Above the family name was the number 100. What began as a humble mom-and-pop grocer and butcher shop a century ago is now a well-greased sausage factory, selling its products to big-name distributors such as Shamrock Foods, US Foods and Sysco, which get them to major sporting venues such as Ball Arena and Coors Field.

Later this month, the brother-and-sister duo behind the sausage links will transfer their delivery system to Dot Transportation, a food redistribution company that will bring Polidori Sausage to all 50 states, Melodie Polidori Harris said. It’s a significant undertaking for the family and company, one that she and her brother, Steve Polidori, are not taking lightly as they strive to make Polidori a household name around the country.

Passing distribution duties on to Dot Transportation is “scary and exciting at the same time,” said Polidori, who bought the business from his grandfather in 2001 and brought his sister on board the following year. The company has grown exponentially after decades of “small, sustained growth,” he said, at the same time keeping its recipes and business mantra simple.

“Isn’t the sausage fun enough on its own?” he asked from inside Coors Field, where Polidori Sausage expanded this season to three standalone concessions. A chorizo brat, a hatch chile-and-cheese brat and a jalapeño-cheddar brat are all on the menu and stacked with grilled corn, onions and even more peppers and cheese.

The siblings’ great-grandparents were Italian immigrants who met in Magna, Utah, and moved to Denver to open their grocery store in 1925. Their grandfather, Louis Polidori, and great-uncle took over and ran the store for decades.

Their parents were far removed from the business, their father an attorney and mother a retired judge. Steve Polidori joined his grandfather at the family’s meat-processing facility while studying at Colorado State University in the early ’90s and stayed on after graduation.

“I’d call my restaurants, get their orders for the week, make the sausage and then deliver it,” he said. On a good week, the plant would prepare 5,000 pounds of raw sausage.

Now, at the company’s facility in the Park Hill neighborhood, where Polidori Sausage relocated nine years ago, they are moving 80,000 to 100,000 pounds a week, Polidori said. About 80 percent of that, Polidori Harris estimated, are orders from restaurants, stadiums, hotels and colleges.

Its newest client is Anthony’s Pizza and Pasta, Polidori Harris said, a Colorado franchise with 18 locations in the state.

“Their century-long, family-run legacy in Colorado aligns perfectly with our values and commitment to quality,” Anthony’s CEO Garrett Brizendine said in a statement. “You’ll soon see their bold, authentic flavor featured in several of our sausage-based items — a true local collaboration we’re proud to share.”

The siblings and Polidori Harris’ son, William Polidori Harris, were at McGregor Square for a pregame mixer organized by the team for its major supporters and partners. After seven years inside the stadium, their brats are now in almost every concession, Melodie said. Her brother still gets excited every time their company logo and last name flash on the stadium’s digital banners.

William represents the fifth generation of the Polidori Sausage family. He did so proudly at the game, crowned in a black cap with “SAUSAGE” written on the front. He attended CSU and joined the company soon after, first with human resources and now as part of the sales team.

“I order a lot of pork and a lot of spices,” he said, adding that customers in general are trending toward a “clean label” like that of the family’s recipes.

As much as the family would like to keep control of their growth, it hasn’t felt that way this year, Melodie Polidori Harris said. The jump from the company’s current delivery system to Dot Transportation will spread its sausage links across the country. The larger customer base and consolidation of purchase orders has felt like a big responsibility for the family name, she said.

“We’re so used to holding the hands of our customers, and it’s gonna take some of that away,” she said, her eyes gazing steadily at the future.

And they’ve got a solid history to brag about: Later this month, Polidori Sausage and other Colorado organizations turning 100 will be honored at the 2025 Business Awards hosted by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

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Colorado distillers are raising a toast to this new standard of identity for domestic whiskey, one that formally defines what ingredients can be used and how American single malt should be made. Instituted in December by the federal alcohol regulators, the designation joins vaunted labels like bourbon, rye and Irish Whiskey. This is the first time since 1968 that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has added a new one.

While U.S. distilleries have been making single malt spirits for a long time, local whiskey producers believe the designation will allow them to better compete with powerhouses like Scotland and Japan. They are also confident that Colorado can take the lead in popularizing American single malt, thanks to the state’s strong beer heritage, which has cultivated a generation of distillers familiar with using its base ingredient, one that is frequently grown here as well.

“Colorado was and is at the forefront of craft beer in the country. We have a lot of people like me, who were brewers, who understand malt and who started distilling and making malt whiskey,” said Craig Engelhorn, co-founder and master distiller at Spirit Hound Distillers in Lyons. “Just like we were pioneers in the ’90s with craft beer, we’re pioneers now with malt whiskey.”

Creating a category

The TTB defines American single malt whiskey as a beverage made from 100% malted barley that is mashed, distilled and matured in the U.S.

It must be aged in oak barrels that are a maximum of 700 liters (185 gallons) and bottled at least 40% alcohol by volume. While the spirit is required to be distilled entirely at one distillery, the definition leaves room for companies to either make it in-house or source it from another producer.

The parameters were largely informed by whiskey producers, who spent the nine years lobbying regulators. The movement started in 2016, when Steve Hawley, then working at Seattle’s Westland Distillery, convened with eight other spirit makers at a Binny’s Beverage Depot in Chicago. The group’s objective: To find consensus about what makes American single malt whiskeys distinct.

The meeting took roughly one hour and catalyzed the American Single Malt Whiskey Commission, which took the lead advocating for the code update on behalf of U.S. producers. (The spelling of “whiskey” differs across organizations. (The TTB uses “whisky” in its American single malt definition, but for clarity, The Denver Post will spell the word as “whiskey” in this story.)

Hawley, who serves as president of the commission, submitted a formal petition to regulators shortly after that initial meeting. As the rulemaking process inched forward over the years, the organization worked to “spread the gospel” of American single malt whiskey, rallying distillers, maltsters and liquor stores around its cause. Today, it boasts 113 members.

What galvanized so many producers, Hawley said, was an opportunity to level the playing field between American-made spirits and the world’s most coveted Scotch and Japanese single malts.

“America has been known for bourbon for such a long time, but it’s not the only kind of whiskey that’s being made here,” Hawley said. American single malt “stands toe to toe with Scotch whiskey, Japanese whiskey and whiskey being made all over the world.

“I think what you’ll find with American single malt whiskey is, in a broad sense, a very intentional approach to be distinct — to have our own voice in the world of single malt,” he added, “not just be a copy of Scotch or to replicate what other people are doing.”

Colorado’s role

Malted barley is the primary ingredient used to make beer and the majority of whiskeys, and many local distillers transitioned to the spirits industry after cutting their chops at breweries.

That means local drinkers have access to some of the best single malt whiskeys in the country, said Spirit Hound’s Englehorn, who helped develop the original recipe for Dale’s Pale Ale in the early 2000s while he was a brewer at Oskar Blues.

Spirit Hound sells six different single malts, including one called Colorado Honey, which is finished in barrels used to store local honey. It was awarded the title of American Single Malt Whiskey of the Year at the 2024 London Spirits Competition.

It’s not only the technique that sets Colorado single malt whiskey apart, however. Many craft distillers use locally grown barley, which gives their spirits a sense of place and showcases the Rocky Mountain terroir, said Justin Aden, head blender at Stranahan’s in Denver.

Stranahan’s has been making exclusively single malt whiskey since it was founded in 2004. Every spirit starts with the same base recipe: A 100% malted two-row barley mash that’s fermented off the grain husks, distilled and then aged for at least four years in new American white oak barrels. After that, Aden gets to have some fun concocting various flavors by finishing the spirits in different casks – like those previously used for sherry or rum – and by blending different ages together for complexity.

But what makes Stranhan’s whiskey distinct is the Colorado grains, most of which are grown on the Front Range, Aden said. He expects distilleries in other states to use their own barley in single malt whiskeys as well, in order to highlight local agricultural communities. (That’s why the growth of American single malt whiskey is a potential boon for farmers, Engelhorn said.)

“There’s a whole bunch of varietals of barley that grow in different regions of the country better than others,” Aden said. “That’s a really fun thing for whiskey geeks to discover.”

To commemorate the new federal designation, Stranahan’s will soon debut a new blend called Founder’s Release. The 12-year-old whiskey is one of its oldest and highest-proof expressions, clocking in at 60% alcohol by volume. It’s expected to be available for sale in late spring for $199.99.

Flavor and creativity

What most excites Ironton head distiller Laura Walters is the opportunity for creativity and innovation. The single malt definition mandates that distillers use 100% malted barley, but it doesn’t specify what kind or how it is roasted, which creates room for experimentation.

For example, her flagship American Straight Malt Whiskey features 60% specialty malts roasted to various levels, drawing out different sugars and flavors. But a recipe Walters developed for Colorado State University athletics featured a different ratio of base malts and specialty malts, which created an entirely new flavor profile.

The freedom to design a mash bill like this, plus the ability to leverage barrels and even elevation, means there’s an almost endless well of flavor combinations to play with. “Everybody talks about terroir in wine, but it’s definitely a thing with whiskey, too,” she said. “Even in our state alone, a barrel that is aged at Denver’s level is going to be totally different than a barrel in Aspen.”

Or even in the Boulder County town of Louisville, where Ironton Distillery is moving its production at some point in the next few years.

So, how will American single malt sell? Hawley said he hopes to see new sections at liquor stores denoting the style to help customers more easily identify it. But one of the best ways to try the local tipples remains bellying up where they’re made.

“Go out there, try new single malts, support local distilleries,” Walters said. “It’s an exciting time.”

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Now, the chain is opening a third Colorado store in Centennial, with a two-day grand opening Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13.

“Daiso has received so much love from Colorado before we even announced our expansion to the state. We’re very excited to continue opening locations in Colorado and invite the community to discover Daiso,” said Daiso USA’s brand and content marketing manager, Kimika Rhone.

Located at Cherry Knolls, 6770 S. University Blvd., shoppers can expect a variety of products, ranging from Sanrio stationery and Japanese snacks and drinks to plush toys, beauty essentials, home decor, kitchenware, gardening supplies and for the first time in Colorado, Daiso’s Standard Products line.

Launched in Japan in 2021, Standard Products is a take on a lot of Daiso’s popular categories, including elevated home decor and cookware, Rhone said. From home fragrances to eco-friendly accessories, the line focuses on sustainability and is designed to reduce environmental impact while maintaining style and function.

Daiso’s store in Oswego Commons in Oswego, Ill., debuted the Standard Products line in the U.S. earlier this year. This will be the retailer’s second U.S. store to carry these products, based on their store locator.

The Cherry Knolls store’s hours of operation will be Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The first 100 customers to make a minimum purchase of $30 will receive a special Daiso goodie bag.

Up next, Daiso plans to have a store in Southlands Shopping Mall in Aurora, tentatively scheduled to open Aug. 9, and a location in Arvada’s Northridge Shopping Center, 7821 Wadsworth Blvd., scheduled for Dec. 13.

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“We’re through it, and I’m excited,” Julia said of a lengthy zoning and permitting process. “Seeing the store come together and having product in it is awesome.”

The shop will start slinging tools, grills and other outdoor equipment on April 14 at 2101 Humboldt St.

Ace will take up just over 8,000 square-feet of a roughly 10,000 square-foot section in the building, Julia said. That extra space means a meatier selection of grills and outdoor gear, he added.

Julia hopes to fill out the remaining space with a restaurant or cafe, which has a patio that can sit up to 50 people.

“We’re rolling right into spring, which is awesome timing,” he said. “We might sell a little snow melt (at first), but then we’re going into grass seed and fertilizer and grilling.”

He said the buildout cost $1.5 million and took much longer than anticipated. He started the rezoning process in 2020. In April 2021, he told BusinessDen he hoped to open within a year.

“Six months zoning, six months plan review and one year of construction,” Julia said of his original timeline. “Even with a six month buffer, I was off by two, two-and-a-half years.”

He viewed certain regulations, like parking space requirements, as cumbersome and counterintuitive. Without investors and an annual property tax bill in the $50,000s, Julia said the delays almost stopped construction altogether.

“You don’t get an abatement because the city is making you wait… For four-and-a-half years I had this property sitting vacant,” he said.

He noted that inspectors and people in the planning office were pleasant to work with, calling it more of a macro problem.

“I think there’s quite a disconnect between the zoning regulations and what Denver says they want to do,” he said. “They say they want a bikable, walkable city, but they want me to put in 25 parking spaces. We’re creating a small local neighborhood hub. You don’t need 25 spaces for an Ace Hardware.”

To satisfy the requirement, he is leasing spaces from a church next door.

“It’s Denver. The reason it took so long is because the city of Denver,” he said. “They don’t have enough help, and, frankly, they came close to killing this project.”

He envisions the corner, which is right near St. Joseph’s Hospital, becoming a retail center similar to what Spinelli’s Market has at Dexter St and 23rd in North Park Hill.

He said the hardware store is just phase one.

The next step will be knocking down the 10,000 square-foot warehouse that’s home to Jerry’s Nut House, a nut and snack distributor that Julia’s grandfather founded in 1948. He said the space, which is connected to the Ace, only has one dock and it’s difficult to get semi-trucks there.

“We want a bigger space with easier access that we can grow into,” he said.

Julia sold his majority stake in the business last year but said he still owns five percent.

“It’s really just so I can be involved and be on the board so to speak and help with these kinds of things,” he said. He also owns restaurants at The Denver Central Market in RiNo and the Edgewater Public Market, which, along with Ace, take up a good chunk of his time.

Once the warehouse is knocked down, Julia hopes to build a mixed use, three-story building.

On the ground floor, he sees 5,500 to 6,500 square-feet of retail broken out into four or five units. With the two levels above, he wants to put in eight to ten apartments.

But he’s already running into trouble with Denver.

It’s only regulated for two-and-a-half levels, and Julia said the city has already denied rezoning.

“Denver needs more of these little pockets of retail, yet we’re so restricted in creating that,” Julia said. “It makes it really difficult to open a small business here.”

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The House and Senate, with bipartisan majorities, have both approved Senate Bill 33, and it was sent to Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday. A group backing grocery stores and retailers that would lose out on the licenses has called on Polis to veto the measure over concerns about competition — and didn’t rule out pursuing a new ballot measure if he doesn’t halt the bill.

The bill is the latest turn in the state’s fights over liquor laws. If it becomes law, it would prohibit the state from issuing any more liquor-licensed drugstore licenses. That type of liquor license typically is held by large grocery stores that have pharmacies on their premises.

Backers of the new bill argue it would keep small liquor stores competitive after years of turmoil in the industry, particularly after grocery stores were allowed full-strength beer and wine sales. The bill does not affect beer and wine sales. A 2016 law allowed grocery stores with pharmacies to buy this specific license, but only if no retail liquor store operated within 1,500 feet of it.

“It’s the right thing to do for small business in Colorado,” Sen. Dylan Roberts, a Frisco Democrat and bill sponsor said of the bill. “Not only to help our independent liquor stores that employ locals, but also the craft brewers and craft distillers who can only get a foothold in the market if small independent liquor stores are open and thriving.”

He highlighted the broad support for the bill from urban and rural as well as Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Only eight members of the House and five senators voted against the measure, out of 100 in the General Assembly.

Coloradans simply don’t want children or people in alcohol recovery to have to wander past hard liquor every time they visit the grocery store, Roberts said.

He called this proposal a compromise compared to some prior volleys in Colorado’s liquor wars. Similar legislation attempted in prior years would have removed currently held licenses as well.

In 2016, Colorado lawmakers and then-Gov. John Hickenlooper struck a “historic compromise” to allow full-strength beer sales in major retailers. In 2022, voters approved Proposition 125 to allow wine sales in grocery stores.

According to USA TODAY, 20 states allowed the sale of all types of alcohol — including liquor — in grocery stores in 2023. The remainder have some limits.

There are 36 active drugstore licenses in the state, according to nonpartisan state analysts. They expect the bill will result in about two dozen fewer such licenses being issued over the next two years than otherwise would be expected, if it becomes law. Holders of existing licenses would be able to renew them.

Opponents of the bill argue it would put a limit on consumer choice and on small retailers looking to sell their licenses. Ray Rivera, who represents Coloradans for Consumer Choice, the chief opponents of the bill, said “Colorado is moving backward” if it prevents large grocers and retailers from selling liquor.

He points to voter support of the proposition to allow the sale of wine in grocery stores as proof that Coloradans want more convenience when buying spirits. It also gives small retailers an “off-ramp” if they’re trying to sell their licenses during tumultuous times.

“Lots of grocers and retailers in the state, and other partners, are going to say we’ve worked together to create a regulatory system that works for everyone — and now that’s changing,” Rivera said. “If the right for our members to acquire licenses in this fair environment goes away and this bill isn’t vetoed, then we may be forced to go to the ballot box.”

Polis hasn’t indicated how he may act on the bill.

In response to the veto request, spokesperson Eric Maruyama said in a statement that “the governor will review the final version of this bill when it reaches his desk.” The governor has 10 days from when he receives a bill during the legislative session to sign or veto it, or it becomes law without his signature.

Roberts, the senator sponsoring the bill, doubted a ballot measure would win anyway. If selling liquor in grocery stores is that popular, proponents of Proposition 125 would have included it on the ballot measure, he said. They didn’t, and it still passed in 2022 by fewer than 30,000 votes out of 2.4 million cast, he noted.

“They can go to the ballot,” Roberts said, “but I don’t think they’ll be successful because it’s not a popular idea to have Jack Daniel’s and Smirnoff right next to bread and cereal.”

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A notice to customers dazzled by the low-priced products on Chinese shopping apps: the days of getting trendy clothing, tools and gag gifts that cost less than lunch delivered to your door in 10 days are probably numbered.

President Donald Trump is ending a little-known but widely used exemption that has allowed as many as 4 million low-value parcels — most of them originating in China — to arrive in the U.S. every day tax-free.

An executive order the president signed Wednesday will eliminate the “de minimis provision” for goods from China and Hong Kong on May 2. The tax exemption, which applies to packages valued at $800 or less, has helped China-founded e-commerce companies like Shein and Temu to thrive while cutting into the U.S. retail market.

“Shoppers had a full array of product and options of timing,” Marshal Cohen, chief retail advisor at market research firm Circana, said. “Now, they’re going to have a limited array of options and timing: so you can still buy this product, but you may have to wait three or four weeks.”

U.S. politicians, law enforcement agencies and business groups have described the long-standing policy as a trade loophole that gave inexpensive Chinese goods an advantage and served as a portal for illicit drugs and counterfeits to enter the country.

The sweeping tariffs Trump announced on Wednesday also aim to end the duty-free exception for all imported goods worth less than $800, but only when the U.S. government has the personnel in place to process parcels from every country.

What will be the effect on prices and shipping times?

A White House fact sheet said small packages of Chinese products sent through the international postal network will be subject to a duty rate of either 30% of their value or $25 per item, an amount that will increase to $50 per item after June 1.

Commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS will be required to report shipment details and remit the appropriate duties to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the White House. After Trump’s latest round of tariffs, the tariff rate for Chinese products will be at least 54%.

Supporters of the de minimis exception have argued that its elimination would drive up costs and hurt low-income consumers and small businesses.

The tariff costs threaten to deal a blow to the U.S. operations of companies like Shein and Temu, which rapidly expanded in the U.S. using the de minimis provision to deliver ultra-cheap fast fashion items from China.

However, it’s unclear what impact the loss of the tax exemption will have on the two online retailers, as well as on American companies like Amazon and Walmart, whose platforms include virtual marketplaces where international sellers offer products.

Shein and Temu already have been building warehouses in the U.S. so they could get orders to U.S. shoppers more quickly. Shein recently opened a fulfillment and logistics hub in the Seattle area. Neither company could be reached for comment Thursday.

Ram Ben Tzion, chief executive officer of the digital vetting platform Publican, said he expected the companies to “be forced to rethink their business strategy and possibly explore opting out of the U.S. market.”

In an emailed statement to AP, FedEx said it would support its customers to adapt to the new regulatory requirements and said it would be important for shippers to have “paperwork completed correctly ahead of pick-up” for shipments to move smoothly.

Hilton Beckham, an assistant commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the federal agency was ready to implement the latest tariffs.

“Our automated systems are fully updated to capture, assess, and administer all new duties, and clear guidance will be provided to support uniform enforcement across the nation,” Beckham said.

Ben Tzion, of Publican, said he would “highly doubt” the U.S. government was ready to process the huge number of low-value shipments to be taxed starting next month.

The Hong Kong government said the HongKong Post would “temporarily maintain” postal services to the U.S through May 2 but “will not collect any so-called tariffs on behalf of the U.S. authorities.”

What is the de minimis provision?

Introduced in 1938, the de minimis exception was intended to facilitate the flow of small packages valued at no more than $5, the equivalent of about $109 today. The threshold increased to $200 in 1994 and $800 in 2016. But the rapid rise of cross-border e-commerce, driven by China, has challenged the intent of the decades-old customs exception rule.

Chinese exports of low-value packages soared to $66 billion in 2023, up from $5.3 billion in 2018, according to a February report by the Congressional Research Service. And the U.S. market has been a major destination.

The Chinese government, which sees cross-border e-commerce as a critical part of its foreign trade, has introduced favorable policies, including financial support and infrastructure building, to foster its growth.

Former President Joe Biden proposed a rule last year that said foreign companies can’t avoid tariffs simply by shipping goods that they claim to be worth $800 or less. Trump tried in February to end the exception but his initial order was called off within days when it appeared the U.S. was not prepared to process and collect tariffs on the millions of parcels.

U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, said she was pleased Trump acted a second time to eliminate the rule.

“For too long, this customs loophole has let foreign exporters flood our market with cheap goods and helped drug traffickers move fentanyl past our borders — resulting in factory closures, job losses, and deaths,” DeLauro said.

An explosion of cheap goods

In 2023, for the first time, more than 1 billion such packages came through U.S. customs, up from 134 million in 2015. By the end of last year, Customs and Border Protection said it was processing about 4 million small shipments a day.

The cheap prices and increasing popularity of Shein and Temu squeezed fast-fashion retailers like Forever 21 and H&M. Forever 21 blamed the tax exemption in part for its decision to file for bankruptcy last month and close its U.S. stores,

“We have been unable to find a sustainable path forward, given competition from foreign fast-fashion companies, which have been able to take advantage of the de minimis exemption to undercut our brand on pricing and margin,” Chief Financial Officer Brad Sell said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Amazon launched late last year a low- cost online storefront featuring electronics, apparel and other products priced under $20, in an apparent effort to compete with Temu and Shein. Amazon shipped the products to U.S. customers from a warehouse it operates in China, according to documentation the company provided to sellers.

Los Dos Potrillos will debut its first location in Mile High City limits on April 15, according to an announcement Wednesday. The restaurant started as a single location in Centennial in 2002 and has since grown to five eateries and a craft brewery along the Front Range. It serves a wide array of Mexican dishes, but is perhaps best loved for its tacos and green chile. The company’s house-brewed beer has won accolades, too.

Despite its popularity and proliferation, its sixth location is the first one in Denver, and the family owners behind the Ramirez Hospitality Group are going big to celebrate.

Located at 4100 E Mexico Ave., Ste G, the Denver spot inhabits 8,000 square feet of real estate near the intersection of I-25 and Colorado Boulevard. It will employ 100 people, the announcement says.

“We’ve always wanted to bring Los Dos Potrillos to Denver, and we couldn’t be more excited to share our food and family traditions while building an incredible new community at Colorado Boulevard,” said Daniel Ramirez, CEO of Los Dos Potrillos. “Everything we serve comes from the heart, and we can’t wait to welcome our Denver neighbors into the family.”

The opening comes on the heels of one closure within the company’s network. In February, Los Dos Portillos Cocina y Cantina in Northglenn closed after about a year in operation. That location was distinct because of its fast-casual format, which required guests to order at a counter before sitting down and being served. The restaurant converted to full-service at the behest of diners, but ultimately shuttered.

Earlier this year, Ramirez told The Denver Post the location was smaller than Los Dos Potrillos’ usual “happy spot.”

“When we are at 200-plus seats, we can do our best work at giving great service and providing exceptional value to all of our customers,” he said in a February email.

That is about how many seats Los Dos Potrillos anticipates having in Denver. Locals who want to get a taste can stop by April 15 after 11 a.m., when there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony held for the new building.

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This weekend, Lucky Noodles plans to welcome guests to its new home at 12 E. 1st Ave. in Denver for a soft opening. The restaurant is known for its soups, curries and noodle dishes made from recipes handed down from owner Kamolrat “Ploy” Limpapath’s grandmother. Most of the menu will be available on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., when anyone is welcome to stop by for a bite.

At its core, Limpapath said her cuisine is comfort food — the type that makes you feel like, “this is mommy, daddy or grandma cooking. I’m home again,” she said.

Though she tweaked the menu slightly, Limpapath promised longtime fans will still find the same “good, tasty food” that made Lucky Noodles a local favorite. That includes the secret menu, which will be available at her new, 1,600-square-foot digs off South Broadway.

Lucky Noodles plans to add alcohol to the menu as soon as its license is approved, Limpapath said.

Limpapath closed Lucky Noodles’ original location at 1201 E. Colfax Ave. in January, shortly after construction began on a $300 million Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project down the popular thoroughfare. The restaurant had been open since 2019.

She secured and opened her new spot so quickly because the building was previously a restaurant – Señor Burritos, which closed in December – so it didn’t require any structural changes. However, the outside did get a facelift. Limpapath commissioned a massive mural of her late French bulldog, Biggie, whose wrinkly face now greets customers.

Though it’s only been two months, Limpapath said the reopening couldn’t come soon enough. The costs of her Thailand-sourced ingredients have skyrocketed, she said, and without revenue coming in, the bills have piled up.

“I’m bleeding,” she said. “It is not easy to do, but we want to make sure we make it (the) correct way, just like grandma.”

Still, Limpapath is excited to return to Denver’s dining scene and join a fresh community with more foot traffic on the south side of town. The soft opening weekend will allow Limpapath to get a handle on her new kitchen, experience the flow of customers, and identify what’s still missing from service. Thereafter, she hopes to open more days throughout the week.

Stay tuned to @luckynoodlesdenver on Instagram for updates, and if you stop by on Saturday, April 5, be sure to wish Limpapath a happy birthday.

UPDATE April 3 at 10:17 a.m.: A previous version of this story misstated the year Lucky Noodles opened. It was in 2019, not 2005.

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On Monday, the state’s Natural Medicine Division issued an operational license to The Center Origin, a wellness center located at 1440 Blake St., Suite 330 in Denver. The business expects to begin offering psilocybin-assisted therapy to adults by late April, said co-founder and CEO Elizabeth Cooke.

Cooke opened The Center Origin in Denver in 2023 with a roster of practitioners specializing in yoga, massage, breathwork and reiki. Her goal was to build a community and brand recognition in anticipation of psychedelic therapy becoming legally available.

The Center Origin will soon shift to make psychedelic-assisted therapy its primary offering, complete with preparation, administration, and integration sessions. It will also offer “microdosing support” and a range of psychedelic-focused community events, like weekly integration circles, a book club, and mycology classes, per a statement.

Additionally, clients will have access to providers of gentle yoga, Thai massage, sound baths, breathwork, meditation and aromatherapy, before or after their guided trip, to enhance the therapeutic experience, Cooke said.

In controlled studies, large doses of psilocybin – the psychoactive compound in “magic mushrooms” – have shown promise in treating mental heath conditions such as severe depression, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety. Beyond research settings, Americans have sought out psychedelic-assisted therapy underground for help managing mental health ailments and for spiritual development.

In 2022, Colorado became the second state, behind Oregon, to legalize the service and make it more accessible. The first licenses for this nascent industry were issued to prospective business owners earlier this year. The Center Origin is the first business to be approved by the state.

“We are honored to lead the way in bringing regulated psychedelic services to Colorado,” Cooke said in a statement. “This licensure represents not only a major step forward in mental health treatment and individual and community healing, but also a commitment to safety, education, and responsible care for those exploring the therapeutic and transformative potential of psychedelics.”

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But the day of reckoning has already come for Colorado businessman Jeremy Petersen. His company Identity Pet Nutrition is subject to 25% tariffs imposed March 12 on aluminum and steel imports. He expects costs to escalate if the 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico go through as threatened.

“We’ve seen an across-the-board 11% price increase already just because of tariffs,” Petersen said.

The company Petersen co-founded in 2018 with his brother, Trevar, makes its pet food in Canada because it couldn’t find factories in the U.S. willing to produce the product, which is made with high-quality meat and produced in facilities fit for human food. If Trump levies the 25% tariff on several Canadian goods that he announced and then paused in early March, Petersen said the company will likely have to raise retail prices by nearly 33% to cover the cost hikes.

Another effect of the tariff turmoil, Petersen said, is that banks view the Windsor-based company, which is small but growing, as a risk because it produces all its pet food in Canada, making it vulnerable to higher tariffs. He said banks have reduced the company’s credit line and turned it down for loans. Business partners in Canada now want payment upfront.

“Small businesses are going to be impacted the most because we don’t have five to 10 years of financial resources to absorb the impact,” Petersen said. “We have to pass the cost along or go out of business.”

Trump raised tariffs during his first term as president, including on items from China, but they weren’t as broad and included several exceptions. He negotiated the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

This time around, the Trump administration has proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico, the country’s largest trading partners, and increased the taxes on goods from China. Trump has given a variety of reasons for higher tariffs: leverage to stem the flow of illegal immigration and drugs from Mexico  and Canada; raising money for the U.S.; encouraging more domestic manufacturing; and evening the playing field with countries that have higher tariffs.

Trump has said he will announce sweeping reciprocal tariffs April 2, although this week he has talked about being flexible and maybe giving “a lot of countries breaks.” Reciprocal tariffs would match the levies set by other countries.

Krimson Klover, a Boulder-based, high-end women’s apparel company, is waiting to see which countries the administration will slap with higher fees. The company moved some of its manufacturing to Vietnam because of higher tariffs during Trump’s first term but still has production in China as well as Peru, Bulgaria and other locations.

Gail Ross, Krimson Klover’s chief operating officer, said in the wake of the new 20% tariffs on goods from China, the factories and the company might each absorb a third of the cost on clothes that have been ordered and pass along a third to customers. However, going forward, customers would likely pay more of the increases.

“If the tariffs are big, where do we go? Go to Europe? (Trump’s) threatening tariffs on Europe. We can’t go to Mexico. We can’t go to Canada,” Ross said.

“Tariffs are the sledgehammer”

When tariffs were raised in 2019, Krimson Klover, began looking for factories in the U.S. During a townhall organized by Farmers for Free Trade on March 5 in Denver, Ross said factories in this country weren’t interested because the company’s volume was too small or they couldn’t turn around the orders quickly enough.

“If the long-term goal is truly for us to be out of China, that’s not a problem. People can do that. They just need three to seven years to work on the investment part of making that happen,” Ross said. “The tariffs are the sledgehammer, but the way they’re being used, you can’t react fast enough.”

Krimson Kover hasn’t run into the same problems with financing that Identity Pet Nutrition has. Ross said the company, which started business in 2009, has long-term relationships with its banks. But Ross said the company is putting any big purchases or new hires on hold while the situation with tariffs remains in flux.

Banks are getting questions from businesses and individuals about the best path forward given the volatile stock market and economic uncertainties. Dorian Brugger, the Colorado branch banking market leader at U.S. Bank, said there has been a notable increase in the number of clients seeking guidance on their financial plans, “many sitting down with us for the first time to start the planning process.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the Standard and Poor’s 500 lost $4 trillion in just a few weeks, driven by the “whipsaw trade policy.” The consumer confidence index fell in March for the fourth straight month. Stocks have regained some ground but shares in automotive companies fell Wednesday after Trump said he would impose 25% tariffs on imported vehicles and parts.

“Given the current market and uncertainty, what we’re hearing is that clients are concerned about how they keep their money protected,” Brugger said.

A goal is to understand clients’ tolerance of risk and if they are delaying a major purchase or making an investment in a fluctuating stock market, what their options are for maximizing their money in the short term, Brugger said.

Car dealers were sorting through how the new automotive tariffs, set to take effect April 3, might affect them.

“For the dealers in Colorado, a lot of the product we sell here is built in the U.S.,” said Ed Olsen, general sales manager for Boulder Nissan.

An exception is the Nissan Ariya, but Olsen doesn’t expect to see impacts on sales “for months down the road.”

New vehicles sold for  over $47,000 last month on average and industry analysts say the tariffs could boost car prices by several thousand dollars, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

For his part, Petersen has tried to be proactive by writing to his political representatives about the tariffs’ effects on his pet food business. He doesn’t believe everyone is taking the potential impacts seriously enough.

“We’re seeing Main Street businesses like restaurants struggle,” Petersen said. “Then you add this struggle on top of them.”

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