By Marilyn Bromberg
If you ever need to hire an electrician, you always want to choose the person who actually likes the work and knows what they’re doing. After all, who in their right mind would voluntarily subject themselves to working with such a potentially dangerous source of power? Fortunately, Mayfair has a resident with the predilection for both electricity and problem solving in Mike Nelson, owner of Fairfax Home Solutions.
Raised in Buffalo, NY where he lived until his mid-20s, Mike figured out that he liked hands-on work, a career lesson he learned as a diesel mechanic, and working construction. When his then girlfriend Kieran, later to become wife, got a job in Tacoma, WA, Mike moved to the Northwest where the climate, and in particular, lack of snow, suited him perfectly. Working in property management of multi-unit complexes exposed him to just about everything possible that can go wrong in a building. “If you don’t like to solve problems, this is the wrong line of work,” says Mike. Fortunately, these were challenges he enjoyed, and they proved to be invaluable experience for what lay ahead.
When the couple moved to Denver (home for Kieran who grew up in Park Hill) in 1997, Mike wasted no time in diving into work in Denver’s booming economy, taking a job as a commercial maintenance manager in the Tech Center. In the summer of 1999, Mike began his electrical apprenticeship and, in 2002, obtained his journeyman’s license. While commercial jobs made up the bulk of his work, Mike continued to take on residential side work, both as a matter of practicality and enjoyable variety. In 2006, Mike decided to strike out on his own. “It was a big leap,” he says, but decided it was well worth the risk. “I’d always wanted to have my own business, and there’s a unique challenge in knowing that I’m totally responsible for my own success.”
Mike obtained his contractor’s license in 2007, and today, you’re likely to find him working on a residential job, partnering with other trades people to provide solutions to a full array of homeowner needs from minor repairs to major kitchen or bath remodels. He has a special affinity for older homes, especially here in Mayfair. His familiarity with older construction helps him assess and fix the problem quickly, reinforcing his reputation as an expert, and an advocate for working and investing locally. Added together, his new life as a self-employed businessman presents him with continuous challenges, welcome predictability, and a steady stream of new clients thanks to satisfied customer referrals. “The best clients are the ones you already have,” says Mike. Based on his success, there’s little chance that he’s going to let the lights go out on his customers—or his business.
By Mike Nelson
The ever-changing restaurant scene in Mayfair never ceases to amaze me. Sometimes, just when you fall in love with a place it’s gone! Open for literally one week when we visited, OiNKs! BBQ is an example of a new establishment “rising from the ashes.”
Lacking a good BBQ joint (until now), owners Mason & Bobbi Capps have brought to the neighborhood not only their dream to open their own restaurant, but one that serves freshly made, delicious food using sustainable and responsible products.
You can’t talk BBQ without talking about the sauce, right? OiNKs! makes their own sauces in small batches. That extra “homemade” touch really shows in the results; there’s a sauce for every taste –the mustard and vinegar sauces are quite lovely, but my personal favorite was the “9 Volt Hot” while my family preferred the sweet Texas-Style.
Onto the food itself: I thoroughly enjoyed my “cool hot link” sandwich, which consisted of a generous portion of tasty hot links on a bun slathered with jalapeno cream cheese. This strange, yet intriguing combination of flavors was outstanding! My wife and daughter devoured the St. Louis-style ribs. Chicken, brisket, pork, and tofu are also on the menu. The sides range from healthy to deep fried. We tried a few and all were tasty. We especially liked the sweet potato fries and the OiNK beans. Wash everything down with fresh-made lemonade or iced tea and you have yourself a perfect BBQ experience!
Of course, no review would be complete in my family without a sampling of the desserts. The Heath Bar Brownie, Cinnamon Pecan Tartlet, and Key Lime White Chocolate cupcake were all mouth watering.
You can eat in or take your food to go. Kids’ meals are a great value. Family-size portions and catering are also available.
OiNKs! BBQ, 6110 E. Colfax Avenue. Open daily 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 303.355.7900. Accepts VISA, MasterCard, and Discover. See www.OiNKsBBQ.com for complete menu.
NEW: Make sure to stop by Jett Asian Kitchen and Sushi Bar in the former Senior Ritas at Colfax & Elm, and Deluxe Burger at Colfax and Glencoe. Please make sure to stop by both of these restaurants. Frequenting our local establishments will help keep them open and can only make Mayfair a better, more vibrant community!
By David Hughes, Owner
Did you say vinyl records?!
Yes, there really is a vinyl record store in the area that specializes in rare, hard-to-find, collectible LPs and 45 RPMs! Adding a little bit of musical and artistic culture to the Mayfair neighborhood, LPHound’s Vinyl House has been going strong since October of 2008 and continues to bring not only live local music bands but also some of the greatest music from the past ever recorded on vinyl. Everything from classic jazz, soul, disco, R&B, and funk to classic rock, punk, blues, 80’s and 70’s era, and even some amazingly rare and early titles of country music and golden oldies—all available at affordable prices!
Word on the street is that this shop has a little more to offer than other record stores in the Denver area from the personal and friendly customer service, clean and organized atmosphere, but more specifically in the quality and range of the inventory it provides. LPHound’s Vinyl House is a unique little shop that takes great pride in its customers and in the product it provides The shop has grown tremendously over the past year and a half of its existence, not only in the amount of stock it supplies but in the way they do business such as lower, more competitive pricing and outstanding customer service. It truly is a small independently owned and operated business with a lot of spunk and possibility—a tremendous asset and added appeal for the local neighborhood.
If you’re in the area, drop in and say hello, even just to look around and enjoy the aesthetic and relaxed atmosphere that only such a store can provide. We buy, sell, and trade in vinyl and also offer several other services such as record collection appraisals, sales of music related merchandise, and retail sales of turntables from high-end to standard low-cost record players.
LPHound’s Vinyl House is located at 6235 E14th Ave at Krameria, 303.593.2540.
Join LPHound’s Vinyl House for some special events planned for this summer including regular live music on various Saturdays featuring local talent such as The Good Grime Sound System, The Call Me Home Band, and many others.
On July 3, LPHound’s will be hosting “DogPHound’s Denver Punk Rock Music Festival” featuring around TWENTY local punk rock music groups and vendors of related merchandise, which is guaranteed to bring a high flow of customer traffic to the surrounding businesses. |
Be sure to visit Googie just a couple doors down.
By Marilyn Bromberg
If you want to see the new faces of entrepreneurship, walk into Googie where you’ll meet Tracy and Jonathan Donley. This young, enterprising couple has taken their love of neighborhood and appreciation for the retro space they occupy in the Mayfair Shopping Center to open an eclectic and totally charming new business for “mod décor and apparel” that breathes new life and interest into this oft-overlooked part of the neighborhood.
In fact, the couple’s choice of the name Googie derives from a style of architecture born in the post-WWII car-culture and thrived in the 1950s and 1960s. According to spaceagecity.com, “bold angles, colorful signs, plate glass, sweeping cantilevered roofs and pop-culture imagery” characterized buildings constructed during that time. True to style, a honey-colored wood ceiling bathed in light streaming through high windows looms overhead in addition to the all-glass front that welcomes patrons. “We fell in love with this space, and knew it would be perfect for what we wanted to do,” says Tracy. Looking around confirms that she and Jonathan have interestingly and efficiently created a space that houses retail, a recording studio, and a sub-let boutique salon. (Hair Brains was scheduled to open in mid-May.)
The Donley’s venture is a combination of talents. Jonathan has always been in the music and recording business, and Googie has given him the opportunity to move his audio/video business, Donley Productions and Lucy Fur Records, into a retail space complete with green screen and recording studio (available for rental). Tracy’s background is in design and journalism (she writes for a national financial publication in addition to the store), evident by the unique and retro furniture and accessories they collect and sell. There’s also new women’s, men’s and kid’s clothing that’s contemporary and fresh. “Googie is a place you can come when you want something for a Saturday night on the town,” says Tracy. “It’s fun, colorful, and very affordable.” Plus, new shipments arrive from Los Angeles weekly so there’s no worry that you’ll meet yourself coming down the street.
Perhaps the best reason to shop at Googie, however, is for the same reason Tracy and Jonathan decided to open a business just a few blocks from home. “We loved the neighborhood and knew that we’d become more active if we invested in our community,” says Tracy. Be sure to stop by and meet this enterprising couple. Our support of local businesses is what makes Mayfair unique and thrive.
Googie, 6231 East 14th Ave., 720.328.0478. Open Tuesday-Saturday.
Be sure to visit LPHound’s Vinyl House just a couple doors down.
