{"id":375,"date":"2026-05-30T10:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T10:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=375"},"modified":"2026-05-30T10:03:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T10:03:21","slug":"whats-working-saving-jamestowns-historic-mercantile-where-everybody-knows-your-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradorelocationreport.com\/?p=375","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Working: Saving Jamestown\u2019s historic Mercantile, where everybody knows your name"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

Tracy Ross<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reporter<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

JAMESTOWN<\/strong> \u2014 \u201cAll we need is 1.5 million people to give one dollar each and we can save this place,\u201d said Rainbow Shultz, sitting in front of the Jamestown Mercantile on a breezy Thursday in late May. And somehow that seems more feasible than waiting around for a \u201ccrazy aunt\u201d with a bucket of cash to save the day.<\/p>\n

Read more Jared Polis once again vetoes bill that would make it easier for Colorado unions to organize<\/a><\/p>\n

It was several weeks after Shultz, chef\/owner of the Jamestown Mercantile Cafe, and four of her friends formed a nonprofit to try to buy the building that houses the cafe before \u201csomeone with a suitcase full of cash sweeps in,\u201d she said. Their 501(c)(3) is called The Jamestown Home for Wayward Artists, Pirates and the Somewhat Feral. The founders all live in or near the tiny community of Jamestown about 14 miles up Olde Stage Road from Boulder and anchor their lives to the roughly 130-year-old building that houses the only restaurant in town, the only bar in town and a music venue so popular with bands she turns down about half asking to play there \u2014 who\u2019d do so happily without pay.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, things were looking up, since the owner of the building, Loupee Burton Jr., had signed a letter of intent giving them exclusivity to purchase for the next 11 months. Burton Jr. signed a letter of intent giving them 11 months to exercise on the exclusive right to buy the property for $1.5 million They started May 1 and so far have raised around $33,000 or 2.2% of the asking price for the the building, which houses the Merc plus four apartments, and two buildings next door, both rented to local artists<\/p>\n

The money has come from 130 donors \u2014 average it out and that\u2019s around $250 each. But Shultz said most are giving between $100 and $250 (\u201ca huge and generous donation knowing that a lot of the donors are in similar financial positions I\u2019m in\u201d). One gave $15,000 and one gave $2 (\u201cfrom Australia!\u201c), she said. She also received a commitment from someone with serious fundraising potential who holds a special place for the Merc in his heart.<\/p>\n

Gregory Alan Isakov has been playing there since his open-mic days in the early 2000s when he was a student of horticulture at Naropa College (now University). He still makes the occasional appearance. These days he sells the Merc veggies from his Starling Farm east of Boulder. And he\u2019s going to donate $1 from each ticket he sells for shows he\u2019ll perform over the summer, minus the ones he plays with the Colorado Symphony.<\/p>\n

Shultz said that could total anywhere from $3,000 to $20,000 \u2014 a small amount, but it\u2019ll help toward the goal. A bigger threat has already been thwarted \u2014 the nonprofit was keeping its mission quiet until Isakov signed on, \u201cbecause we were kind of at risk that someone would just show up with a suitcase full of cash and buy it if we were telling everyone it was for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why would that be problematic?<\/p>\n

Character, community and the \u201cliving room aspect\u201d of the funky space with peeling paint, slanted floors and cluttered shelves lined with keepsakes dating back decades. A giant wood-carved ape gazes down on the action. A weird psychedelic painting of a half-naked woman overlooks a cozy nook where kids\u2019 toys sit on a table. Grainy photos show ghosts of the Mercantile past. Shultz said she holds onto all of it because \u201csomeone gave it to us. Why would we throw it out?\u201d<\/p>\n

Another reason she can\u2019t let go: \u201cI have operated this place for like 20 years and officially bought it 16 years ago,\u201d she said. Before she had a paid gig, she was filling in while attending grad school at University of Colorado and all these years later, she said she still \u201calmost cries\u201d every time she talks about the first time she walked through the door, in her 20s.<\/p>\n

It was the 90s. She was a Phish head influenced by The Grateful Dead, and she believed in having fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the Merc was a different inspiration,\u201d she said. \u201cI walked in and saw all the Jamestown folks dancing on the tables. They were so rowdy. I was a young kid and saw there was a place outside of Dead or Phish tours where people were really being themselves, and I loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

She built the Merc into a restaurant known for its delicious food that draws people from Boulder, Denver and faraway places. The Merc is a regular stop on Saturday mornings for hordes of road bikers huffing their way up Left Hand Canyon along South St. Vrain Creek, then James Creek, then Little James Creek into the town of around 300 residents. Families pack Elysian Park across the street eating pizza and listening to live music nights all summer. They\u2019re open year-round, five days a week, even when the outsiders are gone and winter is going full bore.<\/p>\n

A beer is $5, a glass of wine is $8. You can get a half plate of a dinner including mussels in green apple and fennel broth, garlic shrimp in Spanish paprika cream, chicken Milanese with lemon cream, or fettuccini with clam sauce and crispy prosciutto \u2014 all on the menu Thursday night \u2014 for around $15 to $20 a plate. The Merc itself is a \u201cpirate ship\u201d for everyone who works there, \u201cand we\u2019re all pirates,\u201d Shultz said.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a long way to go toward raising the money to save it, and the worst-case scenario if the wrong person buys it is that it\u2019s \u201cno longer a place where anyone can come get community any time that the doors are open,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989, so it can\u2019t be torn down. But the inside could turn into anything, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd whether it turns into high-end condos or a traditional restaurant where you have to spend money to come spend time there, the threat is that the community center and living room of our area would go away. Without that, we have lost a huge asset in our lives in the mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Section by Tracy Ross<\/strong> | Reporter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u2794 Visit Save the Merc to donate<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sun economy stories you may have missed<\/h2>\n

\u2794 Cargill\u2019s lockout of 1,700 workers stopped beef production, sending ripples through the supply chain<\/strong>. The beef giant said it stopped operations weeks ago out of concerns contentious contract negotiations would make production unsafe. >> <\/strong>Read story<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 Colorado midwives sue state, saying regulators are making it harder for them to safely do their jobs<\/strong>. The reproductive health practitioners allege bias and sex-based discrimination by Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies division. >> <\/strong>Read story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read more Will Denver have fewer electric bikes and scooters for rent under its new vendor?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2794 Colorado overhauls state IT office, lays off 173 employees after negative feedback<\/strong>. The agency handles the tech behind the scenes for many state agencies, but dismal customer-satisfaction surveys and complaints have spurred drastic change. >> <\/strong>Read story<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 Colorado mountain town real estate slowing down after heady post-pandemic surge. <\/strong>Sales numbers are down. So is the total volume. But prices remain at record highs. Could high country discounts be looming? >> <\/strong>Read story<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 Colorado lunar rover picked by NASA to provide transport for Artemis moon missions<\/strong>. Lunar Outpost\u2019s Pegasus LTV seats two astronauts and can livestream from the moon\u2019s surface. It\u2019s the newest rover from the Golden-based company. >> <\/strong>Read story<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 How a Colorado woman is making a statement against fast fashion by wearing the same dress for 100 days.<\/strong> The 100-day dress challenge is one example of the ways Coloradans are countering fast fashion and clothing waste >> <\/strong>Read story<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 When thrifting isn\u2019t thrifty: A look at the market trends making secondhand buying unaffordable<\/strong>. Thrift shops may be mission-driven, but they have bills to pay, too, that are helping drive up the cost of clothing and homegoods >> <\/strong>Read story<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Support The Sun<\/strong><\/mark> Become a member!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Other working bits<\/h2>\n

\u2794 Average Colorado worker made $37.11 an hour last year. <\/strong>That\u2019s up 2.1% from a year earlier and is 10.6% higher than the U.S. average, according to the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report released Tuesday. The statewide median hourly wage was $28.75, or more than $4 more than the U.S. median.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s Department of Labor and Employment also made a nice chart showing how employment and wages play out in the major metro areas and regions of the state:<\/p>\n

For much more detail, check out the state\u2019s OEWS report. >> <\/strong>Right here<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 Everything\u2019s coming up quantum. <\/strong>A from tech accelerator Innosphere in Fort Collins highlights the state\u2019s intense progress in quantum technology in recent years, thanks to collaboration with partners in New Mexico and Wyoming that make up the Mountain West. Regional startups have raised $1.9 billion since 2010 with more than $1 billion of that raised last year. Mountain West companies have also filed 600 quantum-related patents since 2010, with 300 since 2020. The region is also diverse, with a good toehold in all areas of quantum, from computing, sensing and communications.<\/p>\n

The point of the report? The region needs to take those strengths and prove it out in the real world. \u201cThat\u2019s where our region focuses its energy, and it\u2019s where we believe the most meaningful work still needs to happen,\u201d said Mike Freeman, Innosphere CEO. >> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 New 1,600-home subdivision coming to Aurora. <\/strong>A 900-acre site along E-470 near Parker Road is home of the new Prairie Point master-planned community from Oakwood Homes, which broke ground Thursday in this southeastern corner of the city. Besides 1,600 mostly single-family homes, the new subdivision will include an 18-hole golf course, parks, swimming pools and walking trails. Homes sales are expected to start in the first half of 2028. >> <\/strong>News release<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 Denver still leads U.S. for rent concessions.<\/strong> In the U.S., 39.8% of rent listings had a concession. But in Denver, it\u2019s 68.3%. We\u2019ve been documenting rent concessions for months and the reasons why potential renters will get some sort of rent deal if they ask (a free month, waived fees, etc.) is due to the thousands of new apartment units that have been built and added to the market in the past few years. Zillow\u2019s April stats have the city\u2019s typical rent at $1,887 a month. To live comfortably at that monthly rate, renters need to earn $75,482 a year, the company said. >> <\/strong>Zillow\u2019s April rent report<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2794 Job-training tax credits available. <\/strong>The state\u2019s Opportunity Now Tax Credit opens applications June 1 for companies that are investing in training programs for jobs in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, construction, infrastructure or the semiconductor industry. Refundable tax credits are also available for equipment and facility costs to train those future workers. Credits of up to 50% of the qualified asset and were made possible by a 2024 law. Managed by the state\u2019s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the program provides up to $15 million in tax credits a year and is heavily vetted with a requirement for ongoing progress and compliance reports. >> <\/strong>Details<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Section by Tamara Chuang<\/strong> | Business\/Technology Reporter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Got some economic news or business bits Coloradans should know? Tell us: <\/em>cosun.co\/heyww<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks for sticking with us. ~tamara<\/em> & <\/em>tracy<\/em><\/p>\n

Miss a column? <\/strong>Catch up<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/h3>\n