Spring is a time for growth and renewal, an ethos apparently taken to heart in the downtown business district, with several new businesses sprouting with the season.
Here’s a look at some of the new faces:
Katherine Walker and Taliah Agdeppa plan to bring a familiar name, Durango Coffee Co., back to Main Avenue by reopening the coffeehouse at 730 Main Ave. An opening date has not been set. The pair are licensing the name from Carl Rand, owner the similarly-named coffee roaster in the Durango Tech Center.
“We’re really excited to bring a local coffee shop back,” Walker said. “It’s been around for 35 years.”
John Daly, a chef originally from Maine who has been executive chef and partner in the Appaloosa Grill in Denver for 3½ years, is relocating to Durango to open Primus, a restaurant that will specialize in fresh seafood and wild game.
The restaurant is moving into a space formerly occupied by Doc Hathaway’s Cafe at 1017 Main Ave. It is expected to be “very casual, but definitely upscale,” said Kris Roufa, who is doing marketing for the restaurant.
Daly anticipates opening in June. He said he will fly in fresh seafood from Maine and the Pacific Northwest daily. Daly also started the Rocky Mountain Chefs of Colorado, a Denver nonprofit that offers apprenticeships and associate degree programs in the culinary arts at Red Rocks Community College.
A new owner is in the process of buying the space formerly home to Guido’s Pizza Pasta Panini at 1201 Main Ave., said Tom Caver, the real estate broker.
Guido’s, a long-standing Durango restaurant, closed in December and was expected to reopen in a month unless the owners decided otherwise.
Susan Devereaux, owner and operator of Guido’s, declined to comment about the status of the restaurant for this article.
A public post on the company’s Facebook page dated April 19 states: “Guido’s is officially closed. We appreciate all the support and loyalty our Durango friends have shown us over the years. Although we are sad to say goodbye, we are looking forward to new chapters ahead. Arrivederci!”
Mountain Tacos & Tequila, an eatery specializing in street tacos at 741 Main Ave., was sold by the owners, Tad and Vilma Brown, who launched it in 2017, Tad Brown said.
New owner Dan Gearig said he is planning to open a Mexican street food restaurant in the space in mid-June. Menu items will include tacos, varieties of street corn and a few versions of the Sonoran hot dog.
The interior of the restaurant will be redesigned with a minimalist decor and vibe. The name of the restaurant has not been determined, he said.
Matt and Mitch Copeland, brothers from Texas, have opened Barefoot Durango, a clothing and home goods shop, in the 800 block of Main Avenue in a space formerly home to Schlotzsky’s, a sandwich shop.
The shop is the latest location for Barefoot Athletics, a Texas-based company that also prints custom apparel, said Matt Copeland, who co-owns the business with his brother, Mitch Copeland.
The store carries location-branded apparel and school-branded clothing promoting Fort Lewis College and Durango High School. In addition, the store will carry home goods such as pillows, mugs, decor and toys.
parmijo@durangoherald.com
