Good Bread - 1515 Madison Street

Have you driven down Colfax and noticed a line of socially-distanced people standing in a parking lot at Madison Street? Chances are they were waiting for bread. But this isn’t run-of-the-mill bread - it’s Good Bread. Inside, an enclosed counter dons an assortment of freshly baked pastries, lovingly made by someone who started baking at 3:00 a.m. And now you’re standing happily in line for them. In the rain. That’s how good Good Bread is.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but at least we made it through 2020,” says owner Gabby Yezbick. Good Bread opened officially in August 2020. The pandemic didn’t keep the community from showing up. Socially distant lines began forming every weekend since, even enduring questionable weather.

“I always used to say that baking chose me because it wasn’t really something I sought out,” says Gabby. She holds a Bachelor’s in nutritional food science from Michigan State University and an MS in Food Science from The Ohio State.

Fresh out of Michigan State, Gabby worked at a sliced bread factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana assisting with their nutritional panels. Despite its premise, it wasn’t the best job. Unsure what she wanted to do, Gabby decided to head back to school at The Ohio State University.

Because of her experience at the bread factory, she was selected to work on a project studying a soy-supplemented sourdough bread that was in development. Clinical trials were performed on prostate cancer patients, analyzing the health-promoting compounds in the sourdough and how the fermentation affected compound profiles. Baking is considered a science by some, and this is further proof.

After moving to Denver, she worked at Thump Coffee in Capitol Hill developing their baked goods program. While working at Thump, she met her current business partner, Oliver Miller-Finkel. Gabby stayed at Thump for five years, while Oliver went on to open Lula Rose General Store on the south side of Colfax at Madison Street (3434 E Colfax Ave.) where he baked his own pastries in-house. Gabby kept in contact with Oliver; they always talked about the possibility of doing something together. Then finally took the leap and left Thump to pursue the bakery.

During a short transition, Gabby baked bread and other delicious pastries at Lula Rose with Oliver before they started Good Bread. When the space across the street at 1515 Madison St. became available, Gabby was finally baking for herself.

They are a small, but mighty team. Gabby and Oliver do the baking while their one employee handles the counter. Oliver’s girlfriend is in charge of the Good Bread Instagram account. (Follow it now)

As a group, they brainstorm ideas for new pastries using what’s in season for inspiration. Most pastries are developed “on the clock,” tasting to make sure the flavors work or a new pastry cream is on point.

“There’s little time for R&D,” says Gabby. “Over the years I’ve developed a sense for what will work. I think about all the factors pretty intensely before I start and have a pretty good idea how a pastry is going to turn out.”

Recently they purchased and installed a wood-fire oven for pizzas, bagels and anything else they can creatively throw into it.

“When I was growing up Friday’s were always pizza night. Right now we are only selling to friends and family, but we’re hoping to utilize it with the warmer weather.”

There are plans in the future for Good Bread. Currently the bakery occupies a small portion of the building. Long term, Gabby would like to rent the entire building and serve brunch with cocktails and espresso bar drinks (The Normandy French restaurant was once located at 1515 Madison St). She plans to dress up with the front patio this summer to encourage people to enjoy the Colorado weather and Good Bread pastries.

“Expanding into the rest of the building is going to be a little bit further down the road and don’t have a full timeline for it. But we’ll see. It’s baby steps right now.”

Gabby and Oliver are working with Denver graphic designer Andy Diaz to design a logo and signage, along with new packaging for orders.

“We are just taking every opportunity we have and turning it into something. So I would stay tuned.”

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The 411:

Located at 1515 Madison Street (faces Colfax Ave). Recently expanded business hours - Thursday-Sunday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Pre-orders for bread are available on the website for Thursday pick up. Order bread at www.goodbreaddenver.com. Follow their delicious Instagram and Facebook accounts to ‘stay tuned’ @goodbreaddenver.

Around the Corner - Lawrence & Larimer

Lawrence & Larimer is located at 3225 E. Colfax Ave and at www.lawrenceandlarimer.com

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Lawrence & Larimer (LAW&LAR or L&L) - located at 3225 E. Colfax Avenue - is owned and operated by the incomparable Denver native duo John (JC) and Keonna Chapman. An endeavor that began in 2015 in a 150-square foot co-op space at 27th & Lawrence (Laundry on Lawrence) has become a harbinger of style, community, and hope on Colfax. They quickly grew their brand from reimagined funky thrift store finds to launching their own collection, THE MVMNT.

After leaving Laundry on Lawrence, they hosted a series of pop-ups. They partnered with Goorin Bros. in Larimer Square where they sold their creations on rolling racks in front of the store. They participated in fashion shows on 16th Street Mall with other Denver designers, shops and boutiques and at the DCPA with Next Stage Now. Customers clamored for more LAW&LAR creations. It became obvious Keonna and JC needed a brick-and-mortar establishment to get serious about their brand.

““Get comfortable being uncomfortable with your history, so that you can become the change we all wish to see.” - LAW&LAR”

Keonna began scoping for the perfect location. Drawn to the Bluebird District, she noticed the space at 3229 E. Colfax with its adorable blue storefront and amazing foot traffic. Next door to Denver Biscuit Company, another Bluebird/South City Park jewel, people waited on the sidewalk to be sat and Keonna thought “those could all be customers.” Their previous location was ‘buzz-in only,’ a situation hardly ideal for foot traffic. After several trips passed the 3229 E. Colfax location, Keonna knew. She began speaking to the universe to make it happen.

Then it did. A friend of L&L, Eli Cox from Berkeley Supply, contacted John and Keonna. He informed them their dream spot on Colfax - with it’s adorable blue storefront and ABC brunchers - was coming available. The space once housed ism gallery operated by Denver artist Craig Thomas, then briefly occupied Cox and his goods. Keonna told JC, “Do whatever the @#$% you need to do to get that space.” JC says it was a coincidence of “right time, right place.” Keonna says it was her mad manifestation skills. Either way, it was time to take their business seriously.

JC and Keonna moved to Colfax and opened their doors with their first collection, Rebels in Paradise. They outsourced their screen printing, an uneconomical decision they quickly realized and remedied. John sought his own screen printing machine, partnered with SE Shirts & Hoodies, and now produces everything in-house. Lawrence & Larimer now offers screenprinting to the public. Per their website, “we’re here to help you stand out amongst the crowd.”

In late 2019 into early 2020, Keonna and John moved into the larger space at 3225 E. Colfax, formerly Little Lula Rose. Now in a bigger space, they could do more of the community support that the LAW&LAR brand tauts. They held Wednesday Workdays, opening their space to remote workers to set up and hang out for the day. On Thursday’s, LAW&LAR hosted group therapy sessions with a licensed therapist. “Mental health and simply having a therapist is viewed as a negative, especially in the Black community. I wanted to show that it’s OK to have a therapist, to have feelings, and it’s OK to talk about them,” said Keonna.

Another community building event held at LAW&LAR is their CWA workshop (Candles With Attitude). For $40 each, customers receive a candle container, the use of fragrances, hors d'oeuvres and mimosas. It brought the community together for fun and camaraderie, plus an awesome hand-made candle. Check out their events page as the world starts to open back up for future events.

Then, 2020 happened. Keonna and JC touched down in Denver after a European trip two days before the covid lockdown. As if traveling wasn’t worrisome enough, they had a retail business that depended on in-store customers. Pre-covid, LAW&LAR’s online business garnered about 10% of the store's overall sales. They started a push towards online sales, driven by loyal customers, artist collaboration and social media. In a short time, LAW&LAR’s onlines sales soared 730%. “It was our partnerships that kept us in business during the worst of covid. Our partnerships were everything,” said Keonna.

During the 2020 protests after the death of George Floyd, JC with the help of L&L friend Eli Cox, worked nonstop for three days to produce 400-500 Beat All Odds t-shirts, all donated to anyone who wanted one. Cash donations were accepted that were in turn donated to the Colorado Bail Fund for jailed protestors.

In August 2020, John and son Britton traveled to Milwaukee where they were the subjects of a five-story mural on the Noble Senior Living building, formerly known as the Lamplight Inn of West Allis, by Denver muralist Detour (@Detour303). Red Bull, a sponsor of Detour’s art, held a free Beat All Odds MKE t-shirt giveaway in front of the building to celebrate the mural.

New collections are introduced about every three months, a timeline where “the world changes and something happens,” Keonna explains. Lawrence & Larimer’s collection - called THE MVMNT - are historically- and socially-based, earning a moniker of “educators through style.” Their website professes this sentiment perfectly: “Get comfortable being uncomfortable with your history, so that you can become the change we all wish to see.”

The Spring 2021 collection, due out anytime, goes ‘back to the basics’, styling their loyal followers in jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies - simple, but stylish pieces to work into existing wardrobes. Currently, John and Keonna are working on a “Back to School” for kids that will include hoodies, backpacks, jackets, and t-shirts.

The LAW&LAR space is rentable to the community; they’ve hosted music festivals, tequila tastings, graduation parties, wedding receptions - the sky's the limit for this beautiful space. Contact JC and Keonna for details and pricing.

Follow LAW&LAR on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see all the good they are doing for the community. Visit them for in-store browsing where you may see Britton (DJ Dopewave - @djdopewave) spinning or online at www.lawrenceandlarimer.com. Whatever you do, visit and support.