Denver coffee roaster converts Starbucks into new location

Koan Goedman grew up in a coffee household.

Some of his first memories include watching his father make cappuccinos for him and his mother. The small cups were gingerly prepared and then drank unhurriedly over cookies.

“The intentionality and slowness of sitting with your family was something I was introduced to very early,” he said, adding that the tradition had carried over from when his family moved from the Netherlands to California’s Bay Area as part of his father’s work in the tech industry.

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It continues today as well. Goedman founded Huckleberry Roasters in 2011. Back then, it was just a garage roastery, and Goedman mostly delivered beans personally to friends via bicycle. A lot changed over the next 14 years, but the ethos has remained the same. “We take our work seriously, though decidedly as people, we’re pretty unserious,” Goedman said with a grin.

In January, Huckleberry opened its eighth standalone coffee shop in a decades-old former Starbucks on the corner of Eighth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

Of those, five had been coffee shops previously, including an Allegro on Tennyson Street in Denver, a Peet’s Coffee in Centennial and another Starbucks in Larimer Square. Goedman said some of the turnovers took as little as three to six months.

“Because the use doesn’t change from coffee shop to coffee shop, we don’t have to engage with the city other than to get a business license,” he explained. The turnkey buildings also make for an easy upgrade for his team. “We provide these places with a little facelift and a little TLC.” While it took a few years to get the ball rolling, six of the last eight openings have been since 2022.

Though half of Huckleberry’s business is wholesaling and online orders, Goedman still believes that spots for folks to get a cup of joe are important. “Coffee shops are one of the last few places where people connect with people,” he said, adding that with more interactions being done online, even small face-to-face moments between baristas and regulars can leave a lasting impact.

Fans of Huckleberry can rejoice in knowing that the new spot, at 801 Colorado Blvd., closely replicates its previous incarnations. “We’re not reinventing the wheel. We’re serving the same product, we’re serving the same food, and we’re approaching it the same from a hospitality and service perspective,” said Goedman.

The owner also says that refurbishing these old spaces is in no way sticking it to the big brands. “Coffee culture wouldn’t really exist in America, if 40 years ago Starbucks didn’t kick the whole thing off,” he said. “We’re proud that we’re a local operator who can take over these great spaces.”

They also come with the benefit of a built-in clientele, he added. “We have regulars that would have taken a year. People miss their meeting points. They miss their third spaces.”