Regas Christou will open what could be his last late-night spot in the coming weeks. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Just when Regas Christou thought he was out, the call of the club pulled him back in.
The godfather of Denver’s late-night scene, who has been opening spots like The Church, Deadbeat Club and Milk for four decades, is rolling out what he says could be the final opening of his career.
He is set to open Parea, which means “friendship” in Greek, at 40 E. 11th Ave. within the next several weeks, pending liquor license and permitting approval. Despite a three-year process in getting things straightened out with the city, the Cyprus-born Denverite wanted to see it through.
“This is the place I want to hang out,” he said.
The 2,500-square-foot lounge, as Christou calls it, will serve alcohol alongside such light bites as french fries and shish kabobs. He said the spot’s “bumping” sound system will play plenty of electronic dance music, something his venue The Junkyard has become known for. Patrons can also step outside on Parea’s 2,000-square-foot patio, with its backdrop of a red flower mural.
Christou wants Parea to be a haven for the Golden Triangle and Cap Hill neighborhoods, whose borders it straddles. New apartment buildings have brought more people, but he said the area lacks a sense of closeness.
He also thinks the lounge can be a hub for the Greek community, noting that they have few places to “enjoy each other’s parea” around Denver. Christou plans on giving people name tags when they walk through the door so they are more willing and open to chat and get to know one another.
Parea’s 2,000-square-foot patio. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
He said he thinks it will have a similar feel to Regas Café, the jazz joint that kicked off his clubbing career over 30 years ago. He also is contemplating bringing live jazz music to Parea, much like at his inaugural club.
“The isolation from COVID on made a lot of people apprehensive approaching and talking with each other,” he said. “You have neighbors two doors down that don’t know each other.
“So I’m going to try to make Parea a place where people feel at home, people treat you with respect, people know your name.”
Christou knew he wanted to open something at the building since he bought it for $3.1 million in 2019, toying around with a burger joint and coffee shop before settling on a “late-night chill” spot around three years ago. He said he didn’t want to compete with Stoney’s, the sports bar across 11th, or Roostercat Coffee House, a tenant in his adjacent building.
But Christou said headaches dealing with Denver nearly caused him to abandon the project. About a year ago, around the same time a Beetlejuice mural popped up on the Lincoln Street side of the property, he started advertising the space for lease.
“We had a lot of interest but not what I wanted for there,” he said, adding that some wanted to do less flashy build-outs like dry cleaners. “A corner like this needs to be more high profile, so I said screw it.”
Parea’s build-out includes a new kitchen, two bars and several lounge spaces at a cost of $500,000. Christou, who is in his late 60s, said he is looking for a business partner to run the place day to day once it opens.
One of Parea’s lounge areas. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Interacting with the city hasn’t been the only challenge, Christou said. Another has been dealing with vagrants at his various properties. He said he’s had to clean feces and had to kick sleeping people off Parea’s couch-filled patio.
“This is not the land I used to know,” he said of Denver. “Why should it be on us to deal with this on top of everything else?”
Those trials have him bearish on a potential warehouse-to-nightclub conversion at 2020 W. Barberry Place in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The 15,000-square-foot space took him five years to get permitted, he said, and Denver wants him to pay for improvements to sidewalks and alleyways nearby as part of the build-out.
That could cost upward of half a million dollars, he estimated, and with the Broncos building a new stadium just to the east, he said he thinks there’s no reason he should have to fork over that money.
“Why do I pay my f—ing taxes?” he asked. “I don’t have the energy and time to be dealing with the bulls–t from the city. And it breaks my heart because Denver has so much potential.”
Regardless of whether he builds it, he doesn’t want to operate it and is also looking for a business partner to take over. He’s also been approached by several people to buy the property — something he said he’s open to, although nothing is imminent.
Last year, he sold the late-night spots Club Vinyl at 1082 Broadway and The Church at 1160 Lincoln St. as the first steps in winding down his career.
“It’s the wild west out there,” he said of the parcels surrounding Burnham Yard, some of which the Broncos have been buying at a premium. “And I’m just getting ready to sell some of my properties and enjoy life a little bit more.”
Regas Christou will open what could be his last late-night spot in the coming weeks. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Just when Regas Christou thought he was out, the call of the club pulled him back in.
The godfather of Denver’s late-night scene, who has been opening spots like The Church, Deadbeat Club and Milk for four decades, is rolling out what he says could be the final opening of his career.
He is set to open Parea, which means “friendship” in Greek, at 40 E. 11th Ave. within the next several weeks, pending liquor license and permitting approval. Despite a three-year process in getting things straightened out with the city, the Cyprus-born Denverite wanted to see it through.
“This is the place I want to hang out,” he said.
The 2,500-square-foot lounge, as Christou calls it, will serve alcohol alongside such light bites as french fries and shish kabobs. He said the spot’s “bumping” sound system will play plenty of electronic dance music, something his venue The Junkyard has become known for. Patrons can also step outside on Parea’s 2,000-square-foot patio, with its backdrop of a red flower mural.
Christou wants Parea to be a haven for the Golden Triangle and Cap Hill neighborhoods, whose borders it straddles. New apartment buildings have brought more people, but he said the area lacks a sense of closeness.
He also thinks the lounge can be a hub for the Greek community, noting that they have few places to “enjoy each other’s parea” around Denver. Christou plans on giving people name tags when they walk through the door so they are more willing and open to chat and get to know one another.
Parea’s 2,000-square-foot patio. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
He said he thinks it will have a similar feel to Regas Café, the jazz joint that kicked off his clubbing career over 30 years ago. He also is contemplating bringing live jazz music to Parea, much like at his inaugural club.
“The isolation from COVID on made a lot of people apprehensive approaching and talking with each other,” he said. “You have neighbors two doors down that don’t know each other.
“So I’m going to try to make Parea a place where people feel at home, people treat you with respect, people know your name.”
Christou knew he wanted to open something at the building since he bought it for $3.1 million in 2019, toying around with a burger joint and coffee shop before settling on a “late-night chill” spot around three years ago. He said he didn’t want to compete with Stoney’s, the sports bar across 11th, or Roostercat Coffee House, a tenant in his adjacent building.
But Christou said headaches dealing with Denver nearly caused him to abandon the project. About a year ago, around the same time a Beetlejuice mural popped up on the Lincoln Street side of the property, he started advertising the space for lease.
“We had a lot of interest but not what I wanted for there,” he said, adding that some wanted to do less flashy build-outs like dry cleaners. “A corner like this needs to be more high profile, so I said screw it.”
Parea’s build-out includes a new kitchen, two bars and several lounge spaces at a cost of $500,000. Christou, who is in his late 60s, said he is looking for a business partner to run the place day to day once it opens.
One of Parea’s lounge areas. (Max Scheinblum/BusinessDen)
Interacting with the city hasn’t been the only challenge, Christou said. Another has been dealing with vagrants at his various properties. He said he’s had to clean feces and had to kick sleeping people off Parea’s couch-filled patio.
“This is not the land I used to know,” he said of Denver. “Why should it be on us to deal with this on top of everything else?”
Those trials have him bearish on a potential warehouse-to-nightclub conversion at 2020 W. Barberry Place in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The 15,000-square-foot space took him five years to get permitted, he said, and Denver wants him to pay for improvements to sidewalks and alleyways nearby as part of the build-out.
That could cost upward of half a million dollars, he estimated, and with the Broncos building a new stadium just to the east, he said he thinks there’s no reason he should have to fork over that money.
“Why do I pay my f—ing taxes?” he asked. “I don’t have the energy and time to be dealing with the bulls–t from the city. And it breaks my heart because Denver has so much potential.”
Regardless of whether he builds it, he doesn’t want to operate it and is also looking for a business partner to take over. He’s also been approached by several people to buy the property — something he said he’s open to, although nothing is imminent.
Last year, he sold the late-night spots Club Vinyl at 1082 Broadway and The Church at 1160 Lincoln St. as the first steps in winding down his career.
“It’s the wild west out there,” he said of the parcels surrounding Burnham Yard, some of which the Broncos have been buying at a premium. “And I’m just getting ready to sell some of my properties and enjoy life a little bit more.”
