The enoki mushrooms lasted about four hours. Bean sprouts were gone within six. The smaller containers of kimchi sold out in less than two days. That was opening weekend at Fina's Asian Market at 2828 South Glen Ave. in September. Co-owner James Duffey told the Post Independent that an "absolutely overwhelming amount of people" came through and cleared out much of the inventory.
That response wasn't luck. Duffey and Fina Rudianti, both longtime Glenwood Springs residents, spent five years planning an Asian market before a South Glen Avenue space opened up about 10 months before launch. Duffey said private chefs told them they had gone years without finding certain products.
The same pattern runs through nearly every new food business in town this year. Each one proved its demand before it had a finished room to serve in: on a patio, from a truck, at a Tuesday market table, or through a first shop that outgrew itself. The Market on 7th wrapped its 2026 season on September 8, and the outdoor months are over. This fall, several of those businesses are moving that proven demand inside.
A Pizza Oven by the River, Waiting on Its Building
Stellar Fire Pizza opened in June at 406 7th St., along the Roaring Fork River. Chef-owner Paul "Chef Pablo" Goodman runs it with a silent partner, cooking from a food truck and a wood-fired oven he built himself while construction continues on the permanent indoor space. For now the outdoor patio is the main dining area. Once the indoor space is finished, the plan is for that patio to host live music and other activities.
Goodman based the setup on a small pizza shack where he worked in Malpais, Costa Rica, at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. It had no walls, an awning, a couple of pool tables, and a menu written on a chalkboard from whatever the market had that day. The Glenwood version keeps the chalkboard menu, the wood-fired oven and San Francisco sourdough.
His timeline is honest about construction risk:
"The schedule right now on the construction is to be done by the end of October. Which basically means it could be done this October, or next October."
He told the Post Independent in late August that he's aiming to open the inside in early December. He also said the crew had been "killing it" and that he expects construction to finish within a reasonable time frame of that end-of-October target. The Stellar Fire website still says the pizzeria is running from its mobile headquarters, with the brick-and-mortar location "coming soon." Fall hours and the date the truck stops for winter haven't been posted publicly as of early October. Check before you walk over on a cold night.
Six Thousand Doughnuts on a Saturday
If Stellar Fire shows demand building on a patio, Sweet Coloradough shows what happens after 13 years of it. Owner Aaron Badalato told the Post Independent that his South Glen Avenue shop can sell about 6,000 doughnuts on a typical Saturday. For scale, the paper describes Glenwood Springs as a town of about 10,000 people.
The demand came first here too, and on purpose. Before the first shop opened, Badalato said the company gave away nearly 30,000 doughnuts, including a box handed onto a Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus. One passenger from that bus still comes back 13 years later.
The second Glenwood location, on West Sixth Street, is a different kind of building from the original. Plans include:
- Doughnuts made in-house in a full kitchen
- Breakfast and lunch sandwiches and coffee drinks
- A full bar and more seating and parking than the original shop
- A drive-thru, which won't be ready on opening day
Both Glenwood locations hold liquor licenses, which lets the shop keep handing out its occasional free tequila shots. The new shop is within walking distance of downtown, and the South Glen Avenue location will stay open.
The September 4 report expected a September opening but said no firm date had been set. Badalato encouraged customers to "keep an eye out for soft opening days." As of early October, the company's locations page still lists only the South Glen Avenue shop, so there's no public confirmation of an opening or an exact West Sixth address yet. The original shop's posted hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Tuesdays. Those hours belong to South Glen, not the new location.
The Smaller Operators, Still Building Their Lines
At the small end of the pattern are businesses that are still gathering the following that Sweet Coloradough already has.
Ayensur Cakmak sold chocolates as Nush Chocolatier at the Market on 7th on Tuesdays from 4 to 8 p.m. She hopes to open a physical shop in "maybe two or three years." Since the market's 2026 season ended September 8 and the Downtown Development Authority hasn't listed a fall or holiday edition, her regular Tuesday slot is over until next summer.
Fairycakes is Nico Heins' mobile truck serving Dutch poffertjes. It started operating in the Roaring Fork Valley in summer 2026 and has no fixed storefront. Its most recent listed stops were both down-valley in Carbondale, at First Friday on October 2 and Potato Days on October 3. No later fall dates are posted.
Mountain Goat Sandwich has an address, 801 Blake Ave., and a "Coming Soon" sign on its website, but no published opening date or owner names.
Where Everything Stands in Early October
Here is the status of each business as of October 4, 2026, based on the most recent public information:
- Fina's Asian Market, 2828 South Glen Ave.: Open since September. The owners are restocking weekly and taking requests for hard-to-find products.
- Bohemian Bier Spa, 315 8th St.: Open. Owner Dasha Balasova's spa opened in late March to early April 2026, according to KJCT. The Glenwood Springs Chamber's business directory still lists it as opening in December.
- Stellar Fire Pizza, 406 7th St.: Serving from the truck and outdoor oven. The indoor opening is targeted for early December.
- Sweet Coloradough, West Sixth Street: Not confirmed open. Watch for soft-opening days.
- Mountain Goat Sandwich, 801 Blake Ave.: Coming soon, no date.
- Nush Chocolatier and Fairycakes: Mobile or market-based, with no confirmed Glenwood dates this fall.
Duffey is adding something that fits the store's origin. He's working on recipes and short explanations that sit next to the produce, so shoppers can scan a label and learn what an unfamiliar item is and how to cook with it.
Getting to Them This Month
A few street conditions affect these trips through October. The City of Glenwood Springs expects 19th Street to stay closed between Grand and Blake through the end of October. The city says businesses there are still reachable by alternate routes. The Ninth-and-Cooper garage is closed on both levels through October 5, and the lower level is expected to reopen October 10 after cleaning and striping.
On the north side of downtown, the city declared the North Landing and 6th Street work complete and held a ribbon cutting at North Landing on May 14, followed by a Glenwood Springs High School Jazz Band performance on the North Landing stage. West Sixth is also where Sweet Coloradough is putting its full kitchen, bar and future drive-thru.
Pull together the new businesses with fixed addresses and most sit close to downtown: the riverside lot on 7th, the spa on 8th, the sandwich shop on Blake and the doughnut shop on West Sixth. Fina's is the exception, on South Glen Avenue, the same corridor as the original Sweet Coloradough. The next openings to watch are Sweet Coloradough's soft-opening days this fall and Stellar Fire's indoor dining room in December.
New businesses tend to put down roots where the foot traffic already is, and that affects how blocks change around them. At Mike Eaton, we follow these openings across Glenwood Springs and the rest of the Roaring Fork Valley because they show where a town is building next. If you want to talk about what's changing near Sixth Street, the riverfront or South Glen, start the conversation.
