CREJ - Retail Properties Quarterly - February 2015
The saying goes, good things come to those who wait. Denver’s River North neighborhood has been waiting, and now good things are coming. Tracy Weil, co-founder of the River North Art District, recalls a time before development and even before the area was RiNo. “When I moved here in 2000, our closest food sources were a 7-Eleven and Subway,” said Weil. “So to see what is happening now is great.” What is happening is far from national chain development. Weil refers to RiNo as a maker’s environment, a place for the creative entrepreneur. “What makes RiNo special is there’s a high concentration here and they all feed off of each other,” said Weil. “We’re almost our own little town.” This momentum took several years to gain traction. In 2005, the art district started with eight members. Weil and the other members were determined to bring more people to the area, so they held a studio tour, built a website and distributed a press release. Introducing the area as RiNo, they also came up with a logo and a phrase, “Where art is made.” Over 1,000 people showed up for the event. “We went for it and had a great turnout,” said Weil. “What I’ve learned over the years is that community building can spur economic development.” The art district has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception – from eight members to 170, and just last year RiNo earned the Creative District Certification by Colorado Creative Industries, a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade. Many see retail in RiNo as an escape from corporate America and a chance to see and experience something different. “Instead of shopping at Walmart or Target, people come to RiNo to shop where they can often meet the person who made it,” said Weil. “It’s a different spin on retail and I think makes it more fun.” One place in particular that has embraced the maker’s environment and attracted people to RiNo since opening in 2013 is The Source. The 26,000 square-foot brick building on Brighton Boulevard was a steel foundry from the 19th century. Today it is a marketplace, not only where people can eat at one of two restaurants, Comida and Acorn, or a shop at the various vendors including a butcher, baker, liquor store, florist, and art gallery and design store, but also a place where people come to meet up and socialize. The brewery and bar inside also enhances the atmosphere. The Source gives people a reason to stop and take a look around, which wasn’t always the case in this area. “Brighton Boulevard was always a street that people used to drive through to the highway,” said Weil. “Now people are thinking they should stop and check it out.” The Source is one of several places in RiNo that brings the craft, manufacturing and retail together, giving customers a unique shopping experience. Developers are finding ways to take advantage of the large industrial buildings in RiNo, once thought a hindrance to development in this area. Because there is not old residential or commercial to work with, Justin Croft, project manager with Zeppelin Development, said creativity was a tool that had to be used often throughout development. “It was basically a blank canvas,” said Croft. “Mix that with the urban energy that this area had, and that is the recipe for the economic development that we are seeing.” As the last urban neighborhood near downtown, RiNo is experiencing lots of mixed-use, infill development. “Millennials want to experience the big-city atmosphere and in this area they are also getting the small-town feel,” said Croft. “I think a lot of that is anchored by the local retailers.” Weil said it does not take too much convincing for retailers to move in. However, those who are interested must first meet with the members of the art district. “Developers see the vibrancy of the area and understand the cool edginess,” said Weil. “They are the ones who ask, ‘How can we help you maintain that?’” Creating mixed-use developments and allocating space for performing arts, creative working or shared studios helps the art district maintain the culture in the area. RiNo is in a phase of rapid development. Developers understand what consumers in this area want and are now providing it. Another market hall, similar to The Source, is in the works at the H.H. Tammen Building. Aptly named The Market, it will be on the corner of Larimer and 27th streets and will provide fresh and local produce, meats, cheeses, and dry and baked goods all under one roof. The story of RiNo is not complete. This area has seen many changes over the last 15 years and will continue to progress. It will never be a clean, sleek, national brand-name retail area. Instead it is a raw, rougharound-the-edges, gritty art district – and it is becoming a popular trend. “It’s compelling when a housing development moves into the area,” said Weil. “When people move in and want to fill their space with art, they are my customers. It is an allships-rise-together mentality.”