Editor’s note: Business Matters is a monthly column featuring business news in the Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile coverage areas, which is roughly central-north and south Denver.
As businesses continue to weather the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado Community Media urges you to reach out to your favorite local businesses to find out their reopening status, or to check if they are operating differently upon reopening.
If you are a local business that would like to announce any updates to your operations, email Christy Steadman at csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com.
New openings and reopenings
RPO Framing and Gallery
Robert Platz and his wife Julie Lizak took over Old South Frame and Gallery, 1588 S. Pearl St., on Sept. 1.
Former owner Mark Shanstrom retired after owning the business in Denver’s Platt Park neighborhood for 20 years.
Platz and Lizak have rebranded it to RPO Framing and Gallery. Platz has more than 29 years of custom framing experience, and is a Formula 1-inspired abstract artist. Lizak is a nature-inspired abstract photographer. Their artwork, and the work of other local artists, will be represented in the gallery.
Platz and Lizak also encourage repurposing and recycling as much as possible.
The couple lives in the neighborhood, and is looking forward to meeting existing-and-new customers, they said.
“We’ve been eyeing this space for more than 25 years,” Platz said. “And now all the planets have aligned to make it our time to be a part of the coolest street in Denver.”
RPO Framing and Gallery’s new hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the South Pearl Street Farmers Market, which will be open through Nov. 15.
A website for the business will be available soon.
Landmark Theatres
Landmark Theatres reopened a select number of its movie theaters in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and St. Louis on Aug. 28.
In Denver, the theaters that reopened are the Mayan Theatre, 110 Broadway; Esquire Theatre, 590 Downing St.; the Chez Artiste Theatre, 4150 E. Amherst Ave.; and Greenwood Village, 5415 Landmark Place.
Landmark shut down all operations on March 17 because of COVID-19.
Upon reopening, Landmark is following protocols set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local-and-state public health guidance, as well CinemaSafe guidelines. CinemaSafe is “a program promoting protocols and guidelines developed and supported by leading epidemiologists to support a safe return to movie theaters,” states its website.
Landmark Theatres is a national theater chain founded in 1974, now boasting 45 theaters including historic and contemporary theaters, according to its website. The “theatres showcase a wide variety of films ranging from independent and foreign film to 3-D movies and smart films from Hollywood,” states its website.
To learn more about Landmark Theatres, including movie showtimes for its theaters in Denver, visit www.landmarktheatres.com/denver.
Mr. B’s Wine & Spirits
Mr. B’s Wine & Spirits, a family-owned local business, opened its third location in the Golden Triangle on Sept. 5.
Mr. B’s got its start in 2009. The new Golden Triangle location, 380 W. 13th Ave., joins the other two Mr. B’s stores at 2101 Market St. #112 in downtown Denver and in the Stanley Marketplace in Aurora.
All three of the locations are open and operating with COVID-19 social distancing measures.
To learn more about, Mr. B’s, visit https://mrbswineandspirits.com/.
Closings
EMW Carpets & Furniture
On Sept. 16, BusinessDen posted a story referencing a store closing sale on EMW Carpets & Furniture’s website.
An online news release available on the store’s website does not identify an exact closing date, but states that the store closing sale will continue through the fall.
According to the release, the closure is not because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The property was placed under contract with a developer just before the pandemic hit,” states the release. In March, BusinessDen reported that “Dallas-based developer Trammell Crow Residential had proposed a five-story apartment complex on the full city block where EMW sits.”
EMW Carpets and Furniture, 2141 S. Broadway in Denver’s Overland neighborhood, got its start in 1923 by Englebert H. Wagenblast and his wife Elizabeth Mary Wagenblast (EMW). In its 97 years of operating in the same location, four generations have owned and worked in the business, according to the news release.
“The business has survived the depression, several recessions, the Harvard Gulch flood of 1956, a warehouse fire, a direct hit from a tornado in 1988 and now a pandemic,” states the news release. “The lifeline has always been our loyal generations of customers who come back time after time. Many have already come in to buy one more time or just say goodbye. It truly is the end of an era.”
Milestones/changes/other
Emily Griffith Technical College
Emily Griffith Technical College, 1860 Lincoln St. in Denver, celebrated its 104th anniversary on Sept. 9.
The celebration included Denver Mayor Michael Hancock proclaiming Sept. 9 as Emily Griffith Technical College Day. His proclamation states that “more than two million people have benefitted from Emily Griffith Technical College’s progressive idea that education should be accessible to all.”
“This anniversary is especially important because of the major transformations the school has undergone in the last 12 months that will propel the school forward to the next 100 years,” said Keo Frazier, the college’s vice president of communications and engagement in a news release. “Had we not overhauled our technology, added several new courses, updated our communication channels and created a more student-centric intake process, we may not be able to continue to teach our students, especially through the pandemic.”
In honor of its 104th anniversary and as a way to give back to the community, in partnership with the Emily Griffith Foundation, the college has committed to providing additional support to 104 students during the next year. Requests can be submitted anonymously, and requests are open to current or potential students, and alumni. Requests can be made online at www.emilygriffith.edu/celebrating-104-years/.
Emily Griffith opened her Opportunity School in 1916, envisioning a school “where students could attend classes day or night and receive as much education as they wanted or needed,” states the college’s website. It was the first public career and technical college in the country, states the website. It was renamed Emily Griffith Technical College in 2011. Today, it is a nationally accredited public college serving about 8,000 students with 25 career training certification programs, 13 apprenticeships and a robust adult education and English language program, states its website.
Learn more at www.emilygriffith.edu.