Celebrating the Women of Colfax
March is Women’s History Month, and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to introduce you to some of the incredible women who inspire us daily right here on Colfax. Keep scrolling to meet the 40+ business owners, employees, and creatives powering our local businesses.
Morgan Miller, Dayna Hoffman & Shadee Jergens | French for Sugar
Meet the ladies of French for Sugar (which is also woman-owned, by the way)! A few words from owner Michelle:
"When it comes to my team, there really are not enough words to express how much each one of these ladies is valued and appreciated. As fun as working in a bakery might look, it is HARD work with a lot of hours on your feet, lots of time spent late at night to make sure that orders are completed to perfection and a commitment to making sure that we deliver what we promise - always. Although it’s tough and each week can be a little more grueling than the last, there is always lots of laughter, lots of fun and lots of love.
As the Owner of French for Sugar, I have had the great honor of watching these talented young women come into their own, professionally and personally, and I could not be prouder of each and every one of them.
We have built something special here and we did it as a team. I truly love them for magic that they bring to French for Sugar every day and I can’t wait to see what they do next!"
Kristen Lengyel | Bruz Off Fax
Kristen worked at a steakhouse in Lakewood right after she moved to Denver from North Carolina where she met Jake, the general manager for Bruz Beers. She left there to be the General Manager of Crazy Mountain. She ran into Jake at GABF in 2019 back before the world ended and he begged her to come and work for Bruz Beers at their brand new Bruz taproom at Colfax and York.
She was the first employee they hired for the new spot, Bruz Off Fax, and has really taken the reins and made it her home. She books all of the food trucks, musicians, private events and beertends Wednesday-Saturday.
Jake says, "She's not only the best bartender on Colfax, she's my best friend. They don't call her Colfax Krispy Creme Dolla Holla for nothing."
Ploy Limpapath | Lucky Noodles
In 2005, Ploy made the journey from her home in Bangkok to her new home in Colorado. After being away from the only life she knew, she became homesick and began to miss her grandmother's authentic and delicious food.
This longing gave Ploy the passion and the drive to open Lucky Noodles in 2020 (in the middle of the pandemic) and to share just a small piece of her culture through authentic Thai cuisine with you. For Ploy, food is connected to her culture and family; food makes us feel closer to home and brings us joy.
The ladies of the Lair: Demi & Lissa
Demi Merritt | Lion's Lair
Demi has been bartending at the Colfax staple, Lion's Lair, for over 4 years. Just before COVID hit, she also took over the booking and events for the bar.
She also runs a non profit animal rescue along with a thrift store and cat lodge to support it during the day.
Demi has a passion for music and entertainment and is so excited to help run one of the most historic venues in Denver.
Lissa Quigley | Lion's Lair
Lissa Quigley AKA Mr. Quigley (while hosting drag king bingo), a Denver native, has been bartending around the city, both on and off Colfax for 15+ years and currently works at The Lion's Lair.
She grew up in Park Hill, just a few blocks north of Colfax at a time when the legendary street was a bit grittier than it is today.
She graduated from East High School which still stands in all its glory and hosts hundreds of students, many of whom probably also ride the 15 bus down Colfax to and from.
From left to right: Paula Florencia (Kitchen Manager at The Corner Beet), Molly McKenzie (Manager at Rooted Heart Yoga and Wellness), Nikki Hazamy (Owner of The Corner Beet, Rooted Heart Yoga & Wellness, and Balanced Root Apothecary), Forrest Avery (Creative Team), Katie Hendrickson (General Manager at The Corner Beet), and Celeste Utke (Creative Team).
Photo courtesy of Steven Willams, Assistant Manager & Photographer.
The Learned Lemur | Rocky Mountain Punk | Conspiracy Theory Tattoo
There’s some serious collective girl power at 2220 E Colfax, where you’ll find The Learned Lemur,
Bex Schimoler | The Learned Lemur
Bex has been partial owner of The Learned Lemur for the last 3 years. She met Jon about 7 years ago and started doing some small road shows with him, moved to Chicago and worked in a gallery there, and then was tempted back to Denver by Jon’s oddities.
Jon and Bex did a bunch more road shows and touring together, but then 2020 hit and changed all that, so they decided to pursue the idea of opening a store again and are now in their wonderful spot on Colfax!
Emily Salazar | Rocky Mountain Punk
Emily is the co-owner of Rocky Mountain Punk, The Learned Lemur's featured artist who makes incredible nature art and bone jewelry, as well as handmade candles and skin care.
Using animal bones, crystals, stones, and pretty much anything she sees as art, Emily creates one of a kind decor/art pieces that bring the outside in - using found objects, bones, fossils, feathers and an array of other media to create her vision.
Molly Tsunami | Conspiracy Theory Tattoo
Molly has been tattooing in Colorado for almost a decade, and has now opened up her own shop, Conspiracy Theory Tattoo (located above The Learned Lemur). Molly’s romantic and classically elegant tattoos have been focusing on the Neo Nouveau movement, a bold blend of art nouveau and neo traditional styles.
Richly saturated colors wrapped in detailed lines, she’ll enhance your aesthetic with graceful animals, botanicals, and organic ornamentation. She is an incredible tattoo artist, baker, business partner, and friend — her passion and work ethic are truly admirable and really show in her shop!
Gabby VanHarpen | Conspiracy Theory Tattoo
An established illustrator at heart, Gabby’s vivid tattoos are inspired by the graceful mysteries of eastern lore and playful high concept KPop themes.
Sugary sweet cuteness, custom drawn anime, and the beautiful form of carefully executed illustrative line use brings her tattoos excitedly to life.
Kate Erso | Conspiracy Theory Tattoo
A creator of phantasmagoric creatures and eerily haunting feminine figures, Kate’s formidable talent in fine art and tattooing is rooted her in usage of complex color palettes with intriguing depth.
Methodically researched, every creation features fluid and trained composition to enhance the lure of her mythological and sci-fi influenced artwork.
Esther Pinther | Colfax Strong
Esther and her husband Chad started on their path of wanting to open a Strength & Conditioning Gym in 2018 when they opened their first gym in their garage. They quickly outgrew this location and started looking for a larger place and this led to their purchase of Colfax Strong.
Fast forward 2 years, with many ups and downs including the pandemic, and they have built a community of 150+ humble, hungry, and happy people whose lives Esther and Chad and their exceptional coaching staff work tirelessly to improve their health, happiness, and fitness. Esther is pictured here with her team as they celebrate an event dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community.
The Urban Cookie - Meet Denon and Emmie
Denon Moore | The Urban Cookie
Denon is the CEO and Founder of The Urban Cookie and has been in the baking and pastry business for over 15 years. After working as a counselor focused on Independent Living and Vocational Rehabilitation, Denon combined her passions for baking and helping others with the opening of Cake Crumbs Bakery in 2007.
She built a thriving company with a focus on hiring and training people with disabilities - the concept took off and although Denon sold the business in 2017, it’s still beloved today in the Denver area. After taking a leadership role that turned into a desk job, Denon felt her entrepreneurial roots calling once again. She, along with her family, opened The Urban Cookie in the midst of the pandemic in January of 2021.
Denon's big goal for the next ten years is to help other aspiring bakers and entrepreneurs open and operate their Urban Cookie shops; she wants to have at least one cookie shop in all 50 states.
Emmie Faber | The Urban Cookie
Emmie, VP of Operations and Product Development, has been a baker at heart for as long as she can remember. Emmie had a spatula in her hand before riding a bike – basically from when she could hold a kitchen utensil.
Emmie is a graduate of the Colorado Art Institute with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Restaurant and Business Management. She’s been working in pastry arts since 2016 and has had the opportunity to work under award-winning pastry chefs at the iconic D Bar and Denver Hyatt Regency Hotel. She’s got a love for fine pastry and American classics. She loves all things cookies and can easily be caught sneaking a taste of her creations daily.
Emmie’s big goal is to one day design and open her own culinary establishment. But not too soon - she loves her role with The Urban Cookie and looks forward to growing it to the next level.
Rebecca Tischler, Marguerite Specht, and Sarah Tischler | Studio Colfax
Family and artist run Studio Colfax made it through the pandemic and will celebrate 8 years this Spring! Mother daughters trio Marguerite Specht and Sarah & Rebecca Tischler curate a beautiful store filled with art and so much more.
From local ceramics and jewelry to handmade candles and greeting cards, Studio Colfax is a one stop shop for your gift giving or when you need to find some inspiration for your home. Artist receptions are back on the calendar, featuring new creators monthly. Events also take place in their shaded private courtyard from spring thru fall.
Salon Lucid
Molly Mitchell | Owner & Stylist, Salon Lucid
Molly's love for hair started as a child cutting Barbie hair and doing friends' color in her mom's basement as a teenager. She loves to see the smiles on her clients' faces, because of a look created just for them. Molly is an Ouidad trained curl specialist and also specializes in precision cutting. But creating custom colors for clients is what makes Molly's creative heart and mind happiest.
Rachel Whitney | Stylist, Salon Lucid
After being a hairstylist for a decade, Rachel can truly say that her love for hair has only grown over time. Rachel’s passion is not only providing great hair, but to also provide a safe space for any and everybody to express freely what they’d like to see when they look in the mirror. Rachel specializes in precision cutting and color formulation - from blonding of all kinds, custom fashion colors, subtle to bold, she loves it all.
Aspen Westfall | Stylist, Salon Lucid
Aspen loves the art of hair and is passionate about creating self love within her clients. She loves doing vintage styles and up dos and specializes in balayage, straight blade cutting, color corrections, blondes, and of course - motherly advice. Aspen’s passion to be sustainable and eco-friendly aligns with Salon Lucid’s morals, and she does her very best to use exclusively plant based and eco-friendly materials in all aspects of her life.
Jessie Birney | Barber, Salon Lucid
Over the years, Jessie has developed three passions: serving others, style and fashion as means of self expression, and being an artist. Barbering has allowed her to combine these passions and create a life in which she gets to help others care for themselves, discover and express themselves as an individual, and look and feel their best every day.
Hot Mamas Exercise
Teddi Bryant | Hot Mamas Exercise
Teddi began her business in Washington Park as a stroller class 19 years ago! She transitioned to brick and mortar 17 years ago and moved to Colfax in 2018.
Hot Mamas is focused on all women, but in particular, women in their middle age. The Teddi B Method focuses on strength, balance, posture, & of course all the things women like to work. Teddi's message is and has always been that you can be middle aged and sexy and confident and relevant.
The Hot Mamas community is an eclectic like minded crew and they are always excited to welcome all women to join them and see and feel what it’s all about!
Meet the rest of the Hot Mamas crew
Behind Hot Mamas Exercise is a team of dedicated instructors. A few words from Teddi:
"This is the crew of women (also very busy moms) who have stuck with Hot Mamas and continued to teach through the entire pandemic online and really committed to our community to keep them healthy and strong during the pandemic. There were many months that we were alone teaching to hundreds of women across the country on Zoom! I am so fortunate to have such a dedicated and capable team of strong women!"
Dhiana Kho | Doppio Coffee
Doppio is both woman-owned and minority-owned, with Dhiana at the helm. Dhiana is an Indonesian immigrant who migrated to the states in 1998. She loves spending time with her family more than anything, but specialty coffee is a close second. The Doppio team knows her as the strong, passionate, and loving BOSS LADY! And, she makes a pretty bomb latte.
Wax + Lash
Meet some of the ladies of Wax + Lash – which is also woman-owned! Read more about owner Tawnya in our Behind the Biz series.
Samirah Habash | Wax + Lash
I have been working for Wax + Lash for almost three years and what an incredible journey it has been! I can’t express enough gratitude to the badass female business owner Tawnya, and her husband Roeland! They truly take care of us like family. Our clients are so special, building bonds and empowering them is a passion of mine. This business has helped me grow so much into an incredible esthetician. I can’t express enough how much I admire Wax + Lash and the amazing women I work with! Each and every one of them is truly inspiring.
Samantha Barker | Wax + Lash
Working at Wax + Lash is the best! I absolutely love what we do here and how we go about doing it, we’ve really curated a waxing experience that you can’t find anywhere else. The idea of getting waxed can be very intimidating and requires a lot of trust from our guests, a fact that is never lost on me and is something I really take to heart. It’s important to me, as it is to all of the ladies I work alongside, to make our guests feel comfortable and have a true connection with them. Putting our guests at ease is something I take a lot of pride in and is the best part of my job!
Amber Haberman | Wax + Lash
I can’t believe I’ve been with Wax + Lash for going on five years now! I spent a good deal of that time at our York and Colfax location before moving over to our new spot in Berkeley. I’m grateful everyday to work with such an incredible and empowering team of women! We have an opportunity to make our guests feel a little better when they’re leaving than they did when they came in, which isn’t something any of us take lightly. Creating those connections and holding space for my guests is such a privilege. The top notch waxing services are almost just a bonus to the empowering environment Wax + Lash creates and promotes!
Ellen Frey | Wax + Lash
Hey y’all! My names Ellen and I’m a Kansan born gal but New York educated and Denver living. I’m a professionally trained makeup artist and esthetician but with a specialty in beauty/fashion makeup, brows, and body waxing. While I love my work my free time is taken up with hobbies like reading, buying makeup I don’t need, and obsessing over my Boston Terrier Dakota.
Stephanie Kopetka | Wax + Lash
My name is Stephanie, I’ve been an esthetician at Wax + Lash for 4 years. I love being a part of the community and helping all my people feel special and cared for. We’re living in a strange, overwhelming time but I truly believe that bringing sunshine to everyone we come in contact with helps raise us all up.. and that’s what I’ve been trying to do in our Colfax community!
Aster Kidane | John's Liquor
Aster purchased Colfax fixture John's Liquor in July 2021. After moving to Denver from northeast Africa about 20 years ago, she's working long hours each day fulfilling her dream of owning a liquor store. Aster's story is coming soon to our Characters of Colfax blog, so keep an eye out!
Holly Brooks | Capitol Hill Books
Holly Brooks is the owner of the used and rare bookstore at Grant and Colfax. Capitol Hill Books has been around for over 40 years, and has always been woman-owned. They've survived COVID and a truck that crashed through their building late last year. If you'd like to help Holly and Capitol Hill Books with their rebuild, tap the photo to donate to their GoFundMe.
Lien Vo | Bourbon Grill
Lien is the founder, owner, and chef of the iconic Bourbon Grill. After many years as a walk-up window near Colfax and Franklin, Bourbon Grill moved into their new, more spacious home at Colfax and Pearl in 2017. The only thing more incredible than Lien’s food might be her story - click her photo to read it on our Characters of Colfax blog.
Jody Bouffard | Blush & Blu
Jody is the owner of Blush & Blu, one of the few remaining lesbian bars in the country. Jody bought the 6,000 sq. ft. nightclub in 2005 and Blush & Blu was born. Since then it's been a safe space for those in the LGBTQ+ community to enjoy music, poetry, and a place for people to meet on a regular basis. Click her photo to read more about Jody in our 2018 Characters of Colfax story. Photo by Joni Schrantz.
Kathy Bettis | Kentro Group
Kathy is the hands-on director of Kentro Group’s portfolio asset management efforts, leveraging her 25+ years of expertise in financial analysis, forecasting and property operations and management. She also manages tenant relationships, supervises property maintenance and leads overall office administration. Kathy also serves on our volunteer Board of Directors as our Treasurer.
Jennifer Neuhalfen | 1915 E Colfax LLC
Jennifer is a Denver native and one of our Colfax Ave volunteer Board of Directors who has spent a large portion of her life on Colfax. Jennifer’s experience on Colfax includes being an East High School graduate; while in the district she was a business owner for 25 years and continues as a property owner. She brings a passion for equity for all and a love of diversity.