Optopolis' Retail News

The Holiday Express sign seen above the store entry - Optopolis Another seasonal store, The Holiday Express, is now open at the Frontier Mall! Here's a glance at where it is located, the space's history, and the store itself. Some history If you visited the Frontier Mall in the 2010s or so, you probably will remember that this space used to be occupied by Bath and Body Works . Although some minor changes have been made to the look of the store front, anyone familiar with older Bath and Body Works store fronts will likely recognize it immediately. Bath and Body Works at their current space, formerly PacSun - Optopolis Around late 2016 to mid-2017 , Bath and Body Works ended up relocating to what used to be PacSun, a smaller-format clothing store which was located across the hall from the then-Best Buy Mobile store. As of 2018, it appeared that the former Bath and Body Works space was being used for miscellaneous storage. By late 2019, however, the space got a refresh with a whi

Rubyjuice sign seen at the alternate entry on Central Avenue - Optopolis A local Cheyenne establishment, Rubyjuice, has closed, and the store now displays signage indicating the business is for sale. Here's a glance at their history. Some of the backstory of Rubyjuice and their space Currently, the building where Rubyjuice previously resided is shown in the Laramie County Property Assessor to be part of the 17th & Central Executive Suites property; the property assessor notes that the building was built in (approximately) 1924. The Rubyjuice building seen in 2020 - Optopolis Based on a photo from the LeClercq L Jones Photograph Collection , it does not appear any business occupied the space as of 1979, but Google Maps Street View confirms Rubyjuice was present since at least 2007. In fact, based on this Facebook post from Rubyjuice, posted in 2018 , Rubyjuice has been open since around 2005 or sooner! For those unfamiliar with Rubyjuice, their core focus and the thing they are

TOP: Hickory Farms Banner for 2023 at the Frontier Mall - Optopolis | BOTTOM: Various nuts, etc. - Pixabay/ExplorerBob For many years now, Hickory Farms and High Country Almonds have been setting up shop here in Cheyenne for the Christmas season, and both are now back again! What is Hickory Farms? Where are they located this year? And a bit of history. Hickory Farms is a store that offers various combinations of meat and cheese, especially including summer sausage although they also have other products as well which can be seen on their website . You may have seen their stuff sold in various stores including Walmart in addition to their own seasonal stores. In previous years, Hickory Farms has opened at various different spots in the mall including the old Union Wireless space. This year, however, they are taking the corner space next to Appliance Factory / Mattress Kingdom, across from the old Christopher & Banks/Daily Thread. The former Zales Jewelry store front seen before being

In-N-Out Burger's now open Sign at the new Loveland location - Optopolis At least some Cheyenne residents have already long-since felt the hype of In-N-Out Burger, and it's closer to Cheyenne now than ever before--the chain restaurant, that is. Here's some history, a glance at the oddity of Cheyenne's local In N' Out, and what the Loveland In-N-Out Burger looks like on day one. Loveland's In-N-Out Burger used to be Mimi's Cafe! Previously, the land in Loveland, Colorado where In-N-Out Burger (the chain brand) currently sits used to be a Mimi's Cafe. As discussed in the abandoned video on the main Optopolis YouTube channel , Mimi's Cafe in Loveland was built in 2004 (as noted in the Larimer County Property Assessor) at the Centerra Marketplace off of I-25 and E Eisenhower Blvd. Loveland's Mimi's Cafe as seen in 2022 - Optopolis The Loveland Mimi's cafe was the nearest Mimi's location to Cheyenne until it closed in 2021. As seen in the

Dulces Cuh signage seen on the front of their Frontier Mall location - Optopolis A new candy store has just recently opened at the Frontier Mall with plans to be here for years to come! Here's a glance at the space's history as well as the new Dulces Cuh Mexican Candy Store. A touch of history The Frontier Mall itself was built in 1981; Journey's had been present in space 18 since at least 2001 . For those not familiar, Journey's sold various clothing items such as shirts, jackets, and shoes. Back on July 7th, 2023 during a weekly update video , it had been discovered here at Optopolis that the Cheyenne Journey's had closed. It's not clear at this time exactly when nor why it closed, although it's safe to say it had closed in 2023. The vacant Journey's space after the for lease signs had been posted - Optopolis Since at least July, the space has remained vacant, eventually having lease signage posted. That is, until recently! Candy shop, Dulces Cu Mexica

Daily Thread Cheyenne two days after planned closing date - Optopolis If you've been following along, you'll recall that Cheyenne used to have a Christopher & Banks which closed following their bankruptcy filing. Daily Thread took over the Cheyenne C&B space earlier this year, but now it's gone and likely not coming back anytime soon. A touch on recent events Space 88 in the Frontier Mall was previously home to Christopher & Banks. Many years ago, the mall also had a CJ Banks, but that closed long ago-long before C&B closed; that space has already been replaced by Bumpers Arcade which previously relocated to the old DEB space. At the turn of 2021, Christopher & Banks filed for bankruptcy , announcing that all their stores would close for good . The Cheyenne store had their final day on February 27th, 2021. C&B name plate still visible at the entry - Optopolis A while after being acquired , Christopher & Banks be

View of Railyard's sign seen in an evening in 2021 - Optopolis Sadly, this is definitely no longer only rumor or hearsay--it appears to now be official.  Local restaurant, Railyard Coffee Haus and Eatery is "officially" closed. Here's a glance at the history and a look at the current status of Railyard space. History of the Railyard space (and a glance at the building at large) The history of the individual space that Railyard occupied is rather slim. Railyard was the only occupant of the space since the renovation of the larger portion of the building within which it resided. The larger building as a whole, however, goes a ways farther back. According to the property assessor, 1963 is the build date of the building that makes up everything from The Office Bar and Grill to Railyard and HUB Insurance (previously, Wyoming Financial Insurance). Over the years, many different establishments have occupied the building, including the section that Railyard previously occupie

Standalone Pizza Hut sign seen as a car passes by on Yellowstone Rd - Optopolis Pizza Hut on Yellowstone Road is currently in the process of remodeling the store! For the time being, the dining room is closed although to-go is still an option! Here's a glance at its history and what is expected to change. Historical glimpse The property assessor notes that the Pizza Hut building was built in the year 1977 with a couple small add-ons to the building, one in the year 2000, the other in 2001. Pizza Hut likely was the original tenant at this location, seeing that the building still sports the "hut" roof and also checking inside an old FE Warren Airforce Base Guide book from 1985 . View of the Yellowstone Rd Pizza Hut in 2007 - Google Maps Street View Back when the nearby Stag Convenience Corner was about to be demolished for Chase Bank , planning items were discovered by Optopolis in the Cheyenne City Planning website that indicated previous plans to renovate the Stag buildi

Small excavator sits near the Yellowstone Rd Arby's standalone sign - Optopolis Not long ago, the E Lincolnway Arby's was in the process of remodeling . Now, the Yellowstone Rd Arby's is doing some construction, and it appears it will be going a somewhat similar route as the E Lincolnway location. Some history Unlike the E Lincolnway Arby's, this location is fairly new. The property assessor notes that the building was built in 1996 with a small add-on to the front in 2003. Google Earth imagery from 1994 labeled as the US Geological Survey reveals that the land was previously vacant. Arby's Yellowstone Rd seen in 2021 - Optopolis Things posted inside the restaurant indicate that this location is owned by franchisee Good Times CEK, LLC and confirms that Arby's has been present at this location since at least 2005. This building, unlike the E Lincolnway and W College Dr locations, uses more of a simple box-design although it has previously featured similar aspects

Barnes & Noble's new store front on Grand Opening morning - Optopolis After over a year of Cheyenne being without Barnes & Noble, the store has finally reopened! Here's further detail into the process of the store finally opening again. The initial history Barnes & Noble Cheyenne originally was located on Dell Range Blvd just west of Red Lobster, and that is where B&N was located since the building was built (1995 according to the property assessor). Fast forward to 2007, a new plaza would be built, sometimes called either Frontier Plaza (according to the property assessor) or Cheyenne Marketplace (as seen on a lease sign seen in 2011). Within the building on the south end of the plaza, Natural Grocers would soon open in a previously unoccupied space. TOP: Old Barnes & Noble location | BOTTOM: Old Natural Grocers location - Optopolis Back in June 2021, an " Engineering Plan Review" project item would be added to the Cheyenne city planning website