As Parker continues to grow in the southeastern part of the Denver metro area, its downtown Mainstreet is entering a heyday, according to business owners.
At least six businesses have opened on Mainstreet in the last year, with more on the way. But what does it mean for the businesses that have been here for decades?
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When Joshua Rivero was growing up in Parker in the 80s, the downtown looked a lot different.
“Main Street was kind of a ghost town. It was pretty quiet down here. There was folks that had offices, but there wasn’t a lot of life down here,” said Rivero.
As an adult, he opened Fika Coffee House.
“We bought it on April 1, 2008 and we’ve been open and strong ever since,” said Rivero. “We call it Parker’s living room. It’s a great little shop.”
As a business owner, Rivero began advocating for improvements on Mainstreet.
“We needed walkability, and we needed to get more businesses to come down here,” Rivero said.
Today, Rivero is the mayor of a very different Parker. One with 72,000 residents, and a bustling Main Street.
“I’m proud. I really am,” Rivero said.
Shelli Mango, founder and chair of the Downtown Business Alliance, says Parker “really has changed.”
“There’s more and more people that are moving into Parker. The (number of) residents has grown. The housing has grown, and now the commercial needs to grow with it,” said Mango.
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The Downtown Business Alliance has been working behind the scenes for years, bringing in new restaurants, shops, and apartments and marketing the retail district downtown.
“We’re activating all of the Main Street to have people be able to walk up and down Main Street and shop and dine and do all the things,” Mango said.
Having thousands of new residents doesn’t hurt.
“Foot traffic is definitely increased,” said Petit Parker owner Jill Callan.
Callan regularly sees prospective new neighbors in her shop.
“They’re shopping for homes. So I’m like, ‘It’s the best place to raise kids,'” Callan said.
But some people worry Parker is getting too big.
Rivero says the Douglas County town is not planning to expand its footprint, or grow past 85,000 people. After development in the southwest corner of town near Hess Road and Chambers Street, Rivero says Parker’s sprawl will largely be “built out.” Then the town’s focus will shift to making improvements within existing boundaries, like downtown.
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“We don’t plan on getting any bigger. We’re not like some of our neighbors and just want to grow, grow, grow,” Rivero said.
He’s also not worried about shiny new businesses hurting longtime Parker staples like Fika.
“I know there’s room for everybody,” said Rivero. “When you can make a place where people feel comfortable coming to every day … that benefits all businesses and benefits our community as a whole.”
“I think there’s plenty of people out there to share amongst all the restaurants and shops,” said Mango. “I think anytime you can create more vibrancy in a downtown, it’s better for all the businesses.”
Rivero adds that Parker supported Fika through a burglary and the pandemic.
“This town loves their mom and pops. This town loves locally owned businesses. They just rally. We made it through COVID stronger than ever,” said Rivero. “There is no better place than Parker to own a small business.”
Rivero believes Parker will be able to keep its small-town Colorado feel even as it grows.
“As long as we can maintain that feeling of neighborliness, that feeling of ‘Welcome home to your hometown,’ it doesn’t matter if we’re 3,000 when I moved here or 72,000 now. It’s still the same town,” Rivero said.
On the East end of Main Street is The Juniper, a brand new apartment complex that features restaurants and shops on the first floor.
East Main, another apartment complex is currently under construction. East Main will feature more than 300 apartments, restaurants and retail. East Main comes from Confluence Companies, the developer behind Castle Rock’s Riverwalk.
These projects are part of Parker’s goal to extend the Main Street retail area east to the library.
