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Tejon34 Grabs Headlines

We were quite excited to open the Denver Post this past Sunday to find one of our favorite developers, Ray Kawano, smiling back at us from the front page of the paper’s business section. Ray’s River Meadow development company is behind Tejon34, one of the upscale condominium/townhome projects featured in the article as proof of the Highland neighborhood’s resurgence. The development, located in the heart of Highland at 34th and Tejon Streets, launched in 2011 with an initial phase featuring five, three-bedroom townhomes.


Last summer, River Meadow broke ground on the second and third phases of the development, which will add five townhomes and eight condos to an area that is very much in demand, according to the article. In fact, two of the townhomes area already under contract, even though they aren’t slated for completion until later in the first quarter. The condo should be available sometime in the second quarter.

Paul Tamburello of Red Chair Realty Advisors, which is marketing Tejon34, notes that even with the uptick in luxury developments, Highland still suffers from a lack of inventory. Many of the new buyers looking to snap up property in the neighborhood are empty nesters, who are drawn to Highland’s restaurants, art galleries and community gatherings.

A view of the living room in one of the townhomes built in Tejon34’s first phase.

That demographic could be a perfect fit for Tejon34’s units, particularly the new townhomes, which will feature private, rooftop decks, European kitchen designs and customizable basements. The project will eventually include a total of 28 homes.

If you get a moment, take a look at the Denver Post article, or if you’d like to learn more about Tejon34 and all that’s happening in Highland, check out the Tejon34 blog here.

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Happy Holidays!

We consider ourselves lucky to both live and work in the Highland neighborhood, where the holiday spirit is alive and well. If you look closely, you’ll see plenty of storefronts proudly displaying interesting and original wreath creations – entries in the the annual merchant holiday wreath contest.  This year, the contest was judged by Highland resident and Westword Editor Patty Calhoun and Luc Halstead, an articles editor at 5280 magazine. The wreaths were not only judged on their beauty, but how well they told the story of the businesses they represent.

Shapes Salon took the grand prize, with a wreath filled with a variety of hair products in shades symbolizing the “color wheel” that stylists use daily. In addition to bragging rights, salon owner Richelle Bishop-Gonzales and her team also get to display their grand champion trophy. Congrats!

Second place went to the Navajo Arts District for a colorful wreath featuring an assortment of cards and paint brushes representing all the galleries in the district. Lulu’s Furniture took third place for a festive wreath made out of a lamp shade and Jinji Cycles earned an honorable mention for a wreath crafted from an old tire frame. Check out the pictures of all the great wreaths below:

We were also thrilled to catch up with our fellow business owners at the second annual LoHi Merchant Party, generously hosted by Highland Tap and Burger. The holidays remind us just how vital collaboration is to our business. As 2012 draws to a close, we want to thank you for your continued partnership and support. It is good friends and business associates like you who make our job a pleasure all year long.

2012 has been a successful year for our company, bringing new connections and business ventures that have helped grow our agency. With the addition of a few talented and knowledgeable professionals, we have expanded our company’s reach and broadened our expertise. Look for updates on our website this coming year that will reflect our growing list of services.

May our holiday season and New Year be filled with much joy, happiness and success. We look forward to reconnecting with you in the coming year and hope our business relationship continues for many years.


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Gallop Cafe on Gabby Gourmet

We were so excited to see client Gallop Café recently featured on Gabby Gourmet’s weekly 7News segment. Gabby (aka Pat Miller) was kind enough to highlight a few of the Highland restaurant’s unique offerings, including: Kids in the Raspberry Patch – a grown up version of a PB&J, with Marcona almond butter, black raspberry jam, and Chevre on fresh Ciabatta, served with potatoes, fruit and house-spiced bacon; and the Montreal Croissant, a hearty breakfast sandwich featuring Canadian bacon, poached eggs, asparagus and covered in hollandaise sauce. You can see Gallop’s dishes soaking up the spotlight here.

Gallop owners Glen Baker and Dave Grafke were also interviewed on Gabby’s radio show and provided the scoop on their just launched spring and summer menu, which features a variety of new items, including crab cakes served with a roasted red pepper coulis and a charcuterie plate with the house terrine, locally made sausage and Italian salumi, and Brie.

Located on the bustling corner of 32nd and Zuni, Gallop offers a little bit of everything -from coffee and pastries to a bountiful Bloody Mary. Their popular version of the morning cocktail recently won praise from OutFront magazine, which profiled the restaurant earlier this month. Thanks to writer Jeff Steen for the great review.

Although known for brunch, Gallop serves dinner Thursdays through Saturdays. We invite you to sample the dinner menu sometime, or join us July 18th, when Gallop will host a four-course dinner with the Gabby Gourmet herself. The meal includes tax, tip and wine for $25.

For reservations call 303-455-5650.

Owners Glen Baker and Dave Grafke with Gabby

                                         

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Year in Review

Happy New Year! I am excited and hopeful about what 2012 holds, especially after such an eventful year in 2011.

Last year, The Stasko Agency developed campaigns to launch everything from a new outdoor gear protection system to comfort food-filled waffle cones. We also rekindled relationships with former colleagues and friends and helped them promote a variety of projects.

I am proud of what we accomplished and thought I’d share a few highlights from 2011:

  • Crafty Ladies: In March, Highland Tap & Burger introduced the Crafty Ladies Beer Club, giving beer-loving babes a great reason to gather. We helped spread the word about the club, whose members meet twice monthly for tastings and to learn about their favorite beers from the craft brewers who make them. Here is 9News Reporter Heidi McGuire interviewing the club’s former spokesperson, Amy Pardee, back in April. The Crafty Ladies Beer Club is the brainchild of one of the Highland Tap and Burger owner’s Juan Padro, and his dynamic team!

  • Urbandwellers Showroom Shines: We’re huge fans of urbandwellers partners Larry Beard Jr. and Bruce Littlehorn and their unique, space-saving furnishings. So, we were thrilled to help them unveil their 1,000-square foot showroom in the Water Tower Lofts downtown. The space (which doubles as their home) landed on the cover of The Denver Post’s Lifestyle section in November.

  • Growing Good Food Locally: We learned a lot about the importance of sustainable farming last summer when we launched a campaign to promote Circle Fresh Farms – a network of farms that produces organic, pesticide-free produce in greenhouses year-round. Our early efforts gained the company coverage in a slew of papers in the Boulder area (Longmont Times-Call, Boulder Daily Camera, Boulder County Business Report) where one of its farms is thriving. A second campaign to promote a program that helps turn returning veterans into farmers, drew attention from 9News, 7NEWS and the Denver Business Journal.

  • LoHi Merchants Join Forces: This past summer, I worked with LoHi realtor Paul Tamburello to create a way for neighborhood business owners to share information and resources and promote each other to residents. The LoHi Merchants Collaborative, which meets monthly, helps achieve those goals and allows local businesses to market the neighborhood more effectively. We are working on several initiatives to drive business to LoHi, including a welcome basket for new residents and a shuttle that would run from downtown to Highland. Our next meeting is slated for 5:30 p.m. on January 30th. If you’d like more information, drop me a line here.

  • Protecting Precious Gear: Driving into the garage with a bike still mounted on your car’s roof rack can leave you in tears, which is why our friends at HeadsUp Systems decided to prevent anyone from suffering that sad fate. Their wireless alert system warns drivers as they approach their garages, reminding them about the bikes, kayaks, canoes and other equipment they may have mounted on top of their vehicles. In addition to garnering a bevy of trade industry press, the company’s unique product was also recently featured in a 9News story about great holiday gifts. You can view the story here.

  • Paris Celebrates a Silver Anniversary: Helping entrepreneurs mark significant milestones is always satisfying, but providing support for Paris On the Platte’s 25th birthday party was particularly special, given the memories we’ve built there. And thanks to a mention in Penny Parker’s Post column, both longtime patrons and new customers turned out for the celebration and shared their stories of the legendary cafe and bar.

  • Developer David Zucker’s Real Estate Deals: Zocalo Community Development, led by David Zucker, kept us busy last year. In September, we helped the company announce plans to build a 13-story, 220-unit apartment project at Union Station. A month later, we worked with David to announce the sale of its downtown hi-rise apartment building Solera. The sale was a record for the state of Colorado and garnered the attention of the Denver Business Journal, Inside Real Estate, The Denver Post and Yahoo! Finance.

  • Bobo’s Create a Buzz: A waffle cone filled with macaroni and cheese instead of mint chocolate chip ice cream? It may sound strange, but it’s actually a delicious mobile meal, launched last fall by Little Man Ice Cream. Called Bobo Cones, the new cold weather fare passed KDVR’s Dan Daru’s taste test when he sampled a macaroni and cheese-filled Bobo Cone during the station’s morning broadcast. The cones were also featured in the Huffington Post and on several food blogs including IceCream News.

  • Menchie’s Makes Highland a Hot Spot for FroYo: We wrapped up the year by introducing LoHi residents to Menchie’s, a frozen yogurt shop that just opened an outpost not far from North High School. For its opening celebration, Menchie’s hosted fundraisers for The Tennyson Center for Children and the Rocky Mountain Rollerpunks. Here’s a great shot of Rollerpunks members hugging the Menchie’s mascot.

I look forward to continuing our momentum and making new connections in 2012!

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Highland Tap and Burger Brews Up Excitement

Our friends at Highland Tap and Burger are a creative bunch. They’ve worked hard to show patrons that their charming neighborhood tavern is so much more than just a sports bar. In fact, Highland Tap and Burger is turning into a great spot for a variety of gatherings.

Case in point: On February 25th, Highland Tap and Burger played host for town hall meeting and fundraiser for Denver mayoral candidate James Mejia. The event drew a great crowd, who heard the aspiring mayor-to-be outline his plans to improve the local economy and focus more attention on education. Here, Highland Tap co-owner Juan Pardo mingles with James Mejia.


Shifting from fundraisers to fine food – Juan appeared on the Gabby Gourmet show on 630 KHOW the very next day to plug the pub’s participation in Denver Restaurant Week. Highland Tap and Burger is offering a screaming deal – a $52.80 dinner for four, that includes two appetizers, four burgers and four draft beers or house wines. Couples can enjoy dinner for two (one appetizer, two burgers and two draft beers or house wines) for just $26.80. Check out Juan promoting Highland Tap on air.


Finally, on March 1st, Highland Tap and Burger drew more than 30 of Denver’s loveliest beer drinkers for the first monthly meeting of the Crafty Ladies Beer Club. The women’s-only craft beer club will meet the first Tuesday of each month to hear a speaker from one of our fine local breweries discuss all things beer – from how the ale is made to what food pairs best with a certain type of Pilsner. This month, the speaker was Kelly Tretter, a microbiologist with New Belgium Brewery.
The first event was a tremendous success and we look forward to many more festive meetings. Just look at how happy these beautiful beer drinkers are!


With March Madness and Fat Tuesday on the horizon, there’s lots more in store at Highland Tap. To celebrate Mardi Gras, Highland Tap will be offering $4 Hurricanes and $2 Southern Comfort Lime shots.

For more information click here or “like” Highland Tap and Burger on Facebook.

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Little Man Strikes a Chord with Chilly Deal

Little Man Ice Cream owner Paul Tamburello found a unique way to drive sales of frozen treats on the coldest day of the year. On Tuesday – when the high was a one below zero – he offered $1 pints of ice cream (two per family) for those brave enough to weather the cold. The deal not only resonated with bargain-hunting ice-cream lovers, but also caught the attention of 9News
and 7News, which both ran stories on Little Man’s offer.

Believe it or not, the chilly deal was so popular that Little Man nearly ran out of ice cream and at one point, people lined up on the sidewalk on 16th Street for what Paul had dubbed the “pink-cheeked pints”! Check out the photos of Paul’s interviews with the stations and customers taking advantage of the offer. You can also view the 9News story here.



We had a great time helping Paul publicize the deal. Thanks to the hearty camera operators for covering the story and the loyal customers who made the offer such a success. Remember, Little Man also has sandwiches, soups and hot drinks if you’re in the mood for something warm.

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Stasko Adds Highland Tap and Burger as Client


We’re thrilled to share the news that popular hot spot Highland Tap and Burger is our newest client! The neighborhood eatery and pub opened last September and has been drawing steady crowds ever since, thanks to its friendly atmosphere and food that is several notches above typical bar fare.

If you want to learn more about the mastermind behind Highland Tap’s delicious dishes, check out Westword writer Lori Midson’s interview with Executive Chef Eli Odell here. Several of the restaurant’s signature items were also featured by the Gabby Gourmet as part of her “Food Finds” feature on 7News. Here’s a great pic of Gabby with Eli and Highland Tap Owner Juan Pardo.



Even more impressive than the food, is just how entrenched Highland Tap is in the community. The restaurant sponsors the North High School wrestling team and has hosted fundraisers for A.C.T.S Resource Center and Servicios de la Raza among others. The restaurant has also created a Wednesday night running club, whose members meet at the bar and then embark on a 5K loop around the neighborhood. <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} —

We’re proud to call Highland Tap a client and can’t wait to help them grow their business! Hopefully, we’ll see you there on Super Bowl Sunday!



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