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Showing posts from 2024

Cheba Hut is expanding to Wyoming (former Dog Haus)

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Cheba Hut's coming soon sign faces QDOBA at Pershing MarketPlace - Optopolis Cheba Hut, infamous for their cannabis theme (it's not in the food), is expanding to Cheyenne. This will likely be their first Wyoming location, and it'll replace Cheyenne's Dog Haus at Pershing MarketPlace. A glimpse at recent events + Cheba Hut history Dog Haus Biergarten. If by some odd means you don't know the whole Dog Haus story, check out Optopolis' last article discussing the conundrum , or Cap City's deep dive into the mess. Long story short, Dog Haus was built in 2019 and underwent two different franchisees; it closed twice as a partial result of sour events involving each of the two franchisees, respectively. It's now clear that Dog Haus has taken the easy way out with this location instead of looking for some new owners. Dog Haus sign seen lit up at night - Optopolis Cheba Hut, sometimes stylized as CHÄ“BA HUT. To quote their website's about page , ...

Crossroad Collectibles closing to move and expand

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Crossroad Collectibles sign seen above their current Frontier Mall store - Optopolis Crossroad Collectibles, a collectible store located in Frontier Mall, will close to move to Warren AFB at the turn of the new year, and they have plans to open a new public storefront in Spring 2025! A glimpse at the history Crossroad Collectibles is a collectibles store that opened (and held a grand opening ) on October 7th, 2023; back then, they occupied the former Samuel's Jewelry at Frontier Mall. More specifically, this is the space currently labeled as #48 next to Dillard's which was once, long ago, occupied by Burri Jewelers. Crossroad Collectables seen at their original mall location, seen on October 7th, 2023 - Optopolis By mid-February 2024, Crossroad Collectibles had moved to the former Gymboree, space#44, across the hall from the present-day Bourbon Street Candy Co , and that's where the store is located as of the time of publishing this article. Over the last few weeks, they...

The Playground to open at Frontier Mall (former Rue21)

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"Coming Soon" sign indicates that The Playground is coming to Frontier Mall - Optopolis The Playground (which has a location in Greeley Mall and features playground-like equipment such as bouncy castles), is expanding to Cheyenne, taking over the former Rue21 space at Frontier Mall. A glimpse at the history of the space Most recently, Rue21 was reported here at Optopolis as announced to close; on May 2nd, 2024, Rue21 filed for bankruptcy, stating that all stores would close. While Rue21 has made a comeback to many parts of the United States under new ownership including one location in Colorado, Cheyenne's most recent Rue21 location isn't expected to reopen anytime soon, especially seeing that their Cheyenne space was placed on the market . Rue21 sign seen above the entry to their most recent Frontier Mall store, prior to closing - Optopolis This space has some history behind it. Rue21 combined the former Famous Footwear space with a large portion of the former Boot ...

Twinkle Twinkle Little Store moving to mall (Tivoli Building being sold)

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One of the signs displaying Twinkle Twinkle Little Store's branding - Optopolis Twinkle Twinkle Little Store's Tivoli Building location (Downtown) will be moving to the Frontier Mall across the hall from Compass Rose Gifts and Beautiful Addiction. According to their Facebook page, an investment group bought the Tivoli Building and isn't renewing their lease. A glimpse of history: Tivoli Bldg, Twinkle Twinkle Little Store The three-story Victorian building at the corner of Lincolnway and Carey Avenue is one of the many buildings that gives a classic and aged charm to Downtown Cheyenne, and yes, it's believed to be haunted . The section of Carey Avenue lining the edge of the Tivoli Building has seen various changes in use over the years, and for a long time up until the turn of the 2010s, this section of Carey Avenue served as a small pedestrianized plaza . According to the  Cheyenne historic walking tour booklet , Tivoli was originally a restaurant and saloon built in...

New restaurant at Regional Airport Terminal (Nellie's Grub & Pub)

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Nellie's Grub & Pub logo seen on a coming soon sign standing on a table next to the restaurant - Optopolis It appears the restaurant space at Cheyenne Regional Airport's newest air terminal is getting a new tenant called Nellie's Grub & Pub! It has been announced that the restaurant is set to open on December 10th, 2024. Recent history of the space - Billy Jack's Pizza Pub Billy Jack's Pizza. That's about it. Billy Jack's Pizza Pub opened one of their two Cheyenne locations inside Cheyenne Regional Airport's newest airport terminal building, located along Airport Parkway, but Billy Jack's closed both their Cheyenne storefronts by or before the start of 2024. They stated that this change was temporary in that they'd be bringing wholesale pizzas to local grocery stores and businesses. Billy Jack's Pizza Pub at the airport, seen sometime after the location closed - Optopolis Back in May, someone asked Billy Jack's on a post on their...

Hokkaido Ramen House taking over Capitol Quisine

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The sign above a soon-to-be Hokkaido Ramen House in northern Loveland, Colorado - Optopolis A Japanese ramen restaurant chain called Hokkaido Ramen House and Izakaya is expanding to Cheyenne with a new location at Downtown's former Capitol Quisine on Capitol Avenue, south of West 18th Street. A glimpse at the history of Capitol Quisine, others The building which contains Geek Garage and recently included Capitol Quisine was built in the 1910s according to the Laramie County Property Assessor. A 1955 map seems to indicate Modern Studio and Kelly the Tailor were once occupying the now-former Capitol Quisine, while the 1955 Cheyenne city directory indicates Nation Studio and Hub Sporting Goods at that location (1718 and 1720 Capitol Avenue, respectively). A more detailed history and other former tenants prior to the 2000s are currently unknown to Optopolis. As of August 2007 , a restaurant called Teriyaki Grill was present at the location of now-former Capitol Quisine. September 2011...

JAX is closing, Bomgaars coming soon

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JAX sign seen on the Frontier Mall location near Christmas time, 2024 - Optopolis After five years in Cheyenne, JAX Outdoor Gear, Farm and Ranch will be closing their Cheyenne store, set to be replaced by Bomgaars, another similar store that already has locations in Wyoming. Historical glimpse JAX Outdoor Gear; a company that has ties to both Fort Collins, Colorado and Ames, Iowa; was in the process of expanding to Cheyenne's Frontier Mall in the late 2010s, set to softly open before the end of 2019. Their doors opened on November 22nd, 2019, taking over the former Sears at 1400 Dell Range Boulevard. A deeper look at the history of Sears in Cheyenne was discussed in an Optopolis "DeepDive" on YouTube . This became JAX's first store to be inside a shopping mall, as all other locations were either self-standing suburban-style stores or located in Downtown Fort Collins. Among the highlights of the Cheyenne JAX were the cafe that took over the Sears Optical Center, the...

EHC Hair Salon moving to Frontier Mall

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Ethnic Hair Care branding posted at the old Capitol Avenue EHC location - Optopolis Local hair salon and spa, Ethnic Hair Care, is relocating from Downtown Cheyenne to Frontier Mall. They'll soon occupy the former SuperCuts space next to JCPenney, and EHC will open before Thanksgiving--on November 27th! Glimpse at the history of EHC and SuperCuts According to the Wyoming Business website , Lali Pop Wig Shop and Ethnic Hair Care is a business owned by Leanya M Gunn; the business was initially filed on May 23rd, 2017, and recently, it has been located in Downtown Cheyenne along Capitol Avenue. As of the time of Google Maps Street View captured in July 2017 , EHC had already been located next door to KFBC Radio (AM 1240/97.5 FM) along Capitol Avenue at West 18th Street. EHC's website says that the owner is a, "California-raised, black entrepreneur who lives by the theory of F.E.A.R. (Face Everything And Rise)." They offer various kinds of hair care including extensions,...

Dog Haus closed again, and is for lease

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Dog Haus Biergarten's sign above the front door of the building, seen in 2023 - Optopolis Dog Haus Biergarten appears to have closed for the foreseeable future--again. The building is now for lease, and Dog Haus lists the location as temporarily closed in spite of "closed for maintenance" signs posted at the entry doors. Glimpse of the history Dog Haus Biergarten was one of the first few tenants to open in Pershing Marketplace with the building going up in 2019 ; back then, it was operated by Goalz LLC who also then-operated Church's Chicken in Cheyenne. Dog Haus became the first place in Pershing Marketplace to close up shop, closing in March 2023 . Dog Haus was able to find new ownership for the Cheyenne Biergarten, and the new franchisee was later revealed to be FAFO Restaurant Group LLC. They held a soft opening primarily for the workers' friends and family on June 25th, then opened to the general public on June 26th. US Dept. of Labor seeks court order again...