Three of Olde Town Arvada's best-known places to sit and stay awhile are closing within about two months of each other. The Bluegrass Coffee and Bourbon Lounge's last scheduled day on Grandview Avenue was Oct. 31. Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters said its café would close Friday, Nov. 6. Silver Vines Winery will close at the end of December. Meanwhile, two Olde Town residents are getting ready to open a bookstore, café and bar in a historic house on Upham Street, and they started it because they felt the district didn't have enough of these places.
All of this lands on the same streets during the busiest stretch of the year. In September, the city decided parking on those streets would stay free so customers wouldn't be scared off. The owners who are closing have pointed to rent, repairs and lease renewals as their reasons.
Who Is Leaving, and When
Here's the order things happen in, from Halloween to New Year's:
- Oct. 31: The Bluegrass Coffee and Bourbon Lounge's last scheduled day at 7415 Grandview Ave., after 11 years in Olde Town. Its Candelas location was set to close the day before.
- Nov. 6: Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters' announced closing date for its Olde Town café, which opened in November 2016.
- Dec. 6: Silver Vines Winery's 15th Anniversary Party, 2 to 6 p.m., at 7509 Grandview Ave.
- End of December: Silver Vines closes after 15 years. The owners announced the decision on Facebook on June 29.
Each of these did more than pour drinks. The Bluegrass ran an annual Christmas pop-up bar called Noel out of its Grandview building, according to the Arvada Press. Silver Vines took part in Olde Town traditions like the Eggnog and Cider Competition and A Chocolate Affair. Owner Kristin Chayer described its regulars to the Arvada Press as people who came "for birthdays and anniversaries, for first dates and last toasts, for Tuesday-night regulars who became some of our closest friends."
Hunter Bay is the only one that says it's moving rather than closing for good. The company was founded in Missoula, Montana, in 1991. It will keep selling beans online and at Costco, and it told customers on Instagram, "We won't go far!" Denverite reported.
The Reasons Given Are About Buildings and Leases
When owners gave reasons, they talked about what it costs to keep a storefront open, not about a shortage of customers.
The Bluegrass is in the oldest freestanding building in Olde Town, and longtime general manager Josh Schwartz told the Arvada Press the building needs repairs. Rising costs across the industry came to a head when the lease came up for renewal. "The current climate in this industry has been tough, and we had some big commitments coming up, including rent and other obligations," Schwartz said. He described the Olde Town location as drawing "clientele from all walks of life," a mix the Candelas location had a harder time matching.
The brand may come back in some form. Schwartz said several investors offered to buy The Bluegrass name after the closing was announced. He called a possible return a "phoenix" situation, maybe at a different location.
Kristin Chayer of Silver Vines made a broader point in a letter published by the Arvada Press. She wrote that rising overhead, rent increases and inflation are squeezing small businesses in Arvada. The winery's closing announcement itself spoke of "seasons of struggle" and thanked the community for 15 years.
The City Just Bet That the Crowds Are Real
The other half of this story is a decision Arvada City Council made in September. Council was close to adding paid on-street parking in Olde Town, then dropped the plan, "at least, for now," after downtown businesses worried it would drive customers away, the Denver Post reported on Sept. 20, 2026.
"I haven't had a single resident or business owner tell me they like this," Councilman Michael Griffith said at the study session.
The parking debate only happened because Olde Town got popular. The G Line station opened in 2019, and the city made its pedestrian-only zone permanent after the pandemic. Councilman Bob Fifer said the district has struggled with parking for years and has had a two-hour limit on street parking since 2013.
Some merchants who have stayed were relieved. Debbie Hansen has owned La Dolce Vita coffee shop at Grant Place and Olde Wadsworth Boulevard for 17 years. She told the Post the pause was "one less thing that I have to stress about with my business." A few doors down, Outside the Box co-owner Dorn Nienaber pointed to the free 600-space garage at the G Line station, known as the Hub, and a free city surface lot.
Merchants fought paid parking because they saw it as a threat to customer traffic, and the owners who are closing named rent, repairs and lease renewals. For holiday trips, street parking is still free with the two-hour limit, and the Hub garage is free too.
The Next Gathering Place Is a House on Upham Street
The newest business coming to Olde Town is built to be the kind of place the district is losing. Best friends Kim Beaumund and Kate Otto both settled and started families in Olde Town. They told the Arvada Press they noticed how few third spaces the historic district had. Their answer is My Book Cellar, a bookstore, café, bar and community space going into the historic Smith-Houston House at 5715 Upham St.
Otto described it as a place for "a quiet setting, that's not a bar," where someone can read alone with tea, host a book club over wine, or meet other young parents. The shop will stock only new books. The owners say that choice is meant to complement Book Cranny, the nearby new-and-used bookstore, and the Olde Town branch of the Jeffco Public Library. The My Book Cellar website says "Coming Winter 2026 to Olde Town Arvada."
You don't have to wait for the doors to open. My Book Cellar is hosting a Winter Book Nook in a heated tent at the Upham Street property, with new books, bookish gifts, drinks for all ages, local artists and author pop-ups. It runs Nov. 19 to 22, starting at 3 p.m., and comes back Nov. 27 to 29 over Thanksgiving weekend. The owners also hold story hours with Tutu School Arvada at 5782 Yukon St.
A Calendar for the Overlap
From now through mid-December, the outgoing places and the newcomer overlap, while the area's long-running holiday events go on around them:
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 19–22 | Winter Book Nook | My Book Cellar, 5715 Upham St. | Heated tent, opens 3 p.m. |
| Nov. 20–Jan. 3 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Arvada Center | 1 p.m. matinees, 7 p.m. evenings |
| Nov. 27–29 | Winter Book Nook, second run | My Book Cellar, 5715 Upham St. | Thanksgiving weekend |
| Nov. 27–Dec. 13 | 40th Annual Fine Art Market | Arvada Center | Free |
| Nov. 27–Dec. 13 | 50th Annual Holiday Pottery Sale | Arvada Center | 10 a.m.–9 p.m. opening day Nov. 27, then 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 1–5 p.m. Sun. |
| Nov. 28 | Yule Night Holiday Market | Sage Spade, 8295 Ralston Rd. | 5–8 p.m., free, Santa and tree lighting |
| Dec. 6 | Silver Vines 15th Anniversary Party | 7509 Grandview Ave. | 2–6 p.m. |
| Dec. 11 | Stories on Stage: Making Merry | Arvada Center | 7 p.m. |
| Dec. 12 | Hazel Miller and the Collective: Christmas with Soul | Arvada Center | 6 and 8 p.m. |
The Arvada Center's two holiday markets mark big round numbers this year. The Fine Art Market is in its 40th year and free to attend, and the Holiday Pottery Sale is in its 50th. The Yule Night Holiday Market at Sage Spade doubles as a Small Business Saturday kickoff, with local vendors, Santa visits and a tree-lighting ceremony, according to Visit Arvada.
Silver Vines stays open at 7509 Grandview Ave. through December, and its anniversary party on Dec. 6 is the last big date on its calendar before it closes.
Owners on Grandview Avenue are making decisions about leases, repairs and rent this season, and the same costs show up when you're deciding whether to sell your own home or hold on to it. At Perfect Denver Homes, Stephen LaPorta can show you what your home is worth in today's market. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
