Alix is no stranger to the storied strip: He also owns the Squire Lounge, nightlife staple X Bar and sports bar Tight End, with the last two specifically geared toward the LGBTQ community.
In January, he signed a lease for the Irish Snug space, which operated as an Irish pub for eighteen years before shuttering in January 2022. "It was a full year" of the space being vacant, Alix notes.
He has taken over both the main level and the downstairs space, and has dubbed the new venture Crazy Horse Kitchen + Bar, an homage to the address's famed former establishment, Sid King's Crazy Horse Bar, a strip club that operated there from the 1940s to 1983.
Sid King himself was a prominent figure in Denver, known as a snappy dresser who sported signature large, round two-tone glasses. He and the strip club even made an appearance in 1978's Every Which Way but Loose, starring Clint Eastwood and an orangutan. Elvis Presley is said to have frequented the joint as well.
Part of the old Crazy Horse signage now hangs inside the new Crazy Horse Kitchen + Bar.
Save the Signs
But not all are gone for good. Alix reached out to the nonprofit Save the Signs, an organization started by photojournalist Corky Scholl, in an attempt to preserve some of the mid-century relics. "They have all the signage from the original Crazy Horse," Alix says, and now some of it is hanging inside the bar. (The "Sid King's" portion of the signage is currently on display at the Owl Saloon, where it will remain.)
While some of the signage and the name are back on Colfax, there won't be any strippers employed at the new Crazy Horse. Instead, Alix describes the place as an "inclusive neighborhood restaurant and bar," where "everyone feels equally welcome."
The upstairs is a full-service restaurant offering small plates. "A first-date kind of place," Alix says, with "high-quality food at affordable prices." The front patio has been redone as well.
The downstairs space is a full nightclub, complete with a new lighting and sound system, DJs and luxurious decor like velvet couches — the kind of place that might inspire patrons to dress up a bit for a more upscale night out.
The building also has another bonus: plenty of parking in the back — a key benefit in an area where it can be tough to come by street parking. There's also a new housing development being built across the street.
But even as Colfax continues to evolve in an ever-changing Denver, there's no denying the appeal of a good throwback, and Alix hopes to inspire others to appreciate the street's history with this new homage to its past.
