15 SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | Turning the Corner AN OLD GAS STATION GETS A FRESH START IN LONGMONT. BY C HRIS MARHEVKA “Our goal from the beginning was that this building is already close to 150 years old. It was our intent to make sure it lasts for another 150 years or more,” says real estate developer Zachary Nassar, current owner of the original Johnson’s Corner Gas, which in 2003 was moved from Longmont’s North Main Street to its location at 1111 Neon Forest Circle in 2003 by Prospect developer Kiki Wallace. After Wallace was unable to successfully obtain historical grant money to renovate the building, it sat in disrepair for years before Nassar purchased it in 2019. Now, following a years-long effort to reno- vate the historic site, Nassar and his team are eager to introduce Johnson’s Station, which blends classic American cuisine with an up- dated indoor-outdoor atmosphere. It will celebrate its grand opening from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, September 13, with food, drinks, live music by the Ross James Bluegrass Ex- periment, fl ash tattoos, merch giveaways of branded pint glasses, and a showcase of classic cars from the Niwot Chiefs Cool Car Club. This ambitious revitalization required a thoughtfully curated blend of old and new. Johnson’s Corner Gas was designed in the 1930s by Eugene Groves, a pioneer of pour- in-place concrete with his “Groves method” and stylistic balance of form and function through durable buildings with clean lines and Art Deco fl ourishes. This gave the team much to work with in terms of aesthetics and inspiration, but it also meant there were unconventional challenges — like fi guring out how to run new electrical and HVAC through eighteen inches of solid concrete. “It’s so funny, because this building has been such a Longmont staple since the 1930s, it almost has its own folklore,” notes Nassar, who has intentionally preserved the essence of the building, keeping the original windows, commissioning a new neon sign in the style of the original and applying new stucco and other cosmetic touch-ups. More creative liberties were taken inside, as there were no photos of the original available for reference. At one point, there were fi ve Johnson’s Corner spots around Colorado. Because Joe Johnson’s original brand is still in business on I-25 and under new management, the Long- mont project called for a rebrand. “It really took a while, because we weren’t sure what we were going to do with the place,” Nassar says. Early ideas included an urban country club or a pool club, but ultimately, a food and drink space made the most sense for residents. Nassar enlisted a top-tier team of food and beverage experts to create Johnson’s Station, including River & Woods owner Josh Dinar; Hank Grant and Justin Riley, co-founders of the Rayback Collective and Improper City; and Giovanni Leone and Colton Cartwright, of development company Perpetual First and Moodswing, the upcoming Denver eatertain- ment concept with pickleball. According to Nassar, it was Dinar who connected them all. “The project was so important to us — and, I think, important to the community — that we really wanted a time-tested, professional operator who’s done this before,” he notes. Dinar was an investor in Rayback, and Riley had collaborated with Leone and Cartwright before, so the team assembled naturally. For the food, Dinar and Steve Queen’s Working Title Food Group developed a menu of American classics such as burgers, sand- wiches, onion rings and fries, as well as salads, tacos and more. The Station Burger delivers all the iconic satisfaction of a beef patty for $10, while the Diesel Burger is an indulgent half-pound bison patty with smoked bacon, whiskey bacon jam and Cascade hop aioli. Johnson’s Station’s new commercial kitchen keeps the operations in-house, in contrast to Grant and Riley’s other projects, which rely on a roster of food trucks. Grant believes this will allow the team to adapt and grow. “In terms of keeping that consistency and the communication in-house, naturally it’s just going to be easier,” he says. “We can get creative with Steve and Josh to really fi gure out what this community needs.” Food can be ordered via walk-up window service or QR code. The restructuring of the building involved an expansion that includes an indoor/outdoor bar, which will led by beverage director Kurt Dressler III. There are 24 taps for draft brews, nitro cold brew coffee and craft cocktails with infused fl avors like the Tequila Mockingbird, a watermelon and jalapeño-infused tequila concoction served over a watermelon jala- peño ice cube with a mezcal topper. Drinks can be ordered at the bar or through servers who will make the rounds. According to Leone, Johnson’s Station will have some beer selections on rotation from local breweries and beyond. “We want to keep it fresh and exciting,” he says. Leone adds, “You can get a lot of good beer in Longmont, specifi cally. There are some big breweries here, like Bootstrap, Wibby and Left Hand, so obviously we want to be good partners with them, but we also want to add some diversity and get things that you’re not used to seeing here.” The front room of the original structure will be an ice cream parlor for simple scoop service with cups and cones along with a coffee bar to help activate the space as a co-working environment during the day. The team hopes to add a milkshake machine at some point for more of that classic old-school feel. The building has two second-level lounge rooms for a more intimate experience. The roof of the expansion has more seating and standing room, with an Airstream trailer bar that will serve cocktails, canned drinks and boozy slushies. A former neighborhood swimming pool in the back is now a patio with greenery, a fi re pit, a few dart boards, a cornhole setup and a row of cabanas — three of which have their own mini-fi re table. The team hopes that Johnson’s Station will become a social epicenter for years to come. “Finding ways to integrate yourself into the community and reach different demographics is really important,” Grant says. That engage- ment starts with fi nding and training staff like general manager Sofi a Silva Espinosa, kitchen manager Ben Candelairo and events manager Bailey Neppl. “It’s elevating people and getting them bought into the idea and then getting them to make it their own and kind of getting out of the way,” he adds. Johnson’s Station supports local artists through such partnerships. “We’re working with Firehouse, which is a local art group,” Leone says. “Every two months, we’ll rotate new art out that can be purchased by guests through the artists.” Firehouse members joined muralist Max Coleman in the creation of the expansive bison mural that lines the back wall. Another mural by Julio Aguirre of Pizzazz Painting will start to go up in the kitchen during the grand opening; guests can pop in and see the progress throughout the grand-opening weekend. The team is also considering replicating the pet-adoption events it’s held at its other establishments, in which it partners with a local shelter to bring in a half-dozen or so dogs, waive adoption fees and set up playpens on the turf for guests to get in some cuddles while enjoying food and drinks. But long-term relevance comes down to the basics: quality food, attentive service and consistent hours. “We defi nitely want to be a staple,” Cartwright says. “I know that’s something that Prospect’s longed for. There’s not always a consistent offering. We want to be open Monday through Sunday, like 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and then hopefully extend out for a little bit more of a brunch offering on Saturday and Sunday.” In addition, the team is looking to book private events such as milestone celebrations and corporate events through the rest of the year. According to Grant, people can reserve cabana tables and specifi c rooms, or even opt for a full buyout. The team recognizes that Johnson’s Sta- tion is part of a greater movement in Pros- pect to restore the area to its former glory. According to Grant, “There have been great restaurants here. Some moved away and some have stayed, but it’s never really gotten back to its heyday.” He says the team also believes that the recipe for success is understanding that no one person, owner or small business can do it alone. By providing quality service to locals and cultivating a space for community mem- bers to share their cravings, interests, talents, passions and celebrations, Johnson’s Station will adapt to meet the needs of the people. “We want to get back to making Prospect a destination for all of Longmont and all of Boulder County,” Grant concludes. Johnston’s Station is located at 1111 Neon Forest Circle in Longmont, and will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. for its grand opening on September 13, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily after that. Learn more at johnsonsstation.com. CAFE FIND MORE FOOD & DRINK COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/RESTAURANTS Johnson’s Station will make its debut on September 13. CHRIS MARHEVKA
