Inspirational quotes are written on rocks in the “Stone Soup” pot at the Commons on Champa.

A planter pot full of big rocks sits between two cushiony seats at 1245 Champa Street, inspired by the children’s story, “Stone Soup.”

Words written on each rock represent a contribution to the Commons on Champa, a new space intended to support and nurture Denver’s entrepreneurs.

“This project has truly been a community effort,” says Erik Mitisek, CEO of the Colorado Technology Association. “Ryan Heckman [of the Quarterly Forum and Colorado Impact Fund] equated the Commons on Champa with stone soup. You start with a pot of water, and each partner drops in their piece.”

The Commons on Champa is located in the heart of downtown Denver, close to the 16th Street mall, the Convention Center and the Capitol.

The Commons opened its doors on Wednesday, drawing a huge crowd for the morning’s ribbon cutting ceremony with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. 

“This center is going to be ground zero for innovation and entrepreneurship for years to come,” Hancock says. “I’m proud of our community and excited about what this means for the future.”

Between 2007 and 2013, Denver County attracted thousands of young people – a 57 percent increase in millennials – and the Commons on Champa is looking to tap into the innovative ideas that they bring. A joint effort driven by the Colorado Technology Association and the Downtown Denver Partnership, the Commons welcomes anyone and everyone with business-centric ideas.

Tami Door, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership, sits next to the Commons’ version of “Stone Soup.”

“There’s no definition for who should walk in here, besides ‘you,’” says Tami Door, president and CEO of the Downtown Denver Partnership. “Anyone who wants to know more about what it means to start a business. Anyone who is thinking about starting a business. Anyone who has been planning and is getting ready to take the leap, or who has done it before and is about to do it again but with a new perspective. Anyone who already has a business and is maybe thinking about breaking off and creating a new division. We want them, and everyone in between.”

For example, Door says that lots of food and beverage companies are popping up in Denver, and that the Commons can support their growth by connecting them with technology companies. 

“That unusual pairing is unique to the Commons,” she says. “It’s about entrepreneurship and business, but not about any one sector. It’s about how different sectors can help each other. Innovation happens when you mash everything up.”

The opening day included lunch, several panels on entrepreneurship, business and mentoring and a final reception-style gathering featuring snacks and drinks from more than a dozen local companies: Steuben’s Food Truck, Renegade Brewing, K-Sauce, Sugarmill, PB Love Company, Red Camper, Great Divide Brewing, Rocky Mountain Soda, The Pomm LLC, Elevation Gourmet, Novo Coffee, Snooze AM Eatery, The Real Dill, Glazed and Confused Donuts and Love Grown Foods.

Attendees at the opening day of the Commons on Champa chat in between discussion panels.

Attendees drifted from one end of the Commons to the other, some with a local Rocky Mountain Soda ginger beer in hand, others settling in conference rooms for discussions. 

The space is fully equipped with the latest technologies, much of it funded and installed by Comcast. 

“It’s outfitted with a multi-gigabit fiber link that enables entrepreneurs to take advantage of any and all high-speed cloud capabilities,” says Rusty Nelson, venues lead architect with Comcast. “They can access and create anything they need to with the high bandwidth link here.”

One of three conference rooms at the Commons, equipped with drawing boards and presentation devices.

Door says that the space is now operational, and it’s time for the community to use it. 

“It’s the community’s turn to bring their resources, their services here and collaborate and give back,” she says. “I think that is the spirit of Denver.”

Those resources and services will provide education and mentorship to growing businesses and to entrepreneurs who are looking to create new businesses. The Commons simply provides a place for those connections to take place. While planning the space, the CTA and the DDP researched other collaborative public spaces across the country. 

“We looked everywhere and never found a collaboration between the public, private and non-profit sectors that set forth to make a public space at this level,” Door says. “I believe this center is building a culture of innovative entrepreneurship. It’s especially important for companies that are considering relocating to Denver, that they know what the culture is like here. The stronger the community is, the more they’ll give back and perpetuate that culture.”

By April Nowicki