Local businesses in Edgewater are the backbone of our community and provide community gathering spaces and much more. Relationships are formed and broken over drinks and meals. Celebrations occur and those who mourn are comforted. When we say we are from Edgewater, those from outside the community know us by our small businesses.
So when one of these small businesses closes, we grieve as a community because we know those who provide services, drinks and delicious food. We know them by name and they know us.
This past week, we learned of the closing of Providence at 5280 for financial reasons.
Providence has not only served delicious food and drinks at the corner of 25th and Ames, but they’ve also been a fixture at community events. Since becoming owners in the summer of 2019, Cody and Bonnie have been deeply involved in the Edgewater community and partnered with other businesses and city events like the End of Prohibition Bar Crawl, Orum House Fall Festival, Edgewater Block Parties, and many more efforts.
At the onset of the pandemic, I developed a close relationship with Cody and his team through the Mutual Meals effort to deliver meals from local restaurants to school families, healthcare workers, and senior citizens in the community. Cody and I connected over parenting daughters, classic cars, and a shared love for the Edgewater community. It was there that I was hooked on Providence’s delicious burgers with jalapeño cream cheese. Through Mutual Meals, our community came together to help restaurants like Providence keep their cash flow going through a tough period and continue paying their employees.
Owning and managing a small business is a challenge, especially given the current economic hurdles in our community. Making the decision to close a business after years of hard work is even tougher. It’s hard on the employees who have to find a new job. Having owned a small business for a few years when I was younger, and going through the process of closing it because I was in too much debt, I have a taste for the struggle that is involved in this.
So today we raise a glass to Cody and Bonnie, and the rest of the Providence at 5280 team, for their hard work in managing the gathering space at the corner of 25th and Ames. We’ll miss you!
We hope another business can come into the space soon and continue offering delicious food, drinks, and community in the space. The effort to preserve the mural on the west side of the building continues. We’ll now be working with the owner of the building to complete the project.
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
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