After building a reputation for creating limited-time-only events and here-and-gone, pop-up bars, Josh Sampson is breaking character and setting down roots in RiNo.
The northwest corner of 28th and Walnut streets is in a state of flux as Sampson, the co-founder of Denver events company Gum Pop Presents and the creative director behind The Big Wonderful festivals and Denver Bazaar pop-up markets, goes through his transition.
Gone is BOOZ Hall RiNo, the short-term bar concept that opened at 2845 Walnut last summer offering tasting rooms and sales counters for Colorado winemakers and distillers. Its bright pink exterior is gone, too.
A new business dubbed the RiNo Co-op is under construction there, Sampson said. It will maintain tasting rooms for moonshine maker 3 Hundred Days of Shine and Jack Rabbit Hill Farms winery and cidery. It will also be the home of Denver Bazaar’s permanent retail arm, which will sell goods from 35 vendors. Co-working space, a coffee shop and an art gallery will round out the co-op mix.
“It’s kind of a forward-thinking idea that takes elements of my pop-up experience and puts them under one roof,” Sampson said of the business, which he described as a “social hall,” a twist on the food halls that now dot the city. “This is the first time in Denver where I’m going into a more traditional lease situation.”
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Just across the parking lot at 2811 Walnut, Yeah Baby, the “disco lounge” Sampson designed last year, is being renovated as it prepares for a long-term stay in the neighborhood. In addition to internal upgrades, Sampson has plans to add a patio at the neon-tinged bar.
“We thought the pop-up was so successful, people loved it so much that we are deciding to make it a permanent concept,” Sampson said. “The idea of the whole (RiNo Co-op, Yeah Baby) organism functioning together is super exciting.”
The timelines for the two projects are iffy. A sign hanging in the former BOOZ Hall/future co-op’s window said it hopes to open this summer, but Sampson said things are at the mercy of contractor schedules in booming Denver.
In the same building as Yeah Baby, 14er Brewing Co.’s taproom is also undergoing renovations. The wrap-up date for that project is also up in the air, according to 14er. The company is directing devotees to its brewery and beer garden located just a few blocks away at 3120 Blake St., formerly Beryl’s Beer Co. Stem Ciders remains a draw in the back half of the building.
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Gum Pop’s bread-and-butter events will keep the 2800 block of Walnut Street busy over the next few months. The RiNo Spring Bazaar will shut down the block on May 18-19. Weekly Friday Night Bazaar markets will start on June 7.
“I have been in RiNo since 2014 and I really believe in this neighborhood,” Sampson said of his latest efforts. “I’m just trying to continue to make it more fun and vibrant.”
Tracy Weil, co-founder and president of the River North Art District, said it’s fantastic that the RiNo Co-op and Yeah Baby have long-term leases and thinks both will provide opportunities for artists.
“This is why we have an art district, to attract creatives and entrepreneurs,” Weil said. “If we can provide a platform or an area for them to experiment and learn and grow their small business, that’s super important.”
