DENVER —The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled an effort to combine voter approval of grocery and convenience stores to sell wine and to use third-party home delivery onto one ballot initiative was unconstitutional.
The Court then gave the go-ahead to two other initiatives that separated the issues.
Proponents of the changes in the liquor law have until Aug. 8 to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
The Court said the Colorado Constitution requires that only one subject is permitted per initiative and combining sale and delivery was a violation.
The Colorado Supreme Court decision overruled the state's title board.
FIRESTONE —QuikTrip is expanding into Colorado. Its first store opened recently in Firestone in the northern part of the state. Corporate also has purchased a site in Lakewood, a Denver suburb, to continue expansion.
The Oklahoma-based chain said it chose the area for its first foray into Colorado because its population is booming and the state has dropped its restrictions on selling beer in convenience stores. If voters approve, wine also may be available for sale next year.
The Firestone store brings QuikTrip's number of stores to 945. The chain is planning to open 50 to 70 stores in the state in the next five years, with five to be ready in 2022 in the Denver area. Each will feature 4,800-square-foot buildings on 2.5 acres.
The Lakewood store will be on the site of a former art hub, which had its start as a pawn shop, then transformed into Pasternack's Art Hub, a space for artists. Several art galleries took up residence.
The building owners, Fred and Mona Pasternack, said they enjoyed having a little art world, but it got too expensive. When QuikTrip purchased the parking lot the Pasternacks decided "it was time to sell." They felt better about it when the 40 West District announced it is building a new spot for the galleries.
Another Colorado newcomer, Pearland, TX.-based Buc-ee's, plans to open a store in Johnstown in 2024. A ground-breaking ceremony recently launched the project.
DENVER —Driven Brands Car Wash North America has acquired two more Colorado carwashes, bringing the total it owns to nineteen.
The latest acquisitions are the Black Diamond Auto Wash in Golden and The Glo Car Wash in Arvada.
The corporation noted the Black Diamond is strategically located as it is the first wash motorists see as they exit the highway coming from the ski resorts. It has the added advantage of having a state-of-the-art belt system, which the company says is safer for wheels.
The Glo Car Wash has updated American and German automatic wash engineering.
"We are excited because Colorado provides great additions to our network," said John Teddy, president of the North America operation.
ANTONITO —A gasoline station here blew its top. So did the owner, who had just purchased the property.
A 70-mile-per-hour wind was responsible for sending the canopy off the Pacheco station. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Robert Pacheco had purchased the station two months earlier and was in the process of remodeling. He planned to offer the lowest prices in town. Although one pump was damaged, three others were still functioning and, undaunted, Pacheco stayed open while he contacted his insurance company.
DENVER —The average street price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Colorado hit a record high of $4.91 in late June. Diesel also sold at an unprecedented level of $5.53.
The climb for unleaded was breathtakingly swift. The price went from $4.13 to $4.87 to $4.90 to $4.91 in one month, often jumping rapidly in a couple of days.
The figures were compiled by AAA Colorado, which noted that nationwide prices had dropped in the same time frame.
Colorado saw the biggest price jump in the nation. Colorado used to have among the cheapest prices. Now it ranks 26th.
The situation would have been worse if the Colorado Legislature had not decided to delay a two-cent increase in the gasoline tax that had been scheduled to take effect July 1. It was put off to April 1 2023.
Although the new tax was earmarked for work on crumbling roads and bridges and for measures tackling climate change, legislators agreed with Gov. Jared Polis that 2022 was not the time to add to the burden of the state's residents. Federal funds are expected to take up the slack.
The relief is small. Analysts predicted it would only save a motorist $7.20.
Polis declined a request from President Biden to suspend the gasoline tax altogether, saying it would have cost the state $165.7 million needed for roads and would have reduced the amount in surplus funds taxpayers are getting back this year.
CASTLE ROCK —Kum & Go is popular in most locations, but sometimes it faces opposition to its expansion plans.
The chain withdrew its application to rezone an area here that would have allowed construction of a gasoline station and convenience store after residents said it was not needed and would have caused congestion and other problems.
"While we believe we could have mitigated many of the concerns expressed by residents we felt it was important to respect their strong desire not to have a fueling station at this location," said a spokesperson.
The company will look for a more appropriate site in the area, he said.
In the Colorado Springs Ivywild area residents are also fighting erection of a gasoline station that they said would cause pollution and congestion problems. The City Planning Commission reversed an earlier approval of the project, but Kum & Go is appealing to the City Council.
GUNNISON —It's not your usual convenience store —not by a long shot.
Powerstop sells the usual gasoline and quick pick items, but it also offers a wide variety of fresh burgers, such as Hawaiian, with cream cheese, pineapple, jalapenos and sweet chili and, for the more traditional crowd, barbecue bacon burgers with cheese, tomato, bacon and barbecue sauce. The beef is from local suppliers and the bread is home-baked. Customers have a choice of four different beers on tap.
While they eat they can expect to be entertained.
The shelves of snacks slide away to provide room for stand-up comedy and concerts. The performers are used to it now, but in the past when they walked in they couldn't believe their stage was in a gas station, co-owner Deven Bennett said.
The walls contain original art. A street-type mural features a crazed moose chasing down a hamburger, and a big horn ram and a bear joy-riding in a hot rod overlooks the drink stations. Over the counter where the cooks dispatch their orders is a tribute to Nintendo's Mario Bros.
Deven and his brother Sean left the real estate business during the housing market collapse and bought the gas station in a foreclosure sale. Immediately they decided on a unique theme.
"We didn't want a super boring gas station convenience store."
They also run a bar next door where customers can order burgers from the gas station and play games.
COLORADO SPRINGS —With motorists bemoaning the price of gasoline as it passed $4 a gallon, it is notable that a hundred years ago the public was doing the same thing.
From the Colorado Springs Gazette of 1922:
"More bad news for the automobile owner. Effective today the price of gasoline is boosted one cent, making the retail price 25 cents a gallon. This is the third time in a few weeks that gasoline prices have increased."
And in 1947:
"The price of operating an automobile became more expensive today. Most of the major gasoline dealers raised the price one cent. But that's not all. Another hike of two cents goes into effect at midnight Monday, when the increased state tax becomes official. Tuesday morning gasoline will retail for 25 cents."
MEAD —After negotiations with the town fathers finally bore fruit, plans are back on track to open a new convenience store in 2023, announced Loveland-based Agfinity Inc., an agriculture cooperative. The store will be built in the heart of downtown.
COLORADO SPRINGS —The robber apparently was not tech-savvy and was left holding an empty bag.
Authorities said the man produced three gift cards at a convenience store and told the clerk to activate them. She tried, but couldn't do it because there was no payment, so the man left, dispirited.
Originally published in the August 2022 issue of the O&A Marketing News.
© KAL Publications Inc. 2022