After over a year of restrictions and closures, small businesses in the Denver metro area are eager to welcome customers back. Both restaurants and shops have felt the impact of COVID-19, and their owners have learned to adapt to the ever-changing conditions of the pandemic.

Devour the 303

Devour the 303 is an American-style restaurant located on the corner of Evans and Downing. Next to it sits its dessert cafe, The Sweet Spot, which serves pies, ice cream and cocktails. 

“We hope consumer confidence comes back and regulations ease a little bit, so we can start to recover,” said Sam Armatas, the owner of the restaurant.

Devour had to close down completely last year when COVID-19 hit Colorado. Armatas explained how it can be difficult for restaurants with a large footprint to effectively pivot to only doing takeout.

The restaurant reopened in June of 2020 but shut down again in the winter following the zero-capacity guidelines. Recently, Devour officially reopened.

“I was not sure if I was going to reopen or not. Then we got the second round of PPP, the weather started to get a little nicer and we got a lot of requests to come back from the neighborhood, so we decided to make another run of it,” Armatas said. 

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provides loans to small businesses to help keep their employees on payroll. Community support, however, seemed to be just as large of a factor in keeping Devour afloat.  

“The community has been great. They are the only reason we are open. They supported us so heavily before we closed, and they came out and welcomed us back with open arms,” Armatas said.

But even with this support, Devour has struggled with limitations based on social distancing protocols. Even with the removal of capacity regulations, the restaurant has kept occupation levels at 60% to maintain distance between groups.  

“Prior to COVID-19, you could walk into a restaurant and it would be jam-packed and wall-to-wall with people. I do not think we will see that for a long time. It will take a while for the restaurants to recover at that rate,” Armatas said.

Simply being able to have customers walk through their doors again seems to provide a sense of relief for Armatas and his establishment.

“It has been uplifting to be around people you have built relationships with over the last two years again,” Armatas said.

Lady Justice Brewing

Lady Justice Brewing, a woman-owned brewery in the Aurora Cultural Arts District, is looking forward to reconnecting with its customers as well. Owners Betsy Lay, Kate Power and Jen Cuesta founded the brewery in 2014. They donate 100% of the profits from brewery memberships to nonprofits that support women and girls. 

Lady Justice Brewing signed the lease to their brick-and-mortar location just three days before the March lockdown.

“We have only existed in the pandemic. It’s hard to know how much money is going to come in the door each week. We don’t know what’s normal, and that can be really frustrating,” Lay said.

Similar to Devour the 303, Lady Justice Brewing has run into social distancing complications. At 100% occupancy, their space can hold 45 customers. But due to the six-foot-apart requirement, they are still only able to fit 25 customers inside.

“I am looking forward to being back in a space with our regular customers—just feeling like we are a community again and gathering with people we have known for a long time and supported us over the last year,” Lay said. 

However, locally-owned breweries did see some positive changes. Lay discussed how laws regarding packaging and to-go models for beer have become more relaxed. 

“I think people want to have beer more accessible to them to grab on their way home from work if they do not have time to sit down,” Lay said.

General Store 45

General Store 45 is located in the heart of Historic Downtown Littleton, tucked between a barbershop and butcher on an Americana-esque main street. The shop offers customers a large selection, selling everything from vintage concert posters and old-fashioned candy to t-shirts and coffee. 

Nicole Haas has been the store’s owner since 2018, and she noted the difficulty of keeping her employees and customers safe.

“Initially, the biggest challenge was getting customers to wear their masks before the statewide mask mandate went into place. People were reluctant, and as a small business owner, you typically don’t want to give people a reason not to come in,” Haas said.

Since the onset of the pandemic, certain aspects of running a small business that were already difficult have become exaggerated. 

“Shipping delays have been as great as 10 weeks. Sick employees go from missing a day to needing to get COVID-19 tested and quarantine for long periods of time,” Haas explained.

Looking ahead

Despite vaccine rollouts and temperature increases, Denver businesses are plagued with uncertainty and fear as they anxiously prepare for the future.

“We do not know whether or not different strains of the virus are going to hit and cause people to have to go back inside again,” Lay explained.

Ultimately, their hopes reside in their customers. The personal relationships which these business owners form with their patrons are what keeps them afloat and optimistic

“We are not a McDonald’s,” said Armatas. “We are not just handing food through a window. You get to know your regulars. You become part of their families, and you know what their kids are doing. A huge part of the hospitality industry is the interactions with customers.”

Denver’s restaurants and businesses are looking forward to a summer of recovery. General Store 45 will be participating in Downtown Littleton’s summer Main Street events and looks forward to the return of traditions like Western Welcome Week. Devour is hoping to provide local families with ice cream on Denver’s hot summer days by opening The Sweet Spot every afternoon, and Lady Justice hopes to continue giving back to their community with the help of both returning and new customers.