Which two months does a downtown gift shop count on most? Suzanne Sereff has run Warm Hugs on 10th Street for close to 20 years, and she gave the Greeley Tribune a plain answer: "We make more in November and December than we do the rest of the year."
That answer shaped downtown Greeley's construction calendar. The digging ran through September and October, which are among the slowest retail months. The holiday stretch was scheduled to stay as clear as possible. A longer closure is due after the current utility work, so the next eight weeks are probably the easiest time to shop downtown for a while.
Retailers picked the calendar
The work under the streets is the City of Greeley's Downtown Infrastructure Improvements Project. It covers nearly 20 blocks and replaces old water, sewer and stormwater lines. The City lists more than a mile of stormwater pipe, 1.3 miles of box culverts and more than two miles of water, sewer and non-potable mains. According to the Tribune, the work came first because Weld County is building its new justice center downtown and didn't want a $300 million to $400 million building to flood.
The timing came from the people who sell downtown. "Some of the feedback that was found and clear from some of our retailers was, 'Please, please, please avoid November and December,'" Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Bianca Fisher told the Tribune.
Pablo Guzman, owner of Midnight Oil Bookstore, explained the other side of that choice in the same article:
"September and January are going to be the slowest months for retail generally. So that's something I appreciate, they asked when the slowest time of year was and picked a really good time."
Midnight Oil sits at 827 10th St., which put it right in the middle of the October work on 10th Street. Corri Mehan of Downtown Oddity Parlor, around the corner at 906 9th Ave., said the biggest problem has been what people assume. "I've had a lot of people say, 'You can't even get down there,' and I'm like, 'No, you can!'"
Where the fences stand going into November
Downtown is still active and the closures change often, so treat this as a snapshot. It combines the City's Oct. 16 street report, its September-through-November phase map and an Oct. 28 notice.
| Location | Status in the latest City updates |
|---|---|
| 8th Avenue at 10th Street | Reopened to southbound traffic Tuesday, Oct. 20 |
| Northbound 8th Avenue at 11th Street | Restricted to a right turn |
| Westbound 10th Street, 8th to 11th avenues | Closed, with detours and less on-street parking |
| 9th Avenue north of 10th Street | Closed under the fall phase plan |
| 9th Avenue south of 10th Street | Open |
| 9th Avenue at 10th Street | One lane each way east and west |
| 9th Avenue, 11th to 12th streets | Closed, including the 9th/12th intersection |
The Tribune had reported that the whole 8th and 10th intersection was slated to reopen Nov. 1. The City's notice confirms only the southbound reopening. The phase map targeted "early November" for this round of work and says closures are proposed and subject to change. Before you go, check the City's Downtown Infrastructure project page. It also says all scheduled downtown events will go on as planned.
The bingo card covers the fenced blocks
The City and the DDA started Bingo on the Blocks on Nov. 1, and it runs through Jan. 1, 2027. Each square on the card is a downtown business. You ask for a stamp or signature at each one, and no purchase is needed. One completed line earns a $15 Downtown Greeley gift card, two lines earn $30 and a full blackout earns $50. You can redeem once, only at your highest tier, and only while funds last.
Players must be 16 or older. When your card is done, email a selfie holding it plus a clear photo of the back to [email protected] by Jan. 1. Cards are reviewed on Fridays and approved gift cards go out on Mondays.
The DDA lists the 25 participating businesses as a single list. Sorted by street, they line up closely with the work zones:
- 10th Street, inside the October work zone: Midnight Oil Bookstore at 827, Downtown Sound Records & Tapes at 819 Unit C, and Warm Hugs Mixes & Gifts at 809.
- 9th Avenue, near the 10th Street intersection: Mom's Popcorn at 900, Downtown Oddity Parlor at 906, VALE Cold Pressed Juice at 910, Alkynes of Vines at 916, Ellie's Corner Pie Shop and Bakery at 920, Rise & Pies Pies & Pastries at 940, and Yetter's Brewing Company at 1011.
- 9th Street, at the Lincoln Park end: MOXI Theater, Spotlight Cafe & Creamery and Stella's Pinball Arcade & Lounge, all at 802, plus The Cow Saloon & Eatery at 800 and Makers Mercantile & Studio at 824 Suite A.
- 8th Avenue: Aunt Helen's Coffee House at 800 Suite 101, Accessories with a Flair! and Hair at 801 Suite 4, Edison's Ice Cream at 911, Roasty's Diner & The Bakery at 918 and 920, Nifty Thriftyz at 1008, Austin's American Grill at 1100 Suite 100, and La Tarahumara at 1101.
- 8th Street: Greeley History Museum at 714, Mystic Willow Boutique at 805 Suite 200, and The Nerd Store & Nerd Store Toys at 805 and 807.
You can pick up a printed card at any participating business. Starting at the 802 9th St. building gets you three squares in one stop. The 9th Avenue stretch between 900 and 940 adds six more within a block.
November's dates, starting tonight
The bingo card gives you a reason to walk the blocks. These dated events are what bring crowds downtown, most of them at the Union Colony Civic Center at 701 10th Ave.:
- Thursday, Nov. 5, 6 p.m.: Be Like Blippi Tour! at the UCCC.
- Nov. 6 to 8: NoCo Theatrix stages High School Musical Jr. in the UCCC's Hensel Phelps Theatre. Shows are Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m.: Fortune Feimster at the UCCC.
- Friday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.: Mannheim Steamroller at the UCCC.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: The City's 37th annual Festival of Trees opens to the public from 1 to 6 p.m. That evening, Whiskey Wonderland offers a small-batch spirits tasting at the UCCC from 6 to 9 p.m., with proceeds going to the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra Guild.
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m.: WAITRESS at the UCCC.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Whoville Holiday runs from 9 to 11:30 a.m., The Music and Spirit of Elvis plays at 2 p.m., and Festival of Trees is open from 5 to 8 p.m.
Festival of Trees also has public hours on Nov. 22 from 1 to 5 p.m., Nov. 27 from 4 to 8 p.m. and Nov. 29 from 1 to 5 p.m., and it runs through Dec. 5.
Nov. 28 is also the first day of WinterFest, which takes over Lincoln Park and 9th Street on Saturdays through Dec. 12. It includes the Holiday Open House, which is paired with Shop Small Saturday, plus Light Up Lincoln, Holiday Lane, Santa photos, workshops, carriage rides and live music. The Downtown Greeley listing doesn't give a time for Light Up Lincoln yet, so check it again closer to the day. The 802 and 800 9th St. squares on the bingo card are on the WinterFest block, so you can collect stamps there that Saturday.
Parking around the fences
The DDA counts more than 2,000 free two-hour parking spaces downtown. Parking is free after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all weekend. Free all-day lots are at 902 7th Ave. and 606 10th St. Most of the events above fall on evenings or Saturdays, so most of them are covered by the free hours.
The old City Hall parking is gone. Demolition at 1000 10th St. started Aug. 20, and the lot stays unavailable during site work. The Downtown Civic Campus will eventually add a garage of about 815 spaces, along with a new City Hall and civic plaza. In September, the Tribune reported that the new City Hall is planned at 9th Avenue and 10th Street, with construction expected to start in November or early December. That means more fencing near the 9th and 10th corner, even during the holiday window.
The longer closure comes after the water lines
The holidays are a break between phases. When water and sewer work wraps up, the Tribune reports that crews will close the area again, "likely for much longer," to put in storm pipe and box culverts under the streets.
The Tribune's progress figures as of Friday, Oct. 23, show which way the timeline leans. Sewer work was mostly done, with 2,215 feet installed and 1,238 feet to go. Water work was well behind, with 1,070 feet installed and 7,409 feet still ahead. The work has moved from 7th Avenue north to 10th Street and then west past 8th Avenue. It will keep heading west and north while staying east of 11th Avenue. No public timeline has been set, and the paper estimates the project will run at least into 2028.
The DDA has also opened a Construction Impact Grant of up to $3,000 for each of 60 eligible businesses. They can apply for $1,500 now instead of waiting until 2027. "It's like a marathon," Fisher told the Tribune. Bingo cards are due Jan. 1, 2027, and the Tribune reports the storm pipe phase will close streets again for longer once the water and sewer lines are done.
Downtown Greeley will spend the next few years under construction, and that will shape the blocks around 8th Avenue, 9th Avenue and 10th Street. If you'd like to talk through what it means for your own plans in Greeley, The Dennis Schick Team is glad to share what we're seeing as the work moves forward. Contact Us.
