When Denverite Colton Patterson started an Instagram page under the moniker in 2023, it was simply a place to celebrate Americana lore through pictures of vintage movies and musicians. Patterson had no idea that he would amass 1 million followers and parlay the brand into , , and soon a brick-and-mortar Western bar in the Mile High City — all before he was old enough to legally drink.
debuts this weekend, giving locals a chance to preview the dancefloor, food and drinks ahead of opening more regular hours. The venue, at 2201 Lawrence St., takes over the space formerly home to Mile High Spirits’ distillery tasting room, .
For the 19-year-old Patterson, the bar is a natural evolution of his Instagram page – one that offers a chance to build a community IRL and revive what he sees as a nostalgic pastime. Additionally, the bar will feature a retail component where locals can check out Broken Bow’s hats, button-down shirts, bandannas and more, all of which feature Patterson’s original artwork and designs.
“Really what we always post about in the main thing is just the great places and people and cultures of America,” said Patterson, whose love of country music came from summers spent listening to CDs and tapes with his grandfather in Missouri. “It came to a head where it’s like, man, I don’t know how we’re going to keep saying this or pushing this stuff out there if we don’t have something to show for it in real life. And I realized I wanted to build a place that was like one of these old places that played the type of old music that existed in America.”
Colorado, of course, is not short on country musicians or venues that play their music, but Patterson hopes to add his unique spin to Broken Bow Western Bar and Dance Hall by showcasing artists he’s collaborated with and curating an aesthetic that mimics his Instagram page. Inspired by venues like Denver’s Grizzly Rose and Austin’s Broken Spoke, he helped shop for decor to ensure it felt authentic.
Broken Bow previously designed T-shirts for bands such as and , and recorded live performances with the likes of the Honkytonk Wranglers, Josh Meloy and Kade Hoffman. Patterson hopes there will be all-ages nights that he and his peers can join in the fun.
A venue “just seemed like the most logical next step, given that we had all these people we formed relationships with over the years. We wanted something to represent that and a place for them to play or new artists that usually wouldn’t get play time,” Patterson said. “Pretty much just a place to physically represent Broken Bow.”
Given Patterson’s age, he won’t be involved much in day-to-day operations of the Broken Bow venue. Instead, the concept is funded and run by , which owns bars like and in LoDo, and mini-golf bar. (Patterson’s father is an investor in HB Hospitality.)
To that end, the food available at Broken Bow will resemble RiNo Country Club, with a mix of cheeseburgers, wings and other pub fare. The bar is expected to serve a no-frills lineup of beers and mixed drinks.
Moving offline and into Denver’s live music scene may seem like a bold move. But for Patterson, who opted against attending college to pursue his Broken Bow dream, itap a risk worth taking.
“There’s a lot of stuff I do where it is a big risk,” he said. “This is the next step and to me there’s no doubt in my mind it’s the right thing to do.”
Broken Bow Western Bar and Dance Hall hosts a preview weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Events are free to attend, with . On Saturday and Sunday, the venue will be open to all ages until 8 p.m. For more information, visit .
