One of Denver’s beloved bookstores and community spaces is hightailing it out of the Mile High City.
On Wednesday, Mutiny Information Cafe announced it would close its location at 2 S. Broadway after more than a decade and move about 4 miles south to 3483 S. Broadway in Englewood.
Co-owner Jim Norris told The Denver Post his building is currently for sale and that he would need to pay double the rent to stay there, which isn’t feasible.
“It’s a tough pill for everyone to swallow in Denver, but the choice came down to close it down or find somewhere new,” Norris said. “We want to help build community in other places too, so we’re headed down to Englewood now.”
Mutiny Information Cafe’s last day open in Denver will be Sept. 22, and Norris hopes to open the new location by Oct. 4.
The new space is slightly smaller on the first floor than its Denver predecessor — about 2,100 square feet — but it also boasts a finished basement where Norris plans to host concerts and relocate popular events like twice-monthly hip-hop nights and Punketry, a combination of punk music and slam poetry.
In Englewood, Mutiny Information Cafe will also lean more heavily into comic books and coffee, he added.
Since opening in 2013, Mutiny Information Cafe has cultivated a dedicated community of locals interested in books, music, poetry, comedy, coffee and more. Norris and his partner Matt Megyesi looked for many months for a new location where they could continue to be a creative hub when they stumbled upon this brand-new building.
“The price was right, the timing was absolutely perfect,” Norris said. “It’s just beautiful.” And it has air conditioning, he added.
Still, leaving Denver is bittersweet. Norris previously operated Three Kings Tavern, so he’s called the Baker neighborhood home for nearly two decades.
“It’s hard not cry talking about it,” he said.
Mutiny Information Cafe will go out with a bang, however. In addition to hosting several concerts in September, the business’ last weekend coincides with the High Plains Comedy Festival.
“The whole month of September we’re trying to fill with fun, cool stuff so we can say goodbye,” he said.
