Doniece and Dena Derani are leaning on ritual and community to help lay their Gypsy House Cafe to rest. The 20-year-old business, dense with color and spiritual symbology, is being evicted from its home at 1545 S. Broadway. The sisters aren’t sure what will come next.
This week, a Denver judge ruled in favor of their landlord, Jake Malman, to end their lease well ahead of its 2027 expiration date.
Before they close the business, the Deranis have invited dedicated patrons to cover the murals on their walls with white paint, a way of clearing their spirit from the space, between this Saturday, March 8, and Tuesday, March 11.
The business is set to be replaced by one of the state’s new psilocybin businesses, where people could soon take psychedelic drugs.
The Derani sisters have until March 14 to move out of the building. The goodbyes have begun already, with customers coming by to purchase the potted plants that once filled the cafe.
“When they mentioned about them selling their plants, I immediately messaged them and said I would be here to buy something,” Regina Grace, a longtime customer, told us Thursday. “I want this energy in my home.”
Grace’s feelings mirrored what we heard from Gypsy House guests. It was a longtime hub for arts and culture — and a safe space. They were already mourning the loss.
The sisters’ relationship with their landlord had soured.
Malman’s company, Kofe LLC, took over Gypsy House’s lease when it bought the property in 2021. Malman said he was “extremely generous” and cut the sisters a break through the end of the pandemic, but said they were unable to keep up with rent payments once the broader economy began to stabilize.
The Gypsy House owners dispute that claim, saying they kept up with all payments.
He listed the property for sale last autumn, but a sale never happened.
Instead, he listed it for rent — a fact that Doniece said she learned when prospective tenants had come to tour the building while she was working.
“These people just see dollars. They don't see community,” she told us.
The landlord and coffee shop also argued about who should fix an elevator for wheelchairs.
Doniece said they were supposed to appear in court with an attorney for their final hearing, but couldn’t afford it, so they showed up with a dozen supportive community members instead. The judge ultimately sided with Malman.
“It became very uncomfortable to retain them as a tenant. I had to move on,” Malman told us. “I own about 20 properties and have never had to sue anyone or evict anyone.”
An “alternative medicine” hub known as Vivid Minds Wellness Center will take Gypsy House’s place. Manon Manoeuvre, who’s involved in the project, said it will begin as another coffee shop. She and her partners are waiting for approvals to turn it into a place where they’ll administer psilocybin and other substances legalized under a new state law.
Vivid Minds will be the city’s “go-to destination for functional mushroom coffee & tea, and transformative psilocybin-assisted experiences,” according to its website.
Customers say they’ll miss this place, regardless how it ended.
Gypsy House first opened on 13th Avenue, in Capitol Hill, in 2004. Doniece said she knew the building would eventually go up for sale; in 2017, she and Dena finally had to pick up and move.
They signed a 10-year lease on the Broadway location, and were thinking about closing for good once that term expired.
“It’s been a good run,” Doniece said. “We were wrapping our minds around 2027. We’re not trying to be here forever.”
To her, it was Gypsy House that made Capitol Hill, and then South Broadway, an attractive place for investment in the first place. It’s one reason she’s invited people to paint over her colorful walls: she doesn’t want anyone else to benefit from what they built.
“We are the ones who brought the hype to Broadway, because when we came in 2018, it was nothing,” she said. “I think that Gypsy House always brings that energy.”
The dense, symbolic decor of South Broadway's Gypsy House Cafe. March 6, 2025. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Customers fill tables inside South Broadway's Gypsy House Cafe. March 6, 2025. Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
That rang true for customers we spoke to. SunRai, an artist, said the cafe made space for her in this neighborhood.
“Denver is diverse, even though it doesn't look diverse. And so we need businesses from all walks of life to provide spaces for people to feel comfortable and to explore other cultures,” she told us. “It's important that we acknowledge that this is a woman owned, minority owned business that's no longer going to be here in the community.”
Lucinda Dries, another longtime patron, said the loss felt like an injustice.
“It does. It truly does,” she said. “To have the rug pulled out from under them is [B.S.].”
While Doniece is mourning Gypsy House’s closing, she’s also looking forward to a break. She and Dena haven’t taken much time off in the last 20 years; she’s looking forward to visiting family in Lebanon.
The real loss, Dena said, was the community that flourished here. It’s that connection she’ll miss most.
“It's not about the money,” she said. “Obviously it's our livelihood, but for me it's more the people, that love we were shown through the city.”
