Struggling East Colfax shops say help is urgently needed
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A warning at La Playa Mex shopping center on East Colfax Avenue. Photo: Robert Sanchez/Axios
Aurora is setting up a new development authority to tackle safety and disinvestment concerns along East Colfax, and immigrant shop owners say help can't come soon enough.
Why it matters: East Colfax Avenue has long offered an affordable foothold for small businesses. But crime is eroding that access — and empty storefronts show the costs.
State of play: Voters authorized the Aurora Downtown Development Authority (DDA) last November — an entity that will use tax-increment financing for improvements.
- The authority's boundaries include East Colfax — plus surrounding blocks — between Yosemite and Peoria streets.
- A seven-member board could be in place later this month to oversee that work.
The big picture: Today, East Colfax is among the Denver metro's most visible pockets of urban blight.
- Walmart and Walgreens left East Colfax in 2024, decisions city officials attributed to persistent retail theft.
- Storefronts are boarded up, windows broken, walls tagged.
Some stores ask customers to remove ski masks and hoods.
- Another warns: "Do Not 'Pee' Here The Camera Is Looking At You."
And business owners say conditions are worsening.
- "It shouldn't be this scary to run a business," says Serge Kamanda, 48, who immigrated from Congo and runs a beauty shop near East Colfax and Fulton Street.
- People have tried to break into his store at least four times since November 2024, including masked men who attempted to force open a locked door.
Friction point: Several business owners and their employees say police are unresponsive to calls about suspicious activity.
- "All we want is to feel safe," says Ivania Ortega, 52, who cuts hair at the Imperio Latino salon and has seen a steady customer decline over safety issues.
- Police say high call volume and limited staffing require them to prioritize life-threatening emergencies, but every call is logged and officers eventually respond.
Aurora police are urging people to report crime. "It's important that community members and business owners feel comfortable" doing so, says Joshua Nicholas, the department's community relations manager. "If we don't know about it, it flies under the radar."
What we're hearing: Ruby Kumordzi, 58, immigrated from Gambia and runs a boutique inside the La Plaza Mex shopping center.
- Earlier this year, she strained her shoulder wrestling 20 bras away from a thief.
- "I worry about the next time; are they going to come at me with a gun?"
What's next: Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman — who says East Colfax was neglected "for decades" — is set to present DDA board nominees to the City Council this month. Board interviews began last week; Councilwoman Alli Jackson has already been selected.
- The board's first task: Finalize the Colfax Community Vision and Action Plan.
The bottom line: A long-hoped-for East Colfax turnaround may finally be within reach — but the question is whether some businesses can afford the wait.