I can see a new shiny store at the end of the tunnel.
After nearly 10 months of agonizing shopping trips to King Soopers at Ninth and East Corona during a major reconstruction, the grand reopening takes place Wednesday.
No more hunting for items while inventory was bounced around. No more yelling at the pharmacy staff while jackhammers blasted in the background. No more wet carts that were stashed outside in the snow. No more forced trips to the self-checkout aisles when most of the ones with checkers were overloaded.
King Soopers spokeswoman Kelli McGannon promises, “The new store will be fantastic.”
This is the sixth remodel for the Capitol Hill store that opened in 1969. Today’s reopening event includes a $40,000 check presentation to the American Cancer Society, plus specials exclusive to that location.
While the footprint of that store can’t be increased in size because of a lack of extra land, King Soopers concentrated on in-store upgrades including an expanded deli for grab-and-go customers, an olive bar, a Starbucks with an outdoor patio and wider checkout lanes.
All prepared food will be created on site rather than trucked in from a central commissary. McGannon hopes regulars at Ninth and Corona will embrace the upgrades.
“It comes down to people, and we had an obligation to our employees to keep the store open (during reconstruction),” McGannon said. “While it was inconvenient, it was still available.”
Think tank.
Brainiacs, problem-solvers and future thinkers will gather during TEDxMileHigh, a conference featuring noted speakers, at 3 p.m. April 7 in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
TEDxMileHigh will showcase innovative Coloradans who will each give the “talk of their life” around the power of ideas. The conference is intended to “energize action” and build a stronger Colorado community.
Speakers include Bernard Amadei, founding president of Engineers Without Borders; Ashara Ekundayo, an award-winning community activist and entrepreneur; Paul Polak, founder of the nonprofit International Development Enterprises; Alex Bogusky, founder of the Fearless Revolution; L. Hunter Lovins, president and founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions; and Gen. Victor Renuart, retired commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command.
More information and tickets: .
New brew crew.
Denver Beer Co., a new craft brewery specializing in artisan and seasonal varieties of beer, will move into a renovated auto-repair shop at 1695 Platte St. and set up a brew house, a tasting room and an outdoor German- style beer garden.
Owners Charlie Berger and Patrick Crawford expect to produce roughly 500 barrels of craft beer in the first year.
Berger, a professional brewer, trained in Chicago and Munich. Crawford took a bigger career leap by leaving the laboratory as a physicist and engineer to follow his passion for suds.
“I’ve traded satellites for beer,” Crawford said. “We’ll see which one gives you a better perspective on the world.”
Denver Beer Co. will tap the first kegs this summer.
EAVESDROPPING
A woman to a man at the Empress:
“Maybe we should get into the cheese-curd business.”
“No whey!” Cyrus McCrimmon, Denver Post file
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Hear her on “Caplis & Silverman” between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-630 AM. Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
