East Colfax's Fall Comeback Is Designed to Be Walked

Carson Allen and his wife opened Good Bones Coffee at 1201 E. Colfax Ave. on Nov. 16, 2025, while much of the avenue was still torn up for bus rapid transit construction. As Allen told Denverite, "it's risky opening a business when most of the roads are shut down. The community really rallied behind us."

The cones between Broadway and Colorado Boulevard came down at the end of September. The Colfax that replaced them works differently than the one most of us drove before 2024. Car traffic is limited to the outer lanes, left turns are restricted, there are fewer bus stops, and free parking has moved to the side streets. The Colfax Ave Business Improvement District's welcome-back events this fall fit that layout. Almost every one of them is small, walk-in only, and spread across several blocks. It's a calendar for people who park once or ride in, then keep going on foot.

What the Street Asks of You Now

The first complete section of the project opened to bus-only operations on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, after two years of construction, according to The Denver Post. RTD's 15 and 15L now run in the two center lanes from Broadway to Colorado Boulevard. Here's what that means day to day:

• Driving: Cars share the outer lanes only, and there are new limits on where you can turn left off Colfax. The Post reported that apps like Google Maps have sent drivers to left turns that no longer exist. The city says it is working with Waymo, Apple and Google to update their routing.
• Parking: The project added free two-hour parking zones on side streets around Colfax.
• Riding: Several stops between Colorado and Broadway were dropped. RTD says that makes the routes faster, though the remaining stops are less convenient for some riders. The new stops sit on raised platforms in the middle of the street, with shelters, seating and security cameras.
• Speed: Narrower driving lanes push drivers on Colfax to go slower.

The rollout has had problems. Denverite reported the first collision between a bus and a vehicle at Colfax and Williams two days after opening. Police ticketed the bus driver for running a red light while a truck was turning left on a green arrow. On opening day, the Denver Gazette saw riders confused about the median platforms and the old stops. It also reported that another rider found the new layout convenient.

All of this makes driving from one end of Colfax to the other harder, and makes it easier to park on a side street and walk a few blocks. The BID's events are planned around that.

The Businesses That Held the Blocks

Frank Locantore, executive director of the Colfax Ave Business Improvement District, told The Denver Post that the corridor's occupancy rate is 84%, the same as before construction. He also said some businesses "are hanging on by their fingertips." The city gave nearly $2 million in grants to 152 businesses affected by the work.

Some businesses depend on people walking in off the sidewalk. At Lifetime Tattoo, where walk-ins are "a big part" of the business, the shop's manager told Denverite he hopes the reopening brings people back to the street. Several places opened anyway, and these are the easiest ones to try first:

• Good Bones Coffee, 1201 E. Colfax Ave. It's part coffee shop and part hangout, with vintage clothing, consignment guitars, a small performance stage and a corner of consignment kids' toys.
• Sadboy Creamery, 1201 E. Colfax Ave., Suite 101. The ice cream pop-up became a permanent shop with a grand opening on Sept. 19. It sells pints, cups, push pops, freezer pops and other rotating treats, but not scoops.
• Ma's Kitchen. Locantore named Ma's Kitchen Dim Sum & Bar at York Street as a recent opening. According to the Post, there are two locations: Ma's Kitchen: Dim Sum, Noodles & Bar for sit-down meals at 2301 E. Colfax Ave., and a takeout-focused spot called Ma's Kitchen | Next Door around the corner at 1514 York St. The York Street menu covers Singaporean and Cantonese dumplings, dim sum, buns, noodles and soups.
• Pampered Paws Pet Spa & Boutique, 1900 E. Colfax Ave. It offers full-service dog grooming plus pet food, treats, toys and accessories.

"We knew what we were signing up for in hopes of contributing to the next phase of Colfax, post-construction." — Carson Allen, Good Bones Coffee, speaking to Denverite

GRUBHOP Is a Walking Route

The BID calls its fall campaign Anything Can Happen on Colfax. It describes the series as small events, artist-led pop-ups and community moments spread along the corridor, meant to support "the independent businesses that carried the avenue through years of disruption." The opening events are over: a slightly spooky Opera Colorado performance at Champagne Tiger on Oct. 8 and the 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off at Satellite Bar on Oct. 10.

GRUBHOP nights show the walking idea most clearly. Each one has a handful of stops a few blocks apart, a single cheap item at each, one item per customer, walk-ins only, while supplies last.

The latte morning is the easiest one to walk, with four shops between 1201 and 2260 E. Colfax. Slice Night covers more ground. SliceWorks is at 700 E. Colfax, while Atomic Cowboy and Enzo's are past 3200 in the Bluebird District, which makes the 15 or 15L the simplest way to cover the gap. The BID has not posted a start time for the latte morning, the slice night or Dunks & Dumplings.

Shows in Small Rooms, Plus One Halloween Afternoon

Most of the rest of the calendar is evening shows in small venues, so a show and dinner can easily share the same few blocks. Boo & Brew is the one daytime event:

1. Oct. 28: The King Penny Radio Show, an improvised 1940s-style radio comedy built from audience suggestions, at The Learned Lemur, 2220 E. Colfax Ave. 7 p.m., $15.
2. Oct. 29: Colorado Saves the World, a comedy panel on the news presented by Vortexx Events, at DNVR Bar, 2239 E. Colfax Ave. 7 p.m., $10 cover.
3. Oct. 31: The 20th Annual Boo & Brew starts at Hooked on Colfax, 3213 E. Colfax Ave., and continues through participating Bluebird District businesses. 1 to 4 p.m., free for kids.
4. Nov. 7: Get Hitched: Vegas Style at the Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. 6 p.m., all ages.
5. Nov. 11: Uncalled Four: The Colfax Edition at Satellite Bar, 308 E. Colfax Ave. 7:30 p.m., free, 18 and over.
6. Nov. 18: Strange Brews at Goosetown Tavern, 3242 E. Colfax Ave. Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m., 21 and over.

The 2220 to 2239 block stands out. The Learned Lemur and DNVR Bar host shows on back-to-back nights at the end of October, and Yahya's and Convict Coffee are on the same block for GRUBHOP. The Bluebird end has its own cluster, with Hooked on Colfax, Goosetown Tavern, Atomic Cowboy and the Bluebird Theater all between 3213 and 3317.

The Dates Still Being Filled In

Several later events are on the calendar, but the BID hasn't finished posting their details. Times, locations, tickets and participating businesses are still marked as coming soon:

• Nov. 5: Science Riot at Cerebral Brewing – Congress Park, 1477 Monroe St.
• Nov. 15: Kick-Off to Pie Season, with Justin from the Okee Dokee Brothers and 5280 Pastry Co-op.
• Nov. 19: Free Coffee for East High at participating Colfax coffee shops.
• Nov. 28: A family-friendly Rainbow Socks Nature Tour from near the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, 401 E. Colfax Ave., toward Champagne Tiger. The BID's annual events page also lists a Small Business Saturday Market and its 3rd Annual Holiday Tree Lighting that day.
• Dec. 5 and Dec. 10: Adam Cayton-Holland on Colfax at Pete's Satire Lounge, 1920 E. Colfax Ave., followed by Kerri en Fuego at The Learned Lemur.
• Nov. 14 and Dec. 12: A Colfax Ave Volunteer Day and an Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl, also from the annual events listing.

The street itself isn't finished either. Bus-only lanes put the project past the halfway mark, and the next phase of construction, from Colorado Boulevard to Niagara Street, starts soon. The full line from Union Station to I-225 is scheduled for completion at the end of 2027. At that point the 15 and 15L become the Colfax Lynx, with new buses, ticket machines, real-time arrival displays and, according to Denverite, buses eventually every 4.3 minutes. The Post reports the overall budget at $280 million, while Denverite puts the project at about $300 million. Either way, businesses east of Colorado Boulevard are about to go through what the blocks west of it just finished.

If you live near the corridor and wondering how these changes might show up in your home's value, Nichelle Phillips and the team at Lifestyle International Realty Colorado are glad to talk it through over coffee at one of the shops above. Get Your Instant Home Valuation to start the conversation.