STiX Crafthouse brings Ball Arena atmosphere to Olde Town Arvada

From The Arvada Press - Rylee Dunn 9/6/2022

“Shot, goal!” The foghorn blares, the siren sounds, and 20,000 raucous fans rise to their feet in celebration. A scene familiar to hockey fans who’ve cheered an Avalanche goal at Ball Arena will be coming to Olde Town Arvada on Sept. 9 when STiX Crafthouse opens its doors for the first time.

Photo courtesy of Arvada Press. From left: Head Chef Keenan Cameron, Co-owner Jake Gross and Sous Chef Troy Sanchez.

 Founded by Jake Gross and Erin Beaudoin, STiX seeks to combine two things close to its founders’ hearts; the in-game atmosphere of an Avalanche game and craft beer. The pair met after Gross posted in an Avalanche fan Facebook group proposing to open an Avs-themed bar and Beaudoin responded.

With Chef Keenan Cameron heading up the dining options — a slate of what Gross calls “upscale bar food — and 20 taps including Four Noses’ Raspberry Blond and Odell’s ‘Good Behavior,’ STiX seeks to be every hockey fan’s favorite place to watch an Avalanche game.

 STiX held a soft opening on Sept. 3 and scheduled its grand opening for Sept. 9. The craft house is located at 5777 Olde Wadsworth Blvd R100 in Arvada, the former site of The Flying Pig.

Gross — who fell in love with hockey when his mom took him to an Avalanche game about a decade ago — said the idea for STiX came from a brainstorming session Gross had when he felt unsure about what to do with his life.

“I was kind of thinking to myself, ‘What do I want to do with life?’” Gross said. “And I was trying to find a niche in the market that wasn’t tapped into yet and then also, ‘How can I combine most of my favorite things in one?’

“So, I made a list of about 80 things that I liked — fishing, camping, the outdoors, swimming, climbing, hockey, craft beer — all of that kind of stuff, and I tried to link as many as I possibly could,” Gross continued. “Having that hockey concept was a big thing for me. And tying in the craft beer to that was the big game changer.”

 Gross said he feels like there isn’t really a good hockey bar in the area. He said that he and Beaudoin went to local breweries to sample in order to decide what craft beer to offer.

He added that the in-game experience is, to him, what makes people fall in love with hockey, which is why STiX will try to bring that feel to Arvada.

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