GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. — Almost one year after an arsonist forced Sportsbook Bar and Grill in Greenwood Village to close, it's finally back open.
"He broke into our [shopping] center, our space, and tried to rob us. He didn't get one dollar, so lit the office on fire, then moved on to another business," Co-owner Judson Dymond said of the fires set to businesses that night back in 2024.
At the time, Dymond hoped the clean-up would take a few weeks.
"The fire was contained to the office, in the kitchen, but with all the smoke and everything from the fire, and all the water from putting the fire out, we had to do repairs," he said.
Greenwood Village
Police investigating fires at two businesses in The Shops at Greenwood Village
When weeks turned into months, reality started settling in.
"Heartbreak, disbelief. You put so much work and effort into this business that it was our life," he said.
Katy Hranchak worked at Sportsbook for the last six years and was one of dozens of employees who had to quickly find a different job.
"What do I do? How am I going to make money," she remembered feeling. Several employees were offered jobs at other sports bars in the area at the time that Sportsbook was closed.
Then, after a year of repairs and renovations, the customers and the majority of the original staff are back.
"They are such great bosses here. I couldn't [not come back]. My loyalty is here," said Hranchak.
"When we finally got to give [the staff] the text that, 'Hey, we're opening next week.' It was just such a weight off the shoulders. It was so exciting," said Dymond.
He explained that this was a good business lesson in being prepared, as the business's insurance covered much of the repair costs.
"We've gone through two COVID shutdowns now. We've had the fire, and we're still kicking. We're still going. And again, it's because of our staff," said Dymond. "If you lose everything, stay positive, know that you're going to get back. Because now after after today, now that we're open, it's in the review mirror every day we go, is a day further behind."
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