Tattered Cover Considering a Fourth Location

Denver's Tattered Cover, which in mid-November opened a new store in the Highlands Ranch Town Center, is involved in a project that may lead to the opening of another location in a new retail center on the main east-west corridor in Denver, at Colfax Avenue and Elizabeth Street. The new store would be the fourth for Tattered Cover, which includes the original Cherry Creek location and a store in Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo). The Denver Film Society and Twist & Shout record store would also be part of the proposed center.

"It's very premature," said Cathy Langer, buyer for Tattered Cover. "The ink is not even on the contract, let alone dry. But it's something we hope to have happen. It's a project we're really excited about." Langer said plans would become more finalized in the spring.

The current plan involves Tattered Cover inhabiting and remodeling about 20,000 square feet of the existing Lowenstein Theater, a space that is over 65,000 square feet. Another business, possibly a restaurant, would occupy the remaining square footage. A new building, next to the Lowenstein Theater, would be developed for Twist & Shout and the Denver Film Society. The retail center would be in a "fairly central, but underdeveloped part of town," said Langer and would have 300 free parking spaces.

Regarding the fate of the Cherry Creek location, owner Joyce Meskis told the Denver Post, "What we are contemplating does not necessarily preclude a Tattered Cover presence in Cherry Creek or anywhere else in the metro area." Langer told BTW that Tattered Cover customers were concerned about the Cherry Creek location, but she reiterated that the original Tattered Cover is "a very important market for us. A new store doesn't preclude our being in Cherry Creek."

"A lot of people, including the city, would like to see the project go forward," said Langer. --Karen Schechner