The holiday season is here. If you are looking to get creative with gifts for your loved ones, the On Havana Street community has you covered. Our diverse shopping district offers a wide range of unique holiday gifts, making it easy to find something for everyone on your list. The following recommendations should serve as
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Destination for Businesses in the Metro Area: The Havana Business Improvement District – On Havana Street continues to be a business destination and has remained leased during the pandemic. The District did see about 20 closures or relocations, but a majority of the closures or relocations were released within 3-6 months. In 2008, our properties
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For many people – children and adults alike – Halloween is one of the most festive and enjoyable holidays of the year. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing us to get creative with our Halloween celebrations this year. Social distancing has made many typical activities such as costume parties, trick-or-treating, and concerts a non-starter. That
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If you’re looking for things to do this fall, On Havana Street has you covered. Our community is hosting a variety of fun events for you to enjoy. Below are some of our fall highlights. We encourage you to check our website regularly, as we will post additional events as they are announced. Around the
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re unable to host in-person Halloween events this year. While we’re greatly saddened by this reality, it doesn’t mean we can’t still help make your Halloween a festive occasion. Our annual costume contest is still taking place this year. However, it will be held virtually in order to promote responsible
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October 2018: The Havana Business Improvement District (BID), dba On Havana Street and the Havana Motor Mile, is pleased to announce some exciting automotive industry news. The Shortline Auto Group has added the brands of Buick and GMC to its family. They have purchased the Buick GMC dealership on South Havana Street from the Suss
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Property Details Construction Trailer on Site Waiting for Xcel Energy to turn off utilities Expected demolition date EARLY MAY 2018 3 NEW RETAIL SPACES COMING SOON
Havana Motor Mile Earth Day Segment on April 20, 2018: The Havana Motor Mile was on Colorado & Company doing a special segment on electric and hybrid vehicles that are available at dealerships on the Havana Motor Mile. The segment ran live on KUSA on April 20 from 10-11 a.m. Brad Kounkel from Stevinson Toyota & Jason
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Koreatown Update The Global Aurora Website link is in process. The Koreatown/KTown initiative will be a virtual promotion only—no physical boundaries, no signage on the street. Each global community in Aurora can create their own website, marketing material and logo to which Visit Aurora, City of Aurora and Havana Business Improvement District can link to promote and
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Coffee & Tea, Hong Kong Style Egg Waffles, Juice Bars & Smoothies New Addition to the Havana Exchange Shopping Center near Bicycle Village 2790 S Havana St Ste U Aurora, CO 80014 (720) 592-0977 Picture: Egg Waffle with Mango, Pocky sticks and Ice Cream Instagram
The Havana BID Board has hired Chance Horiuchi for the executive director in training position. Chance will be training under current HBID executive director, Gayle Jetchick, for a full year to learn the ropes before taking over as ED in April of 2019. Gayle can then semi-retire and drop back to part time or help with specific
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We have posted pictures in an album on Facebook. Click here The winners: Best Costume: (pictured) The famous rock band “Guns & Hoses” won best costume. Congrats to Aurora City Council Members Allison Hiltz and Angela Lawson, Aurora Police Association President Bob Wesner (white wig) and Aurora Fire Protective Association political action committee chair Jimmy Allen. We
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Bye-Bye cupcake craze, hello Taiyaki! We have a new, unique dessert restaurant that will be opening soon in the Birchtree Center on the SE corner of Jewell and Havana–Snow Bowl Snowl Taiyaki & Boba. Taiyaki is a fish-shaped waffle cone filled with ice cream, known as Asian-Japanese fusion style. A rich waffle batter is used
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018 is the date for the 2018 Grocery Cart Races at Safeway to benefit the Comitis Crisis Center. Aurora’s only homeless shelter. We are in the process of updating the forms and will have them posted at www.OnHavanaStreet.com as soon as we can. In the meantime, start planning your team, team name, cart decoration
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Kaiser Permanente already owned Waterpark I and recently purchased the other two buildings in the complex. Sixty percent of the occupancy of these buildings comes from Kaiser. Kaiser decided to purchase the buildings that they had been renting from Matrix Group because by owning the buildings they will no longer be subject to the steadily increasing
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Coming soon to the Havana Exchange Shopping Center, 2790 S Havana, is a new shop called Happy Tea. They will be serving boba teas, also called bubble tea, and Hong Kong style egg waffles. Bubble tea is a Taiwanese tea-based drink invented in the 1980s. Most bubble tea recipes contain a tea base mixed with fruit
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Whisper’s owner, Terry Forehand, gave us a new update. After multiple set backs the project is moving forward once again. Terry’s son, Dustin, has taken over the remodel and they hope to have Whisper’s open by January 13, 2018. Watch Whisper’s new website for grand opening party details. Whisper’s new location is 1535 S Havana, Unit A,
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The display lot has been resurfaced and tenant finish is underway to create new offices at 835 So Havana, the dealership located on the NE corner of Kentucky and Havana. The old bushes and trees on the property have been trimmed and cleaned up. The business name insert in the existing monument sign on site will be
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The new Bank of America Branch opened on December 18, 2017 in the Market Square Shopping Center by King Soopers. This is the former Blockbuster Video location at 1175 S Havana.
Yummy & spicy! Fresh chicken with a crispy rice flour coating that comes in several versions of spicy, from just a mild spicy kick to a platter of chicken that come loaded with jalapenos! You will definitely also need to order one of the specialty beers they have on tap! This is the former Whispers Bar space
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We have come upon more people experiencing homelessness in the Havana District lately. Many people have come to Colorado for one reason or another and have found themselves homeless, out of funds, and really wanting to just go home. Aurora has recently taken some major steps in attempting to help people experiencing homelessness. Aurora’s Flexible
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Construction is moving right along at the new affordable housing development, Village at Westerly Creek, on S. Ironton St between Exposition Ave and Kentucky Ave. Building foundations are in the ground and the walls are going up. Read the Denver Post article.
Aurora Warms the Night (AWTN) provides motel vouchers for people experiencing homelessness during cold weather. AWTN is currently housing 200+ people in three area motels since Wednesday, December 19, as part of their cold weather activation plan. The cold weather is not going to let up soon and these people need food. AWTN is afraid they will run
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Art 2C on Havana, now in its 7th year, is an innovative partnership in support of the arts between the Havana BID and the City of Aurora Art in Public Places. Art 2C has been nominated for the 2018 Colorado Business for the Arts award. We should find out sometime in December if we have
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Drop off your Christmas tree anytime from Dec. 26, 2017 to Jan. 9, 2018 for recycling at the following locations: Del Mar Park, East Sixth Avenue and Peoria Street (west parking lot) Olympic Park, 15501 E. Yale Ave. (east of Chambers Road) Saddle Rock Golf Course, 21705 E. Arapahoe Road Read more details!
In preparation for our annual stakeholders’ meeting, we do a retail vacancy report every October. This year, retail vacancy is sitting at an all time low at 2.5%. The Kimco Village on the Park property was not included in the report again this year since it is pending demolition and the spaces are not being
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The construction fence has gone up at Shortline Subaru, 500 S Havana. Approved plans call for revised building elevations and a updated appearance, an additional service building in between the Subaru New and Used existing buildings and updated lighting on the site. Shortline Subaru is open for business during construction.
To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Cruzin’ Havana and to support and promote the businesses along the Havana Motor Mile, we have ordered 1,000 custom vehicle sun shades. We are working with one of our Havana District business district businesses, Herrada Printing at 1555 S Havana, on this order. Mark at Herrada was able to get
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The developer chosen by the Fan Fare redevelopment steering committee, The D/K Team, has been working with the Aurora Urban Renewal Authority on doing their due diligence and getting the pieces in place before any agreements for a project can be signed. You probably saw traffic counter cables strung across four locations on Havana Street adjacent to the Fan
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Ward III Council Member Marsh Berzins and Havana BID Executive Director Gayle Jetchick met with Aurora Urban Renewal staff on January 27 to get an update on Fan Fare/Havana North. AURA staff reported that the developer chosen by the steering committee last summer, Dillon Place/Kiewit, has been in for a preapplication meeting with the city’s
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Thank you High Hollows Condos Board and Aurora Police! Last summer we experienced an uptick in crime in the area around Havana/Ironton and Exposition. We called a Business Watch meeting at the Expo Park Recreation Center on Exposition and invited neighbors, business owners, city staff and Aurora Police to that meeting to attempt to figure
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Shortline Auto Group has leased the former BMW Motorcycle building on South Havana and has plans to open a used car dealership specializing in high-end European imports. As of the writing of this newsletter, the exact name for the new dealership has not been decided. We have heard an opening date of around February 5.
Sally Beauty will be coming to The Gardens on Havana in 2017. Sally Beauty has stores in 13 countries and employs over 27,000 people. Sally Beauty offers more than 10,000 hair, skin and nail products. Once Sally Beauty opens, we will have two of the largest beauty products retailers in the world located at The
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On January 25, Aurora Planning commission approved the site plan for Phase III of the big retail redevelopment of Kimco’s Village on the Park Shopping Center located on the NW corner of Havana and Parker Road. Phase I and II included façade upgrades on the TJ Maxx and Shoe Carnival buildings, along with the shops in the center
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The Angry Chicken Restaurant in Aurora is coming to the Birchtree Center and will occupy the former Whispers Bar & Grill tenant space. From what we hear, this is Korean fried chicken that is unlike anything you have ever had and is out of this world! You could order “friendly chicken” which is classic fried chicken,
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On January 25, 2017,the Aurora Planning Commission approved the site plan for Phase III of Village at Westerly Creek. This is the Aurora Housing Authority project to replace the former Buckingham Gardens at Ironton and Kentucky, to the east of Havana Machine. Phases I and II have been completed and currently house low income seniors
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“Image Activation” at Wendy’s: Out with the dumpy and dated & in with the sleek and contemporary! Wendy’s at 1255 S Havana has a new owner who is putting big bucks into the restaurant. Wendy’s is undergoing a major remodel. The new dining room should be opening soon. Nationally over the last couple of years, Wendy’s
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At a city council policy committee on January 24 we heard an update about the Homeless Day Resource Center located in the former Aurora Police gym on the Anschutz campus. In past years, the gym had been heated with steam heat from the steam plant at Fitz, which is no longer possible. Xcel Energy was able to convert
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Village East resident Mark Hammerbeck and his family recently opened Herrada Printing in the Buckingham Village Shopping Center at 1555 S Havana, just north of Gibby’s Big Backyard. Mark and his family operated the business out of their home for several years but recently have expanded and needed a new location for their business. Toro Taxes
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The Havana Motor Mile Auto Technician Committee has been meeting since last September to come up with an automotive technician tool incentive program to encourage trained auto techs to come to work in our Havana Motor Mile shops. The committee is made up of Gary Sliger of Gary’s Full Service Auto Repair, Ben Vavra service manager at
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The banner recently went up on the tenant space at 2740 S Havana St, Unit K, in the Havana Exchange – Bicycle Village Shopping Center announcing that Chutney is coming soon. This is the tenant space just south of Havana Jazzercise. We hope to have more details to share in the February newsletter. See our
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Whisper’s Bar & Grill will be closing at its current location at 1930 S Havana on December 31. The new owners of the Birchtree Center have other plans for this tenant space and did not renew Whisper’s lease. Whisper’s owner, Terry Forehand, is working with a financial partner to reopen Whisper’s at another location along
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Business owners and community members now have another option to get help for the homeless. If you see a person who is homeless and needs assistance call Access Aurora, 303.739.7000 or Comitis Crisis Shelter, 303.341.9160. The new Homeless Street Outreach Team (HOT Team) consists of two counselors and a Transit Van approved by Aurora City
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Looking good! Tynan’s has spent over $60,000 on a decorative wrought iron fence around the perimeter of their property along So Ironton and E Exposition. The fence is part of Tynan’s new safety and security plan and should prevent people from cutting through their display and storage lots on foot at all hours of the day
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Cort Furniture Rental has been around in the U.S. since 1972. In their early years, they focused on furniture rental—both residential and office. In 2005, Cort launched their apartment search services through apartmentsearch.com, helping people who are moving into an area find an apartment. If you do find and lease an apartment through apartmentsearch.com, Cort
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We are not talking about Peter, Julie and Linc, the stars of the 1968-1973 iconic TV counterculture police crime/drama TV series. Rather, we are talking about Pizza here! Kimco Realty’s Village on the Park website indicates that Mod Pizza will be coming as part of the shopping center’s redevelopment plans on the NW corner of Havana and
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We are sharing this article again this month because after our first 6-8 inch snow storm in December there were 31 commercial properties that did not remove snow from their walks along Havana even 48 hours after the snow stopped falling. Most were contacted by Havana BID’s Executive Director, Gayle Jetchick, with a reminder. The excuses heard
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Where: At local small businesses in the Havana District This is a special celebration of our hard-working local small business owners. These small shops have grown and have been profitable for years and years. Did you know that 77 million Americans are employed by small businesses? They promote a sense of community. Remember, for every
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Do you need a unique stocking stuffer or a special gift for the office gift exchange? Check out the inventory at The English Teacup, 1930 S Havana, Unit 5. They just received a big shipment from England including imported favorites like Cadbury chocolate, Thornton’s chocolate Santas and Reindeer, lovely Holiday-themed tins of chocolates and cookies,
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