While visiting the Denver Botanic Garden with my friend Laura last August, we ended up at Boyer’s Coffee Schoolhouse Cafe in Denver. Boyer’s has been a local institution for about 55 years now.
Not to be accused of burying the lead, I should tell you that the Boyer’s building burned down on the last day of March this year (2020). Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire, due partly to the stay-at-home orders in place at that time. No customers were present and the staff got out in time. Guess this virus thingy had an upside that day.
I’m happy to report that Boyer’s has set up temporary roasting facilities and are in the process of getting back up to speed with their roasting operation. However, the building was a total loss. It’s a keener loss, too, because the building was a 1927 schoolhouse that anchored the surrounding Welby community of Denver, not only as a school but also as a wedding and other events venue, then as the Boyer’s Cafe.
Originally the building housed the Washington School. Italian Americans settled in the Welby area to be truck farmers, and the school taught their children. The building became a coffeehouse in 1965.
Therefore, my pictures in this post are all outdated, but I still wanted to share them to show you what a comfy place it was and to tout a local Denver business for its contributions to the area.
Here are pix of the cafe’s interior:
An old roaster on display in the corner nook:
One wall displayed all the coffee products and gifties:
If you look closely you might be able to see labels on the shelves under the coffee. On the right shelf, it says, “This Coffee Was Roasted 114 Feet from Where You Are Standing.” On the left shelf, “…116 Feet…” and so on to the window.
And to the right, you could see the roastery operations through a glass door:
Also on display in the seating area was what looked like a school project:
Indeed, it was a school project! Boyer’s works with a coffee-growing area in Peru where they get their beans, and they’ve built a school there. In fact, they’re building a second school there, too. I’m pretty sure they’ve done more than that. The coffee-growing operation is certified USDA Organic, so the coffee is quality. I’ve seen Boyer’s coffee for sale in the local supermarkets and Sam’s Clubs, too.
All announcements from Boyer’s I’ve seen since the fire proclaim they are going to rebuild. I wonder what their new digs will look like? I’d personally like to see a replica of the schoolhouse at the same location, but time will tell. This blog might, too!
Photo for No Apparent Reason:
