On Saturday, Nov. 28, two things happen in Olde Town Arvada on the same evening. The 21st Annual Holiday Tree Lighting fills Olde Town Square from 5 to 7 p.m. It is also Small Business Saturday, the date the City of Arvada, the Olde Town Arvada Business Improvement District and the Arvada Economic Development Association are promoting together after a fall of business closings across town.
The city's shop-local day and Olde Town's biggest holiday event fall on the same Saturday this year. It comes right after a stretch in which Olde Town's two longtime coffee shops announced they were closing.
A Fall of Closing Announcements
Three of the four closings announced this year are Olde Town fixtures, and three of the announcements came within a few weeks this fall.
| Business | Location | What was announced |
|---|---|---|
| The Bluegrass Coffee and Bourbon Lounge | 7415 Grandview Ave. and Candelas | Closing at the end of October, after 11 years in Olde Town and six in Candelas |
| Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters | Olde Town café | Closing on Friday, Nov. 6, after opening in Arvada in November 2016 |
| Safeway | 7561 W. 80th Ave. | Arvada's only Safeway, set to close by Nov. 14 |
| Silver Vines Winery | Olde Town | Open through December, closing at the end of 2026 after 15 years |
The Arvada Press described The Bluegrass as a coffee, bourbon and jack-of-all-trades hangout and one of Arvada's most eclectic spots. By the time Westword's October roundup of openings and closings came out on Oct. 31, it listed both locations as closed.
Hunter Bay's announcement came a little over a week later. As Denverite reported, the roaster was founded in 1991 in Missoula, Montana, and plans to keep selling its beans online and at Costco. It also told followers on Instagram, "We won't go far!" No new café location has been named.
Silver Vines announced its closing on its Facebook page on June 29, so it is the one closing with a long goodbye. The winery stays open through December.
How the City Responded
The Arvada Press piece on the shop-local push puts the closings in context. Mike Tedesco, AEDA's executive director, told the paper that many small businesses are "running pretty thin" and are "looking toward this holiday shopping season." He also said he did not see the closings as cause for alarm yet. AEDA and the city have been talking with the owner of the Safeway property about bringing in a new tenant, and AEDA is working with property owners to fill closed storefronts.
Deputy City Manager Allison Scheck kept her suggestions simple when she spoke to the Arvada Press:
"Great options for gift cards. Buy gift cards for friends and family. Please eat in local restaurants. Order takeout, delivery. Let's keep these local businesses in business."
There are two easy ways to follow that advice. The Olde Town gift card can be bought online, and the district says it works at more than 40 businesses. AEDA also points shoppers to its business directory at arvadaeconomicdevelopment.org, which is organized by sector. That helps if you are looking for a gift shop or a lunch spot and not sure what is still open.
The city's push centers on Nov. 28, and so does Olde Town's main holiday event.
How Nov. 28 Runs, Hour by Hour
The 2026 tree lighting listing is a short evening program:
- 5 p.m. A brass band march led by Guerrilla Fanfare starts in front of Eli Ashby/Carly's Boutique. You can join it at 7401 Grandview Avenue.
- 5:30 p.m. Live music starts in Olde Town Square and continues until 7.
- 6 p.m. Mayor Lauren Simpson hosts the tree lighting in Olde Town Square.
- After the lighting There is Skating in the Square and holiday shopping until the event ends at 7.
This year's event is shorter than last year's. The 2025 lighting, on Nov. 29, started at 2 p.m. with a pop-up makers' market of local artisan vendors. The 2026 listing covers only the two evening hours. If you want to shop for Small Business Saturday, go earlier in the day while the stores are open and the sidewalks are less crowded, then come back for the march at 5.
Getting there is easy. All parking in Olde Town is free, including more than 600 covered spaces at the Olde Town parking hub at 5575 Vance Street. The listing also suggests taking the G Line. Olde Town allows to-go drinks, so you can ask your server for one and walk the pedestrian zone under the lights.
A New Bookstore Opens a Tent on Nov. 19
While some Olde Town spots are closing, one new business is getting ready to open. My Book Cellar, a bookstore with a bar and café planned for 5715 Upham Street, says on its website that the shop is "Coming Winter 2026." Before then, it will sell from a heated event tent at the same address starting Nov. 19.
The Winter Book Nook runs two stretches:
- Thursday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 22
- Friday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Nov. 29
Hours are 3 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The tent has new books, bookish gifts, drinks for all ages, local artists and author pop-ups.
The second stretch includes Nov. 28. On Small Business Saturday, the tent is open from 11 to 4, and the march at 7401 Grandview starts an hour after it closes. That leaves time for a bookstore stop, an early dinner on Grandview and the 6 p.m. lighting in one afternoon and evening. When the Arvada Press first reported the plan, My Book Cellar was aiming to open "sometime before the holidays," with permits still pending. The tent will let it start selling before the permanent shop opens.
Two More Dates Before the Year Ends
Silver Vines Winery has scheduled a 15th Anniversary Party for Sunday, Dec. 6, from 2 to 6 p.m. The winery stays open through December before it closes at the end of 2026, so the party is one of its last big events in Olde Town.
If you miss an Olde Town favorite that left the district this year, 303 Ramen is one to look up. Six months after a fire badly damaged its longtime Olde Town home, it opened a new location on Sept. 11 at 8025 Sheridan Boulevard in northeast Arvada. It's a short drive from the square, still in Arvada, and counts as a local business for anyone shopping small this season.
Olde Town's Calendar Through Year's End
- By Nov. 14: Safeway at 7561 W. 80th Ave., near 80th and Wadsworth, is set to close.
- Nov. 19 to 22: My Book Cellar's Winter Book Nook, 5715 Upham St.
- Nov. 27 to 29: Winter Book Nook, second stretch.
- Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday, and the 21st Annual Holiday Tree Lighting from 5 to 7 p.m., with the lighting at 6.
- Dec. 6: Silver Vines 15th Anniversary Party, 2 to 6 p.m.
- End of December: Silver Vines closes its Olde Town location.
If you'd like to talk about Olde Town Arvada over coffee while you're planning your Nov. 28, I'd love to hear which local shops are on your list this year. I'm Trish Kelly, and I'm always happy to share what I'm seeing around Arvada's small businesses, or to set up a free consultation whenever you're ready.
