Hospitality & Tourism  March 7, 2016

2 fast-casual restaurants set to open at Twenty Ninth Street in Boulder

BOULDER – A pair of fast-casual restaurants will open in long-vacant spaces at the Twenty Ninth Street shopping district in the coming weeks, and a replacement for the recently shuttered S.A. Elite sporting goods store might not be far behind.

Twenty Ninth Street property manager Kate Honea said Monday that she’s hoping to have an announcement on the former S.A. Elite space in the next month or so, indicating that it’s unclear whether it would remain a retail use.

Englewood-based sporting goods chain Sports Authority closed the 13,000-square-foot store last month. Sports Authority last week filed for bankruptcy and said it would close roughly 140 of its 463 stores nationwide. Honea said Monday that she couldn’t comment on how much time was remaining on the S.A. Elite lease.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Solar Operations and Maintenance for Commercial Properties

One key qualification to consider when selecting a solar partner to install your system is whether they have an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) or service department. Since solar is a long-term asset with an expected lifecycle of 30 plus years, ongoing O&M should be considered up front. A trusted O&M partner will maximize your system’s energy output and therefor the return on your investment.

Vacancy at Twenty Ninth Street has been low in general in recent years, and will get even lower with the additions of a Potbelly Sandwich Shop and a new Five on Black. Potbelly is taking over a former Smiling Moose Deli space at 1685 29th St., while Five on Black is taking over a former Spooners frozen yogurt space at the north end of the shopping district. Both spaces have been empty since 2014.

Potbelly — which focuses on hot sandwiches, milkshakes, made-to-order salads and live music — will take up 2,313 square feet. Chicago-based Potbelly (Nasdaq: PBPB) has five other shops in Colorado, including four in Denver and one in Lakewood. The store in Boulder will host a pre-opening fundraising event on from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m., Monday, March 21  with 100 percent of proceeds going to a local nonprofit organization. The store will employ about 20 people, and be open seven days per week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Five on Black, meanwhile, will be in 1,700 square feet dedicated toward Brazil-inspired fare. The name Five on Black comes from there being five steps to customers building their bowls on a base of black beans. The Boulder store will open in early April, and be Five on Black’s fourth. The company’s first three stores are all in Montana, but another store is also on the way in Denver in late May.

“I think they’ll be great additions,” Honea said. “I think the mix (of restaurants) we have right now really complements each other.”

Honea said she couldn’t comment on specific vacancy numbers for the 800,000-square-foot shopping, retail and commercial center owned by Macerich. But the only other vacant spaces once the S.A. Elite spot is filled will include a former cellphone accessories store that closed in recent months as well as a space adjacent to S.A. Elite that was formerly home to Ruby’s Diner and StarLite Diner.

BOULDER – A pair of fast-casual restaurants will open in long-vacant spaces at the Twenty Ninth Street shopping district in the coming weeks, and a replacement for the recently shuttered S.A. Elite sporting goods store might not be far behind.

Twenty Ninth Street property manager Kate Honea said Monday that she’s hoping to have an announcement on the former S.A. Elite space in the next month or so, indicating that it’s unclear whether it would remain a retail use.

Englewood-based sporting goods chain Sports Authority closed the 13,000-square-foot store last month. Sports Authority last week filed for bankruptcy and said it would…

Sign up for BizWest Daily Alerts