Boulder Report

Vic's Again ... again

Jerry W. Lewis — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:33:26 -0800

Vic's Again is opening its second location on Boulder's 30th Street on the east side of the city, serving a large number of both office and retail workers in the area.

Yes, it's Vic's Again ... again. And the new Boulder coffee shop takes over the former location of the former Java Hut on 30th Street in the shopping center that also houses OfficeMax.

Vic's is betting that Boulder's apparently endless thirst for coffee continues. The original Vic's Again is just up the street a way, north at 3305 30th St., capturing a lot of traffic coming and going off of the Boulder-Longmont Diagonal. And across from the newest 30th Street location is the always busy Walnut Cafe that serves some of the tastiest breakfasts and lunches in Boulder, with, of course, a full array of coffee drinks.

Although under different ownerships, Vic's now has locations around Boulder including the very popular Vic's Espresso & News across from Boulder Community Hospital and near the Newlands neighborhood at 2680 Broadway, and a recently opened South Boulder location at the site of a former McDonald's on Table Mesa that offers a drive-thru lane for busy commuters heading out down U.S. 36. There's also a Vic's Again on Main Street in Louisville and a Vic's Too in Longmont's Prospect development.

Boulder is one caffeine buzzed town -- and the surrounding Boulder Valley cities aren't lacking in numerous good independent coffee shops as well. I try to keep up with them all on my own Google map of local caffeine fix stops, but I admit, I'm now getting pretty far behind giving them all a taste test.

Imagine! SmartHome architect recognized with Colorado Sustainable Design Award

Jerry W. Lewis — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:30:07 -0800

The new Imagine! SmartHome on Iris in Boulder was recognized with a 3rd place award in the residential category of the Colorado Sustainable Design Awards.

Boulder's PEH Architects was honored in the the Colorado Sustainable Design Awards for their design of the Imagine! SmartHome in Boulder, a highly energy efficient one-story group home for people with cognitive and physical disablilities.

The awards, announced in the current issue of ColoradoBiz magazine, discusses how the home's renewable energy systems include solar PV panels powering geothermal heat pumps, and super-heaters on the heat pumps for additional hot water to supplement the solar hot water panels.

Other features include orientation and roof slope to maximize solar exposure, roof overhangs to shade large windows in the summer but allow passive heat gain in the winter, clearstory windows throughout the home for natural light and an energy rating score of 24, representing a 76 percent reduction in energy use relative to code.

Other Boulder architects winning awards included a first place award in residential by Rodwin Architecture for the Edge House, a zero energy home, and Wolff Lyon Architects, with a 3rd place award for its Wellington Neighborhood in downtown Breckenridge.

Small bites menu a tasty happy hour at Boulder’s Gindi Cafe

Jerry W. Lewis — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:15:59 -0700

Gindi Cafe, lower right, has nestled into The Peloton condo development along Arapahoe in Boulder.

Small bites.

It’s happy hour, and Boulder’s new Gindi Café in The Peloton development on Arapahoe Avenue is a quiet place to relax with a glass of wine, away from some of the downtown restaurants where at times you’re pressed to find a table or get a waiter’s attention.

Happy hour runs from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., with mojitos, margaritas and martinis $6, with the house red (a zinfandel) or white (Twisted Chardonnay on our visit) just $4 or a beer for $3.

Gindi isn’t a large, busy restaurant, which I like. It’s a warm room, and offers a nice layout of taller and regular tables, some cozied close to the café’s espresso bar.

I get the feeling that Gindi really hasn’t been discovered just yet since on our Thursday evening visit, there were only two other tables filled. And with the large Peloton condominium project only about half sold, so far its developers’ hopes for an active, mixed-used community has been stalled by the slow real estate market. A Pilates instructor also has opened up a studio there, but there’s still vacancies waiting for more businesses.

Four of us decided to go over for drinks and appetizers after a friend’s recommendation. And priced from $2 to $6, the small bites menu was innovative and well prepared, and the wait staff was attentive and friendly. Just keep in mind, when they say small bites, they mean small bites. The plate of mini tuna tacos with wasabi slaw, for $6, were indeed just a single bite each, but very tasty. They left me longing for a little bigger bite.

We also ordered the warm olive plate, which was a full bowl of olives, and the seasoned and baked chickpeas, a fun and tasty snack with our drinks. Each was just $2.

The coconut chicken bites, at $5, came with a good, tangy sauce, with about six on the plate.

Gindi Café is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and promotes itself as “natural and organic ingredients at affordable prices.” The breakfast menu looks particularly good with “espresso” eggs with black beans & madras in Cuban-style bread and a full list of coffee drinks at the espresso bar.

For lunch, pressed sandwiches – from the traditional Cuban to the Elena Ruz (turkey, cream cheese and raspberry preserves) as well as several pita pockets and regular sandwiches are on the menu.

The dinner menu is attractively priced with selections at $10.50 to $11.50, including a vegetable curry over cous cous and an apricot chicken with mashed potatoes.

Breakfast seems like the next best time that I’ll stop in because the café has the feel of a comfy spot to relax one morning.

Gindi also offers takeouts and delivery, and you can follow their specials on their own page on Facebook.

Heavy snows hit Boulder right before Halloween

Jerry W. Lewis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:10:25 -0700

With 18 to 24 inches of snow falling on Boulder Wednesday, a light snow continuing on Thursday, it will be some cold and wet trick or treating for Halloween. I took these pictures at about 9 p.m. Wednesday night on my front yard, and another of my patio with deck furniture buried.

Some power outages were reported in the west part of the city as tree limbs started to fall, but generally the streets were OK since road crews had good warning about the storm and seemed to be prepared.

Full house packs Tesla Motors' new Boulder gallery for cocktail party

Jerry W. Lewis — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:30:34 -0700

Tesla Roadster the center of attention at Boulder gallery's opening cocktail party.

Andre Pettigrew, left, Denver eco-devo director, was on hand to see Colorado's new business. With him is Geoff Cooper, CEO of CaraSolva in Boulder.

BOULDER -- The doors didn't open until 8 p.m., but invited guests were lining up much earlier on the Pearl Street sidewalk to get the first glimpse inside of the new Tesla Gallery Boulder -- part of a new regional hub the electric sports car manufacturer is setting up across the U.S. Kimbal Musk, CEO of OneRiot and owner of the Kitchen, as well as a Tesla Roadster owner and Tesla Motors board member, helped organize and get the word out about the Friday evening party. I found myself with a party ticket after "retweeting" news about the gallery opening. So what was more fun? Seeing fellow Boulderites rubbing shoulders in the line like it was a Studio 54 disco all over again? Deciding which of the Kitchen's cocktails to order up -- the Sparkling Hemingway (rum and grapefruit Izze), Lychee Martini (Tito's handmade vodka and lychees), The Brazilian (Vodka 14, limes and sugar) or Persian Lemon (Ketel One Citroen, Pama liqueur, splash of pineapple and lemon juice)? Or getting a test drive in one of the Tesla Roadsters parked in front of gallery? Answer: Probably the test drive but I can't say for sure because after a Sparking Hemingway, I thought it was a good idea not to drive a $100,000 plus sports car. Tesla says the Roadster will go from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds with a top speed of about 125 mph. Now I certainly would have liked to test that theory straight up Boulder Canyon, until I remembered the Justice Center is directly along on the way. Another interesting angle for Tesla is that they are creating Mobile Service Rangers -- teams that will make house calls for a buck a mile. Boulder's gallery will be part of that program. The gallery itself was put together in just about 11 days, according to Phil Shull, owner of Deneuve Construction Services, which did the job. Phil was sporting his own Tesla jacket, a popular conversation piece at the party since no one else seemed to have one. The Tesla Gallery has a lease right now in the former retail building at 915 Pearl St. that was slated to be a new home for Boulder's Frasca restaurant as well as some high-end condos on top. Initially Frasca had wanted to put their own garden on top of the new building. But apparently that project is on the back burner for now. The Roadster gets its juice from its Energy Storage System -- made up of several thousand consumer-grade lithium ion cells. Not really being a gear head, I'll admit you can read this same information just like I did on the Tesla Web site.. And Tesla got a very good business page writeup in the Boulder Camera just before the gallery opened with news that a Colorado buyer could get a $42,039 tax break, or about a 39 percent discount on a new $109,000 Roadster. Seems the Colorado Legislature has now put a $6,000 cap on how big of a tax credit you can get for buying a hybrid or electric car, but it doesn't go into effect until 2010. Also spotted at the party was Andre Pettigrew, executive director of Denver's Office of Economic Development, who was there to check out the new business arriving in Colorado. Tesla has said it picked Colorado because of Gov. Bill Ritter's commitment to make the state one of the most environmentally friendly states in the country. And that may be true. But having Boulder resident's Kimbal Musk's pull certainly helped on just where the new Gallery would be located in the state.

Boulder man's antique advertising collection a history time capsule

Jerry W. Lewis — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:40:07 -0700

Rick Sinner, a retired Boulder High teacher, has an extensive collection of thousands of old advertising items from Boulder County businesses.

Old bottles like this one from the Crystal Springs Brewing & Ice Co. offer a glimpse into Boulder's business history.

Stonewear jugs usually held whiskey but also water, vinegar, molasses or other liquids.

Rick Sinner’s collection of advertising is an incredible time capsule of Boulder business history.

Being an amateur collector of ‘50s pottery and various “collectibles” myself (some friends describe it as slightly fanatical), Sinner’s devotion to collecting and the in-depth research he puts in to verify business names and owners is remarkable.

I’ve wanted to visit Sinner’s home since we met while planning for Boulder’s Sesquicentennial, when he provided the 150 committee with a well-researched list of Boulder companies still in business and at least 50 years old.

That list was impressive, but after a few hours looking at his collection – some 4,000 items indexed and identified, with another 1,000 or so awaiting his database, I feel like I just toured the Boulder Smithsonian.

In a basement collection room, items are painstakingly displayed in glass-enclosed cases, with an eye to detail of a museum curator. Old whisky, beer and drug bottles line the shelves, adjoining calendars, stoneware jugs that held liquor, vinegar, molasses and water, buttons, signs, medals, spoons, match covers, shoehorns, trays, fraternal lodge ribbons and photos.

Antique advertising plates hang on one wall, with scenes of Boulder County’s original Victorian courthouse, built in 1882, and early CU buildings. Most were hand-painted in Austria and Germany as advertising giveaways, usually with the business name on the back.

“I don’t collect anything that doesn’t have a business name on it,” Sinner says, although I think he does. A date, of course, is really good. A find sends him to Carnegie Library on Pine Street where he sorts through city directories and newspaper archives on microfiche.

Picking up item after item, he reads off business names and I jot down notes as fast as I can. “You’ll never get them all,” he jokes. He’s right.

He’s framed beautiful Victorian-style art illustrations and hung them around his home. A calendar from Maxwell and Greenman’s University Book and Drug Store at Broadway (then 12^th Street) and Pearl. A calendar with a Remington Western scene from Boulder Lumber Co. Two huge calendars are from the Berkhimer Insurance Agency, each with art of Will Rogers and the simple slogan “Dependable.” A calendar for the Alba Dairy, 2718 Pine St., has art by Charlotte Becker, an illustrator who painted for calendars, children’s books and magazines.

Sinner likes his Christmas Santa operating a hot air balloon on a calendar for The Department Store, 1223 Pearl St.

I asked to see something he’s really loves, and he takes down a colorful “corner sign,” which would attach to the corner of a building, for Boulder’s Crystal Springs Brewing & Ice Co. It’s totally cool.

Sinner, 58, is retired after teaching pottery and photography for 31 years at Boulder High, and is a 1969 grad of the school himself.

One year, the city started digging near the school for flood plain work along Arapaho, and unearthed the city’s original 1880s dump. Things like this send bottle collectors into a tizzy, and Sinner was no exception. He borrowed the school’s photography lights for night digging, and occasionally would send students out to check up on other collectors.

Holding up a desirable cobalt blue bottle, with raised date of 1887-1888, he estimates he has about 100 items from that site that either he or others found. Other discoveries took place when the city built both libraries along the creek. Sinner’s also the president of the Antique Bottle Collectors of Colorado.

Sinner says one woman collector swooned after seeing he had a silver spoon celebrating the “Texas Colo.” Chautauqua opening on July 4, 1898 in Boulder. I enjoyed his Bing Crosby Ice Cream box, from Valley Farm Diary in Longmont, and his antique map table with drawers full of ledgers, mine stock certificates and old letterheads and ledgers. There’s a story behind each one.

His collection of postcards shows area landmarks and historic buildings like the Masonic Temple Building that housed the Temple Drug Co. He showed me razors and razor straps from the Western States Cutlery Mfg. Co. in Boulder.

This month, you’re in luck. A display at the Carnegie Library through October commemorates Gold Hill’s 150^th, the same as Boulder’s, and two cases of items, including brochures and photos from the Blue Bird Lodge (next to the Gold Inn Hill), are from Sinner’s collection.

You also should do a little of your own history digging on Boulder’s Sesquicentennial site at www.boulder150.com. Photos from Sinner’s collection are next to the 50-year business list under Boulder History. I like the yellow “Worms That Squirm” can from the Bios Earthworm Hatchery in Boulder. I’m watching for one of those at my next yard sale.

Retweet contest a simple way to get your business message out

Jerry W. Lewis — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:59:31 -0700

Spanish flamenco guitarist Paco Pena and his dancers' performance at Boulder Theater brought the audience to their feet several times in the two-hour show. I won a "retweet" contest for tickets to the show.

Nothing's wrong with good, simple marketing ideas in Twitter. In fact, isn't that what Twitter was supposed to be all about?

One of the easiest ideas to get your business message circulating is offering an incentive -- a simple contest for example -- asking your followers to retweet your tweet. I've seen this being used effectively by many Boulder area businesses, and it's so easy to do.

This week, the Boulder Theater was promoting an evening performance of Paco Pena, one of the best flamenco guitarists in the world. They offered up the chance for two concert tickets to anyone who retweeted their short promo for the show. Instead of just reaching their Twitter followers, their message spread out to the followers of many of their followers.

Personally I like to save my retweets for things I find especially interesting and that I think Boulderites and others who follow me might also like to know about. A world-class Spanish flamenco guitarist is not someone you get the chance to hear everyday in Colorado, but it was certainly the "contest" that got me to help promote the show. I'll be honest, I'd never heard of this performer. Now I'm a fan.

So guess what? I won the contest, and off I went to what turned out to be one of the best shows I've seen. The audience loved the exciting combination of flamenco guitarists and dancers.

The contest is such a simple idea, and now I'm even giving back a little more publicity to the Boulder Theater by thanking them for the free tickets.

Allison and I also went to George's Food and Drink, the very cozy and comfortable bar that now adjoins the theater and is the perfect spot for a drink and food before or after the show. So even though I won the tickets, they still got a paying customer.

I do think you need to offer up an enticing offer for your retweet competition -- concert tickets were great, but you might consider a free meal or bottle of wine if you run a restaurant. Make it really worth while for me to retweet your business -- a discount where I have to buy something anyway probably isn't enough incentive for me.

The concert seats were also in the reserved section, not stuck somewhere in the back of the theater.

With a tweet announcing the winner, you show that the contest was serious and hopefully your winner will tweet back their thanks! That starts to add up to quite a few messages flying around promoting your business, not to mention all of the good karma!

I did find an archive of some simple retweet contests online at a site called Retweet Please. There might be a few ideas there for you to use in your business.

Smoke a cigar or watch 'stars' dancing Oct. 15 to support charities

Jerry W. Lewis — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:35:34 -0700

Sometimes, it's best to get out of Boulder for a bit, and smoking a cigar is one of those things in a city that prides itself on smoke-free environments. Boulder does have at least one cigar bar -- Johnny's Cigar Bar -- in One Boulder Plaza downtown, but here's a chance to relax with a quality stogie and do some good.

Barlow's Premium Cigars & Pipes, at 2770 Arapaho Road in Lafayette, is taking part in the Toast Across America charity this Thursday, Oct. 15. The evening, which starts around 5:30 p.m., includes an auction with all proceeds going to the Cigar Family Charitable Foundation, which supports eco-friendly business ventures in the Dominican Republic and helps provide self sufficiency to communities in the country.

Now I know cigars are usually a "guy" thing, but Barlow's is a comfortable setting where a woman who might want to enjoy a cigar is certainly welcome.

The event will include representatives of the Fuente Newman Cigar company, and a special limited commemorative cigar pack -- one Fuente Opus X and one Diamond Crown Maximus -- will be available at the event for $50, again with proceeds at the toast going to the foundation.

If smoke gets in your eyes, there's another fun fund-raiser Thursday night -- the 3rd Annual Dancing with Boulder Stars at the Boulder Theater, benefiting the YWCA of Boulder County. It runs 7:30 to 10 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30.

Local leaders have been going through a 10-week rehearsal, learning a ballroom dance, and will perform in the fundraiser modeled after the popular TV show. Audience members will be able to vote for their favorites with $1 per vote.

The local dancers this year are:

Ceal Barry, associate athletic director for Student Services, University of Colorado; Peter Baumgartner, wealth management adviser and vice president, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney; Frances Draper, executive director of Boulder Economic Council; Kelly Wyatt, community volunteer; David Kuosman, partner, Faegre & Benson; Dan Pirrallo, general manager, Millennium Harvest House; Claire Pearson, senior tax manager, Clifton Gunderson; and Lee Shainis, executive director, Intercambio de Comunidades.

CU panels Oct. 16 include 'Why we're not in a Great Depression again'

Jerry W. Lewis — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:48:43 -0700

"Deja Vu? Why We're Not in a Great Depression Again" should be an interesting panel at the University of Colorado Friday, Oct. 16, as part of CU's Family Weekend. Although many events are sold out, these panels are free and open to the public.

Here's info from CU public relations:

The University of Colorado at Boulder will present three panel discussions and celebrate its outstanding faculty and students during the fourth annual Fall Convocation on Oct. 16. The event will take place as part of Family Weekend.

The convocation will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the chapel of Old Main, and will include the Provost's Achievement Awards ceremony. All the events are free and open to the public.

"Fall Convocation provides us with an opportunity to recognize the incredible work of the faculty and the impressive accomplishments of our students," said Jeff Cox, associate vice chancellor for faculty affairs. "Throughout the day, we will provide visiting families with an opportunity to get a sense of some of the innovative scholarship and creative work being done on campus."

During the Provost's Achievement Awards ceremony from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., six assistant professors, six associate professors and 10 students will be recognized for an array of accomplishments and service to CU-Boulder. The ceremony also will celebrate faculty who recently received tenure or a promotion to full professor. CU-Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano will make welcoming remarks.

The panels will take place before and after the awards ceremony with the following lineup:

-- 10 to 10:50 a.m., "Deja Vu? Why We're Not in a Great Depression Again," a panel organized by William Kaempfer, professor of economics and vice provost, and featuring Associate Dean Richard Wobbekind and professors Kenneth Bickers, Sanjai Bhagat and Ann Carlos.

-- 11 to 11:50 a.m., "Arts at CU -- The Digital Connection," a panel organized by Professor Mark Amerika of the department of art and art history and featuring associate professors Julie Carr and Michael Theodore.

-- 3 to 4 p.m., "From Bench to Bedside: How Science is Shaping Medicine," a panel organized by Professor Leslie Leinwand of the department of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and chaired by Russell Moore, interim vice chancellor for research. The panel will feature assistant professors Amy Palmer and Hubert Yin.

The Fall Convocation is part of the larger Family Weekend series of events being held at CU-Boulder Oct. 16-18. The popular Family Weekend enables parents and other family members to visit students on campus and to participate in a variety of activities. More information on Family Weekend is posted on the Web at www.colorado.edu/familyweekend/ .

Sprouts Boulder's newest contender in natural foods grocery wars

Jerry W. Lewis — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:06:05 -0700

BOULDER -- The single aisle in front of frozen foods was jammed up. The search for the free jug of juice with your coupon was frantic. And outside, cars prowled the parking lot for spaces like a Sunday Broncos game.

Today's opening day for Boulder's newest natural foods grocery, Sprouts Farmers Market, was pretty much a mad house all morning. But the new employees kept on smiling, answering everyone's questions as clerks loaded up groceries into new, free bright green recyclable Sprouts grocery bags. After all, the name on your carrying bag in Boulder shows where your loyalty starts -- King Soopers, Whole Foods, Safeway, Lucky's, Sunflower Farmers' Market?

The freebies on opening day weren't quite as good as even a normal shopping day at Whole Foods, but customers seemed to be smiling at the prices. Located in the Williams Village Shops on Baseline Road in the former space of 24-Hour Fitness, the Arizona-based chain has picked a pretty good location to serve the south end of the city.

Wild Oats, bought and renamed by Whole Foods, in the Basemar Center also on Baseline, was pretty much the only natural foods-style grocer in this part of town until King Soopers in the Table Mesa Shopping Center modernized its store and added a large natural products and vitamins section as well as a much larger selection of organic products.

Recently there's been talk that Whole Foods will sell its smaller store in South Boulder, and a rumored bidder might be Lucky's, the independent but very popular North Boulder grocery.

On my opening day visit, the store has the look and feel of the Sunflower Farmers' Market in the Village Shopping Center near McGuckin's. If I had to guess, I'd say Sprouts -- if they can continue to keep some prices low and offer regular weekly specials -- will do a pretty good job of denting the market for the smaller Wholes Foods on Baseline and Sunflower.