A rendering of the planned Superior location of Bigsby’s Folly. (Courtesy Bigsby’s Folly)
The owners of a RiNo winery wanted their second location to be perfect. So they’re building it themselves.
“Building from scratch for us was the only option,” said Marla Yetka.
Yetka and her husband, Chad Yetka, opened Bigsby’s Folly at 3563 Wazee St. in 2017. She said the winery, which operates in a 150-year-old warehouse, does over 50 weddings and 300 events a year.
Chad and Marla Yetka
While searching for a second location, Yetka said, most available spaces were ground-floor retail in office buildings that just didn’t have the Bigsby charm.
“That doesn’t look like Bigsby or feel like what we’ve created,” Yetka said. “So we’re going to build as close to the original and hope we can replicate what we’ve done in RiNo.”
The couple found a chunk of land in downtown Superior, at the corner of Marshal Road and Coal Creek, to build their second location, which will be 7,000 square feet. Yetka said they’re investing roughly $6.5 million in the entire project, which they hope to open in early 2025.
Securing the space wasn’t easy. Yetka said the couple has pursued the lot since 2019 and were “inches” away from signing in February 2020, right as the pandemic hit
“Everything just came to a screeching halt,” Yetka said. “We didn’t know if we were even going to survive COVID, so if we would’ve put funds and committed to a location we probably would’ve been bankrupt.”
After lockdowns were lifted and Bigsby Folly survived, they went back to purchase the property in 2021. Then came the Marshall Fire, which ripped through the land adjacent to the now-demolished Elements Hotel.
Yetka joked that a pandemic and fire may have been a sign they shouldn’t buy the site, but she was committed. The company expects to finally close on the deal next year.
Yetka said her latest hurdle is increased building and labor costs.
“It’s been a lot more challenging for us to make the numbers work,” Yetka said. “It’s not a great time to be opening businesses.”
Yetka hired Coburn Architects and PG Arnold Construction for the build. Melissa Friday with Xan Creative designed the space.
While keeping most things the same, Yetka said the second location will have a rooftop patio, a full kitchen and a dedicated event space. The winery offers around 20 different wines, most of which are made in and sourced from Napa Valley, although it recently debuted its first Colorado wine.
“We want to be an amenity for Superior,” Yetka said. “It doesn’t have anything right now … there’s no community gathering point.”
A rendering of the planned Superior location of Bigsby’s Folly. (Courtesy Bigsby’s Folly)
The owners of a RiNo winery wanted their second location to be perfect. So they’re building it themselves.
“Building from scratch for us was the only option,” said Marla Yetka.
Yetka and her husband, Chad Yetka, opened Bigsby’s Folly at 3563 Wazee St. in 2017. She said the winery, which operates in a 150-year-old warehouse, does over 50 weddings and 300 events a year.
Chad and Marla Yetka
While searching for a second location, Yetka said, most available spaces were ground-floor retail in office buildings that just didn’t have the Bigsby charm.
“That doesn’t look like Bigsby or feel like what we’ve created,” Yetka said. “So we’re going to build as close to the original and hope we can replicate what we’ve done in RiNo.”
The couple found a chunk of land in downtown Superior, at the corner of Marshal Road and Coal Creek, to build their second location, which will be 7,000 square feet. Yetka said they’re investing roughly $6.5 million in the entire project, which they hope to open in early 2025.
Securing the space wasn’t easy. Yetka said the couple has pursued the lot since 2019 and were “inches” away from signing in February 2020, right as the pandemic hit
“Everything just came to a screeching halt,” Yetka said. “We didn’t know if we were even going to survive COVID, so if we would’ve put funds and committed to a location we probably would’ve been bankrupt.”
After lockdowns were lifted and Bigsby Folly survived, they went back to purchase the property in 2021. Then came the Marshall Fire, which ripped through the land adjacent to the now-demolished Elements Hotel.
Yetka joked that a pandemic and fire may have been a sign they shouldn’t buy the site, but she was committed. The company expects to finally close on the deal next year.
Yetka said her latest hurdle is increased building and labor costs.
“It’s been a lot more challenging for us to make the numbers work,” Yetka said. “It’s not a great time to be opening businesses.”
Yetka hired Coburn Architects and PG Arnold Construction for the build. Melissa Friday with Xan Creative designed the space.
While keeping most things the same, Yetka said the second location will have a rooftop patio, a full kitchen and a dedicated event space. The winery offers around 20 different wines, most of which are made in and sourced from Napa Valley, although it recently debuted its first Colorado wine.
“We want to be an amenity for Superior,” Yetka said. “It doesn’t have anything right now … there’s no community gathering point.”
