DENVER — Over this year, restaurants and shops, both new and old, have faced financial challenges or struggled to keep operating. However, there are stories of success with businesses seeing customers return year after year to continue supporting them.
Brothers BBQ and Tibet Imports are located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and have served the community for over two decades. While these owners have seen plenty of changes come to the city, they have also navigated through other hard times, like the early 2000s financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brothers BBQ opened on February 5, 1998, by brothers Chris and Nick O’Sullivan. The two were raised vegetarians, and Chris O'Sullivan still remembers loving his first brisket sandwich.
"It became an obsession, so reading books about barbecue, traveling the country, reading about it," O'Sullivan exclaimed.
O'Sullivan remembers the beginning of barbecue bliss. He was 22 years old and worked every day because the restaurant was open seven days a week.
"This is also before Yelp and all of the places that give you reviews, so I know that we probably would have gotten some really strong reviews back in the day. But the thing was, we were able to make mistakes and then figure it out, and so as we figured out the business, we had a nice slow, controlled growth," O'Sullivan said.
Over the years, the business has expanded, opening in several spots across the Denver metro area, one in Fort Collins, and even at the Denver International Airport. While the smell of barbecue fills the air outside the 6th and Washington location, attracting many customers, O'Sullivan shared the importance of the employees inside working hard each day.
"I would say the secret to success in any business, and especially what we've learned over the years, is that the people that we employ, that we make sure that they're taken care of, so we believe that we have to take care of our employees so that they can take care of the customer," O'Sullivan said.
Across from the restaurant is another batch of businesses, including Tibet Imports, run by Sarita Shrestha and Naresh Shrestha. The store is celebrating 21 years of serving the community by selling products like candles, incense, and mala.
"Oh, it has been a long time, but we love selling small stuff," said Shrestha. "Anybody can afford it and, we have small things that you can buy, like $2 for instance to you know $200 for a statue or something, so I think people looking for not just the expensive gift, [but] a meaningful gift."=
People were stopping by the store not only to look at the many products for sale but also for Vedic astrology readings by Shrestha.
"I know a lot of people are suffering with their business, but we have been here so long, and we have so many local people who come to support us," she said.
Both business owners are looking ahead to a new year filled with new customers and hopeful for even more success. Brothers BBQ will celebrate 27 years of business on February 5, offering 1998 prices on menu items.
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