After being priced out of South Broadway, Denver's Hope Tank finds a new home

DENVER — After being priced out of its old space on South Broadway and ultimately closing last year, Hope Tank is moving to a new location in Denver’s Whittier neighborhood.

[Previous coverage: South Broadway's Hope Tank closing as neighborhood rent rises]

For 10 years, the shop focused on selling products from local artists and small businesses — mostly owned by Black, brown and Indigenous women — while also providing a place for people from nonprofits to share their struggles and connect. Portions from every sale went to local and national nonprofit organizations, which is why the organization’s motto is ‘gifts that give back.’

In December of 2021, Hope Tank's owner and founder Erika Righter announced her vibrant shop, then located on South Broadway, was closing its doors. Increased online shopping and lessened foot traffic left Hope Tank with a decline in sales. And while sales decreased, commercial rent for the shop in the popular Denver neighborhood increased due to a new landlord.

“We did not know we were getting a new landlord,” Righter said at the time, “and that’s a big conversation point that we need to have. I don’t really hear people talking about commercial spaces … and I think that the small business community is often left out of that conversation.”

The South Broadway location of Hope Tank closed February 1, 2022.

But now, Righter says the new space, opening in June, will focus more on community events and workshops than selling products in the store. “Right now we want to drive people to the website and get them more focused on online shopping. That’s the best way to support the local ‘micro-businesses’ that we work with,” Righter said.