Golden Liquors is bringing tastes from South of the Border to the heart of Golden.
On April 1, the liquor store at 601 13th St. will reopen as Destilados de Agave at Golden Liquors. While it still has a selection of Coors, craft beers and other alcoholic beverages, the store’s now mostly agave focused with a wide array of tequila, mezcal, sotol, raicilla, bacanora and other spirits, co-owner Briana Austin said.
Golden Liquors, which opened in 1902, features the state’s second-oldest liquor license. Austin and her husband, Nate, bought the store in 2018.
Austin described how grocery stores’ expansion into alcohol sales has impacted smaller liquor stores. So, she and her husband developed the Destilados de Agave idea based on their passion for agave spirits and their frequent trips to Mexico.
After the two came up with the idea in November, they started remodeling the store in early February. They hosted a soft opening March 25 with a grand opening slated for April 1.
Austin believed Destilados de Agave at Golden Liquors is the first of its kind in Colorado, and one of the first in the United States.
Austin and her husband, Nate, have built a network of agave-spirit distillers in Mexico, and they plan to bring them to Golden for personal classes and guided tastings. Additionally, the Austins are thinking about bringing in food trucks for small-seating dinners and pairing events.
“We’re just excited about sharing this knowledge with the community and with Colorado,” Austin said. “ … There’s so much love and passion that goes into each one of these agave spirits. We’re excited to share our passion with everyone.”
For more information, contact Destilados de Agave at Golden Liquors at 720-328-2987.
New Edgewater bakery asks customers to think outside the Box
When Arielle Israel, Ty Webb and Megan Read started Black Box Bakery in 2019, it was a wholesale bakery. Its selection of products, ingredients and toppings were limited based on the wholesale model, but the bakers wanted to be more creative.
They wanted to expand into retail, and this month that dream came true.
Black Box Bakery has opened its first retail location inside the Edgewater Public Market at 5505 W. 20th Ave. The bakery hosted its soft opening March 17 with a grand opening March 19, both of which were well-received with pastries flying off the baking sheets.
Black Box Bakery offers a rotating selection of croissants, sweet and savory pastries, cookies, coffee, tea and more. The menu also features a gluten-free cookie and a limited vegan swirl.
Israel also noted the signature Black Box pastry, or mystery pastry. She said the question customers can only ask beforehand is whether it’s savory or sweet.
The bakery is currently open until 3 p.m., but Israel described a long-term plan to expand its hours and menu. The owners are developing croissant sandwiches to serve at lunchtime and other desserts to serve in the evenings.
After six months of renovation, Israel said she and her fellow owners were happy to have their first retail location open. She really appreciated the public market atmosphere, where there’s friendly rapport among all the businesses.
“We promote each other’s businesses,” she said. “… There’s a great diversity of concepts here. You can get everything in one go.”
Black Box Bakery is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Customers can order at the counter inside, or order online and pick up at the exterior window.
For more information, visit blackboxbakery.com.
Golden’s first retail dispensary opening April 5
Verts Neighborhood Dispensary, also known as Golden Alternative Medicine, will be the first retail or recreational marijuana dispensary in Golden.
Its grand opening is April 5 at 511 Orchard St. The ribbon-cutting will be at 4:20 p.m.
The company’s expanding to a second location, with its flagship location still going strong in Fort Collins, according to its website.
Ashley Close, co-owner and chief executive officer, took part in the city’s multiyear retail marijuana discussion.
In November 2021, Golden voters gave the green light to limited retail sales of marijuana to adults, as well as a 6% tax on its commercial sale. Then, last summer, City Council decided to only issue four licenses and to limit locations based on proximity to schools, parks and other dispensaries.
A Verts Dispensary press release expressed how excited co-owner Ashley Close was to see retail marijuana become a reality in Golden after such a long process, and how excited Verts is to hold Golden’s first retail marijuana license.
For more information, visit vertsdispensary.com.
