The Bluegrass Is Gone From Candelas, and Winter Here Now Runs on a Calendar

"The closest bus stop is at 72nd (Avenue) and Highway 93, which is like a two-mile walk," longtime general manager Josh Schwartz told the Arvada Press when The Bluegrass Coffee and Bourbon Lounge announced it was closing. "And certain staff members don't have cars. It's hard to get staffing out there."

The Candelas location at 18068 W. 92nd Lane #400 was scheduled to have its last day on Oct. 30. The original Olde Town shop at 7415 Grandview Avenue followed on Oct. 31. In Candelas, the coffee-in-the-morning, bourbon-at-night room ran for six years. The reasons it struggled say a lot about how this part of Arvada works right now. Candelas is still growing into its commercial spaces, and this winter the places that bring people together here run on a calendar of planned nights.

A room that opened early, at the edge of town

The Bluegrass started in Olde Town in 2015. Founders Drew and Sheena Gordon drew on their Kentucky roots and built the place around American bourbon, a full coffee bar, live music and a pizza menu that won its own following. Schwartz told the Arvada Press the goal was a "third space" where people could find community outside home and work. "We want people to be known by name, and their drink," he said.

The Candelas location opened in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Arvada Press report, two things in Candelas made the model harder to repeat:

1. Getting staff there. With the nearest bus stop about two miles away, employees without cars had trouble picking up shifts.
2. Neighbors arriving later than planned. Nearby development took longer than expected. That includes Trailstone, the project bringing townhomes to the far west side of Arvada for the first time. Because of that, the Candelas shop sometimes couldn't draw the "clientele from all walks of life" that filled the Olde Town room.

Schwartz also said the Candelas location "had been doing better lately." In the end, the decision came from costs across the whole business. Rising industry costs, an older Olde Town building that needed repairs, and a lease renewal with big commitments attached all landed at once. The Gordons decided they couldn't commit the resources or the time to keep going.

Part of the strain came from timing, since many of the households who would have filled the room every day are still arriving. The builder's sales site still lists Trailstone homes as "Ready Now," and one is listed as ready in November or December 2026.

What stays on W. 92nd Lane

Sanun Thai remains open at the same address. It lists its address as 18068 West 92nd Lane, the same building The Bluegrass shared. It serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 to 9 p.m., every day. For anyone who walked over to The Bluegrass for a weeknight dinner, Sanun Thai is still a neighbor with steady hours.

The Bluegrass filled a particular role, with coffee in the morning, a laptop at noon, and bourbon and live music after dark. The Candelas places with the most going on this winter work on a schedule. They put things on the calendar and give people a reason to come on a certain night.

Freedom Street Social's November, night by night

Freedom Street Social sits at 15177 Candelas Parkway, Arvada, CO 80007. Its events page is full for the second half of November:

Two of those events repeat. The book club is monthly and run with the Jefferson County Public Library. The Artisan Art & Craft Walk is monthly too. The music bingo night is also open to other causes. Freedom Street Social invites organizations to contact it about hosting their own fundraiser bingo.

That matters because of what The Bluegrass meant to its regulars. In the Arvada Press story, Robyn Lupa, who manages the Arvada branch of the Jefferson County Public Library, described The Bluegrass as "a connector." A monthly book club that library staff help run is one of the few things on the Candelas calendar that does the same job, on a set date.

Plan around the holidays. Freedom Street Social is closed Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26.

December fills up early, and one Sunday gets crowded

The busiest single day on the Candelas calendar is Sunday, Dec. 6.

• Candelas Breakfast with Santa, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., listed by the Vauxmont Metropolitan District. Check the district's event page for location details.
• 5280 Diecast collectors' meetup at Freedom Street Social.

After that:

• Saturday, Dec. 19: The School of Rock Broomfield House Band plays Freedom Street Social.
• Thursday, Dec. 24: Freedom Street Social is open until 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
• Friday, Dec. 25: Freedom Street Social is closed for Christmas.

The community also has its own spaces for this time of year. Candelas has two recreation centers, ParkView and TownView. Both are part of the Candelas Swim & Fitness Clubs and include pools, fitness rooms, and indoor and outdoor event spaces. Between those rooms and a metro district that puts on events like Breakfast with Santa, much of Candelas's December social life happens on dates someone planned in advance.

What the six-year run leaves behind

The Bluegrass name may not be finished. Schwartz told the Arvada Press that after the Gordons posted about the closure, several investors offered to buy the brand. He said a future version could come back later, possibly somewhere else. He is also starting a private barrel club to keep the shop's carefully chosen bourbon selection going.

The Bluegrass also used to run an annual Christmas pop-up bar called Noel, and former employees came back to help staff it.

The Candelas shop opened in 2020, ahead of many of the neighbors it was meant to serve. Its scheduled last day came after six years, with Trailstone still being built out and the nearest bus stop still about two miles away. For now, the dates on the Candelas calendar are set: book club and music bingo on Nov. 18, dueling pianos on Nov. 20, Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 6.

If you've lived in Candelas long enough to remember The Bluegrass opening in 2020, you've watched this part of Arvada grow up around its shops. The Fox Group follows those changes closely, from shops opening and closing to the new neighbors still arriving. If you want to talk through what it all means for your own plans in Candelas, we're glad to listen.