Inside Ballyhoo: Denver's New Spot for Performance, Coffee and Cocktails

It’s a clear, sunny afternoon in the Highland neighborhood, and the sidewalks hum with late-afternoon energy. Cyclists coast past moms pushing strollers, couples share meals on restaurant patios, and the sun casts long golden shadows across the block. 

At the corner of 33rd and Tejon is Ballyhoo — a colorful, multi-use venue where art, caffeine, cocktails and community will soon converge. Producer Julia Tobey has transformed the former home of the BRDG Project into a space that’s part neighborhood café, part performance venue and entirely devoted to gathering.

"We believe this is a truly critical time to bring people together and celebrate humanity," Tobey explains. “And we believe our new third space will save lives.”
 

Ballyhoo is intended to serve as both a daily neighborhood hangout and a thriving hub for performance and events. Tobey says she looked for the right spot for seven years before landing on Ballyhoo's location. She has a five-year lease with the option to extend for another five years, and she hopes to purchase the building after ten years of operation.

Ballyhoo will hold a soft launch today, a BYOB karaoke night led by Tobey's friend, composer David Nehls. When the place is officially open, the front coffee bar will serve Queen City Collective Coffee at 7 a.m., with cocktails starting at 8 a.m. "As soon as the city gives us a green light, we will open the bar and the cabaret space," Tobey says. "That's when we'll officially be open for business, and then we've got a massive grand opening with our nonprofit partner, BRDG Project, planned for Saturday, September 27."

The creative vision is expansive, but making Ballyhoo happen has required grit. The permitting process with the city has been long and complicated. “We had a food peddler license in process from March, and they were like, ‘No, you’re actually a retail food license,’ so we had to reapply,” Tobey explains. The liquor license, a key component of the business model, has also taken months to process.

“I’ve been a theatrical producer for thirty years, but I have never in my life dealt with as much paperwork as the City of Denver," Tobey says. "The permitting process is also not easy. The exterior signage, for instance, is going to take six weeks before we can have it say 'Ballyhoo.' Right now, it still says, 'BRDG Project.' We're going to put up a banner that says, ‘Ballyhoo coming soon,’ but if we put up any permanent signage, it's a minimum of four weeks, probably six to eight to twelve weeks of work. City of Denver, I love you, but oh my God, you make it hard."

She’s also financing much of the venture herself. "Our overhead is $20,000 a month with zero revenue," Tobey says. "We have a couple of investors and are looking for more, but I'll be honest, it’s coming out of my personal savings. The equity on my home is gone. We are investing everything into making this fly."

Construction, equipment and startup costs are pushing the project toward a $300,000 raise. “I have an SBA loan that is a huge, gorgeous loan, but they won’t give me the funds until the liquor license is approved," she says. "Alcohol sales are key to the entire business. I think of the coffee shop as marketing; it's a break-even business. But buying a bottle of vodka for $20 and selling it for $100 retail, combined with high-quality events, is how we make the business work."

To help get the venue across the finish line, Ballyhoo launched a public fundraiser aiming to raise $50,000 for final buildout costs. So far, it’s brought in over $21,000, with donations open through July 31.

Despite the challenges, Tobey remains fiercely focused on Ballyhoo’s mission: to create a space that’s joyful, inclusive and built to last. She’s working eighty to 100 hours a week to make it happen, balancing creative vision with bottom-line logistics as she manages a small team of five.

“My title is Chief Shenanigans Officer,” she says. “I am CEO, but I created a different title because I have to remain high-level. I have to remain focused on here's how we're going to support overhead, here's how we're going to support operation costs. But my love is in art, so how do we activate creatively and excitingly?"