There’s one word Matthew Beyer keeps coming back to when he talks about Colorado Boy.
Community. The brew pub that has anchored downtown Ridgway for 17 years has succeeded with a simple formula: thin, crispy pizza and craft beer in a cozy setting.
But for the new owner of the Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery on Clinton Street and the Colorado Boy Depot on North Cora Street, there’s much more. For him, The Boy embodies beliefs you won’t find on any menu.
A gathering place to celebrate and commiserate. A safe spot where there’s acceptance, not judgment. A partner that donates to festivals and causes. A facilitator of community wants and needs.
“Colorado Boy is special. It’s special to me. It’s special to the community. It’s the center of Ridgway,” Beyer said.
He purchased the businesses from Daniel Richards on Feb. 1, becoming the third owner of Colorado Boy since Tom Hennessy opened the Clinton Street location in 2008.
“It was always something in the back of my mind but I never thought it would become a reality,” Beyer said of owning Colorado Boy.
Beyer was born in Denver but spent most of his life in South Carolina. His family fell in love with Ouray County after first visiting 13 years ago, and Beyer moved here full-time in 2014. He’s been a Colorado Boy customer ever since and even worked a few shifts over the years.
Small business ownership isn’t new to Beyer. He started a lawn care company and coffee shop in South Carolina, and he’s owned a landscape maintenance and snow removal company in Ouray County for the last two years.
Less than a month into his newest venture, Beyer is busy organizing his team of employees and kicking around a variety of ideas for building the business and serving the community — all while being mentored and advised by Hennessy.
Nothing is set in stone at this point, but he said he hopes to host more live music and community events at the Depot. He also plans to have Hennessy, the author of “The Affordable Brewery” and mentor to several startup businesses, offer a series of beer-brewing classes for those who might want to open their own Colorado Boy someday.
“We’re not just here to make money. We’re here to make a difference,” Beyer said. “This is a very personal endeavor for me right now.”
For Richards, who bought his twin brother, Dennis, out of his shares in the two Ridgway Colorado Boy locations in August, the decision to sell the businesses is bittersweet.
It’s something he and his wife, Tracey, have been discussing for a year or so. Their daughter, Ashleigh, is a freshman at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, and their son, Tyler, will graduate from Ridgway High School in May, and they want more time to visit their kids at college.
Richards said he and Beyer began discussing a deal for Colorado Boy two or three months ago. He said Beyer is a longtime friend and customer who cares about the business.
Richards still has plenty on his plate. At the same time he sold the Colorado Boy locations in Ridgway, he took on a new business partner, Michael Grogg, to help him own and operate Colorado Boy Southwest Pub in Ouray. He continues to be a partner in San Juan Brews, a Montrose coffee shop, and a minority partner in Silver Basin Brewing, a Montrose brewery.
“It’s definitely a sad thing for me,” he said of selling Colorado Boy. “I’m going to miss people there.”
While no longer the owner, he doesn’t plan to be a stranger. He and his family still live on Log Hill. Don’t be surprised to see Richards slide into a seat at the bar or carry out a pizza. He might even pull a shift or two in the kitchen.
