Nightlife: Tooey’s Off Colfax, Surkin @ the Church

Nightlife: Tooey’s Off Colfax, Surkin @ the Church
by Kathleen St. John on April 16, 2009

French electro-house DJ Surkin will heat things up at the Church on Thursday. Photo from thefastlife.org.

There’s no shortage of places to wet your whistle on East Colfax. Bars and liquor stores populate the strip in equal measure, beckoning with their glowing beer signs. But just a few steps away from the traffic, on Marion Street, there’s Tooey’s Off Colfax (1521 Marion St.) behind an unassuming storefront. It’s got a nickname, “The Secret Bar,” given by service-industry employees who pop over for post-work libations.

“It’s a place they could go on a Friday night and not deal with a bunch of stupid meathead drunk people,” says Alissa Anderson, who owns Tooey’s with her husband, Zach. “It was kind of the underground speakeasy.”

Tooey’s was “secret” because it didn’t have a sign for a while. But now that there’s a banner out front, and more people are smoking on the patio, the secret is getting out.

“It’s just amazing how people have taken a shine to it,” says Anderson. “It’s so new, and there’s so many bars in Denver.”

Tooey’s is like a lot of bars: Pool table, jukebox, a few comfy seats and a lot of bar stools. But there’s something about it that’s working. On quiet nights, neighborhood locals gather around the bar, with maybe a few concertgoers from the Ogden Theatre or Fillmore Auditorium loosening up before (or after) the show.

On the weekends, it’s anybody’s guess. A cool hip-hop DJ night could set the tone for a chilled-out evening, or the bar could erupt into a crowded dance party. Either way, Tooey’s will likely be pleasantly busy.

Anderson, a first-time bar owner, is learning to expect a little unpredictability at Tooey’s. Her friends who own 3 Kings Tavern (60 S. Broadway) told her to get ready. “They’re like, ‘anything you think would never happen, will happen,’” says Anderson. “Last weekend, someone stole all the soap dispensers and the men’s and women’s bathroom signs. I mean, I know we’re in rough times now, but … ”

This, of course, is just something that happens at bars, as Anderson is discovering.
“Never being in the business before, it’s funny how unprepared I was for how stupid drunk people are,” she says.

Anderson isn’t naive. In her previous job, she handled marketing and event planning for Pabst Blue Ribbon. She’s also worked as a bartender and a rep for Camel cigarettes. She says she initially wanted to get out of the bar scene, but her friends convinced her that she has a knack for nightlife.

“It’s been crazy,” says Anderson. “We didn’t really know what we were getting into. I’d never done inventory, or ordering, or booking bands … It was just, kind of, throw yourself into it and figure it out.”

Tooey’s came together quickly — very quickly — in October 2008. The Andersons looked at the space, formerly Club Boca, and bought it four days later. Then they did 16 days of 24-hour renovation, and opened on Halloween.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” says Anderson. With live bands and DJs constantly stopping in, plus free pool every night, there’s always a draw. So far, the whirlwind is spinning in the right direction.

And the name? Tooey is Anderson’s late cat. Why “Tooey”? Because when Anderson first met Tooey, her friend’s huge dog scooped the tiny kitten into its mouth and gagged it back out, unharmed: “Ptooey!” For more visit Tooey’s online.

– FRENCH HOUSE –

Check out Surkin at The Church (1160 Lincoln St.) on Thursday. On his way back from the Coachella Music Festival in California, the twentysomething Parisian DJ will spin his signature, fast-paced blend of house and electro.

He’s also a devotee of Miami bass and Detroit ghettotech, so be ready for some playful change-ups in the mix. Advance tickets are $10 at fla.vor.us/groovetickets.

– Kathleen St. John