CENTRAL SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — It has been a little over one year since phase one of the revitalization project on Tejon Street was completed, and the results for nearby businesses are a mixed bag.
The Downtown Partnership says the stretch saw more than 93,000 visitors in August alone — the most since 2021. But two restaurants that endured months of construction have different stories to tell.
Red Gravy owner Eric Brenner said the impact of construction was less damaging than expected.
"For the entire period of construction from start to finish, we lost about 1% to 1.5% of revenue, which is nominal, considering that we lost our patio," Brenner said.
Despite the loss in sales during construction, Brenner said the numbers were still higher than in 2024. He said 2025 was the best revenue year it opened in 2016.
Brenner said the business has continued to recover since the block reopened.
"We were down 7%, which have to do with more macroeconomics things that we've identified, but that 7% that we lost, we were actually able to shave that down to 2%," Brenner said.
Beyond the numbers, Brenner said the improvements have made a personal difference.
"I mean it's just so beautiful down here now. My wife uses a wheelchair, so for us she's able to get through the street without bumping into people or without having people move out of her way," Brenner said.
The experience at Jack Quinn's has been harder. General Manager Cooper Davidson said the construction took a significant financial toll on the Irish restaurant and bar.
"We were down about 18.5%, which most places that aren't hitting 29 years probably can't make it through. With the reopening from September to March of this year we were down still another 1.8% on top of that," Davidson said.
Despite the losses, Davidson said he supports what the revitalization has brought to the area.
"We're super happy. It does visually look much better now as we hopefully can regain and re-purpose the lost revenue," Davidson said.
According to the Downtown Partnership, foot traffic on the Colorado-to-Pikes Peak block was down 3% during construction. However, it increased to 6.4% in the broader Tejon corridor from March through December last year.
The Downtown Partnership also reports that downtown restaurant sales are up 7% from January through the end of June.
"We were hoping to see a bigger rebound and a bigger sign of new people coming downtown," Davidson said.
Brenner said some restaurants on the block are still struggling in the wake of a recent closure, and both he and Davidson pointed to a broader shift in alcohol consumption as a growing concern.
"Drinking is way down across the board, especially for that 21 to 28 year old category," Davidson said.
Brenner said Red Gravy has adapted by leaning into non-alcoholic options.
"We saw a dip in our liquor sales. We just bolstered that with mocktails and non-alcoholic beverages, and those actually stabilized our entire beverage program," Brenner said.
Both men said they are optimistic heading into the next year.
"It's a clean downtown. It's a fun downtown, it's a vibrant downtown and for people that have been to other places, they understand how valuable that is," Brenner said.
