CooperSmith’s to close ‘Poolside,’ focus on pub

FORT COLLINS – CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing, a staple in Old Town Fort Collins since 1989, will close its “Poolside” location on Sept. 30 and will concentrate on operating and improving its adjacent “Pubside” brewpub and restaurant, its owners said today.

The two entities are across from each other, divided by a narrow walkway that connects Mountain Avenue with Old Town Square. Pubside has a diverse American menu along with a full bar and the brewery’s craft brews and house-made soft drinks. Poolside has been a late-night option featuring billiards, shuffleboard, ping-pong and other games along with its own snack menu and the brewery’s craft-beer selections.

Dwight Hall, president and co-owner of the complex known locally as “Coop’s,” told BizWest that all employees of Poolside would be offered jobs in the pub. “We have a pretty small staff over there,” he said, “so we’ve got space for everybody.”

Hall attributed the decision to “challenges in the business world that we’re all keenly aware of,” and said that “we’re going to focus on our core business and do that really well.” He predicted no dramatic changes in the pub – “just making it better” – and said CooperSmith’s is on solid financial ground. He said he would be selling the tables and other fixtures from Poolside.

Both sides – the 4,200-square-foot pub and the 8,500-square-foot Poolside – have operated in leased space, Hall said. Poolside opened in 1993 and was expanded in 1997 and again in 2007.

“If there is one thing we’ve learned over the years, it is that change is inevitable,” said

Hall in a written statement issued this afternoon. “It has been a fun, wild adventure and we are immensely grateful for the past 30 years in both locations. Although it is sad to say goodbye to Poolside, it is also an exciting new time as we turn our full attention to making the ‘Pubside’ as great as it can be.

“Change can be difficult, but it is also an opportunity to improve,” Hall wrote. “We are committed to being the best brewpub in Northern Colorado for years to come.”

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