I can't wait. Yay!

Gourmet store gets fresh start on 16th St. Mall

When Cook's Fresh Market opens Wednesday on the 16th Street Mall, the former suburban market will bring an upscale assortment of olive oils, meats, cheeses and prepared foods.

The gourmet market, owned by Ed and Kristin Janos, has relocated from the Denver Tech Center to the heart of downtown Denver.

The Janoses operated Cook's Fresh Market for 5 1/2 years before an impending 70 percent rent spike forced them to close more than a year ago. About the same time, apartment developer Mike Zoellner of RedPeak Properties was seeking retail tenants for the ground floor of his 1600 Glenarm apartment tower.

"When we sat down to put together our commercial leasing strategy, a gourmet market was at the top of our list," said Zoellner. "I instructed our brokers to contact any gourmet market or any gourmet operator they knew."

RedPeak also persuaded Peet's Coffee & Tea and Earl's Restaurant - which will open this spring - to move into the space, providing what he describes as 18-hour retail activity on the building's ground floor.

The Janoses, both of whom are trained chefs, live in Highlands Ranch and were initially reluctant to take a concept that worked so well in the suburbs and move it into an urban environment.

"I just never thought of downtown. I didn't think it was the ideal market for our type of products," said Ed Janos.

Kristin Janos hesitated to visit the space at 16th and Glenarm Place because she worried that parking and traffic would be a problem.

But demographic shifts in the downtown Denver market quickly changed their minds. More than 9,000 people now live in the central business district, according to the Downtown Denver Partnership.

Including residents of adjacent neighborhoods, including the Central Platte Valley, Golden Triangle and Capitol Hill, that total rises to 83,000.

330 apartments immediately above their store. The 1600 Glenarm building, formerly known as 1616 Glenarm, is 60 percent leased.

Any lingering doubts the couple may have had about the location have been alleviated in recent days. As they and their staff of 40 put the finishing touches on the 4,600-square- foot market, they are constantly interrupted by passers-by who jiggle the doors, tap on the windows and ask how long it will be until they open.

Some particularly persistent customers have entered through side doors and tried making early purchases. The Janoses have already turned down 24 catering orders.

The lack of a full-line grocer has long been viewed as a major hole in downtown retailing, but Cook's Fresh Market and a new Vitamin Cottage in the Central Platte Valley are viewed as a step in the right direction.

"I make a prediction that within two years, there will be another market - or plans for another market - downtown," Ed Janos said.

The Janoses have tweaked their business concept to cater to the downtown crowd. They'll still have a full-service butcher counter, fresh pastries, cheeses, gourmet items such as olive oils and a variety of prepared food, but they're adding more seating to appeal to the lunchtime set.

Cook's Fresh Market's move downtown could mean competition for Marczyk Fine Foods, a gourmet neighborhood market at 770 E. 17th Ave. in Denver's uptown neighborhood. But Marczyk president Pete Mar czyk says he welcomes the company.

"We're certainly excited to have more locally owned, good- quality businesses of any flavor, and (Cook's Fresh Market) is good at what they do," Marczyk said. "I think downtown is ready for something like that."