Exit Interview: Jason Calloway talks about closing Rooster & Moon and being part of a Denver community

When the independent coffee shop Rooster & Moon announced that it would close for good at the end of September, locals were understandably dismayed.
2 min. read

When the independent Golden Triangle coffee shop Rooster & Moon announced on Wednesday that it would close for good at the end of September, locals were understandably dismayed.

The cafe and pub at 955 Bannock St. has become a staple in the neighborhood over its eight-year run, so before he shut the doors for good, we talked to owner Jason Calloway about the life and times of Rooster & Moon.

"The neighborhood’s growing and it’s outgrown us a little bit," Calloway said. "When we started here in 2008, Bannock Street was fairly non-traversed, there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic, there was nothing going on. So we thought it was perfect for an independent coffee shop to kind of boost an already booming neighborhood. And then, after eight years, the neighborhood has grown and it’s outgrown us, unfortunately. But that’s OK. It happens."

Part of it is financial, he said, but there are many other reasons.

"I’ve been personally staked in it for eight years, and I kinda want to move to a new adventure and see what’s out there for me as well as my other partners," he said. "There’s three other partners that have kind of moved away from the business in the past three or four years. I wanted to basically close this down so they could not worry about it anymore."

Calloway retains the brand and says it's possible he'll start it up again somewhere else, some day.

"Denver is a beautiful city, and there’s many places that need people like me, so I’m gonna take a look around and see where I belong."

First, he said, he's going to take a nap.

Watch the video so see our full interview.

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