Wine and Spirits on 150 N. Jefferson Street, owned by Karen Fletcher, prides its self on a great selection of craft beer, spirits and wine. They care about locals in the area and make it a point to take care of them, according to employee J.T. The store has seen a little impact from Boulder Canyon closures, but they have tried to carry on just as they would have.
The Dam Liquor store in the Caribou Shopping Center first opened in August 1992. Scott Havnes said he opened the store himself and has been in the business since 1970, also operating stores in the Denver area. Kent Barlo is his partner in the store.
Havnes specializes in buying and selling wine, especially higher end wines from true vineyards, not just flavored junk. To be competitive with stores in Boulder and Denver, he keeps his prices 5 percent lower than other stores.
Due to the construction in Boulder Canyon, the store has lost between 5 to 10 percent of revenue. The Colorado Department of Transportation originally announced construction work on the canyon would be over by August, but it keeps going on and on. It also doesn’t help when the Eldora Ski resort parking lot gets full and traffic backs up in town, Havnes said.
Nederland dispensaries include Igadi at 150 N. Jefferson Street. The company also has a store in Central City on Gregory Street across from Johnny Z Casino.
Employees with the Silver Stem at 1 W. First Street, unit 1D, grow all of their marijuana products themselves using organic farming practices, according the assistant store manager Scott Lux. The store also sells a wide variety of edibles, cartridges, topicals and patches.
The store has been in Nederland for six years and under the name of Silver Stem for three years. Lux said they have everything a customer could want with competitive pricing, and a buyer will not save any money below. “If you can get it in Nederland, you should, so we can live up here.”
The Harvest House at 211 Highway 119 in Nederland has been in operation since 2009.
Store Operator Tory said residents should shop locally to keep the local economy good for the community, to create jobs and give back to each other, especially in the winter.
The Harvest House grows its marijuana in small batches by hand. In the City, pot grows in large quantities and is often handled by machines. Tory said Harvest House does not spray their plants. She thought the Boulder Canyon closures affected deliveries and logistics, but they haven’t been crushed by it yet.
Two liquor stores provide the needs for residents and tourists in Mid- Gilpin County. Mid-County Liquors, 17218 Highway 119, Black Hawk, owned by Jan Peterson and John Dunham, has been in business for 15 years and at its current location near Roy’s Last Shot Bar and Restaurant, for more than four years. Manager Monica LaSalle said the store has beer specials every Sunday, including seltzer and ciders, for buy one and get a second for one half off. They also have a special 25 percent off for brands of schnapps with recipe ideas of how to use it.
The store also sells single servings of apple cider and hot chocolate, which can be mixed together, and a gift box with a bacon bourbon kit. Mid-County liquors also offers CBD products for pets and humans and is big on special ordering for customers such as kegs for holiday parties. The store has a good selection of Champaign and 10 percent off on a purchase of six bottles of wine or more.
“This is the prettiest liquor store around,” LaSalle said. Road construction on Highway 119 has not been a problem. In fact, construction workers came in to buy Gatorade.
Underground Liquor at 5107 Highway 119, Black Hawk, has been in operation for 5-1/2 years, according to owners Stephanie McCollum and Brady Kutscher. They have a customer reward program, which results in a 4 percent discount on purchases and a good selection of Colorado craft beers and whiskey and Christmas gift packs. They keep their prices competitive and have a drive through.
The road construction on Highway 119 affected their business when the construction was right outside on the highway, and people couldn’t get into the store, but it hasn’t been too bad.
Base Camp and Pickle Liquors across from the fairground on Highway 46 offers camping, groceries, shirts, glasses, a laundromat and a full liquor store.
Central City and Black Hawk offers three dispensaries and two liquor stores combined with dispensaries. Igadi at 171 Lawrence Street in Central City is affiliated with the dispensary in Nederland. The company also has dispensaries in Tabernash, Idaho Springs and Northglenn. Igadi is a full spectrum Cannabis Company dedicated to creating the ultimate experience by producing high quality products and a devotion to innovation by applying scientific knowledge to each product line to create a unique and educational experience for customers, according to the website.
Green Grass dispensary at 440 Lawrence Street, Central City, features fantastic flower, a great selection of edibles and topicals and a wide array of concentrates, according to manager Brenda Bier-Walters. The store also carries a well-stocked head shop with pipes and other products. She also has a locals’ discount and loyalty program and a special on pre-packed ounces. The shop has been operating for about 10 years, first as a medical marijuana dispensary and now only recreational.
Annie Oakley’s Emporium at 135 Nevada Street in Central City, which has been in business for about 20 years, contains groceries, liquors and the Bon Fire Dispensary. The store offers lots of groceries on the bottom floor, the lottery and a whole liquor store on the second floor. Michele Joyce has worked at Annie’s for six years. The new parking garage in Black Hawk helped business some because tourists have trickled up to Annie’s. Spring and summer provide the best business, but in the winter Central City is too far off the highway from the ski resorts.
Jason Licata with Rocky Mountain Organics Dispensary, 161 Gregory Street, Central City, and at the Coyote Lodge, 5312 Highway 119, Black Hawk, said he has owned the store in Central City for five years and the dispensary at Coyote Lodge for 10 years. He lives in Russell Gulch, so the stores are definitely locally owned and operated.
Licata said his stores offer the cheapest edibles and a great price on pre-roll joints. He focuses on locals and the casino workers. Tourists are the gravy.
The Coyote Lodge contains the lodge but also a liquor store, the RMO dispensary and a pawn shop. Sophia Maceil said the lodge has been in business for 25 years. They have a very good choice of liquor. When Highway 6 gets closed for construction or a traffic accident, they do feel an impact when customers can’t get to the store.
“People stop here before they get to the casinos,” Maceil said. We have lots of regulars, and they still come even if the highway is closed.”
(Originally published in the December 19, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
