Illegal Pete’s is putting expansion of its flagship locale at 1124 38th St. in Boulder on hold. According to an internal email, Pete Turner’s proposal to move into the adjacent shuttered Albums on the Hill is facing too many municipal restrictions to move forward at this time. This news, however, comes on the heels of a report in The Gazette that the fast casual, “Mission Style” burrito restaurant is proceeding with plans to open its 13th store this summer at 32 S. Tejon St. in downtown Colorado Springs.
The plan was to move Illegal Pete’s Boulder into the former Albums on the Hill at 1128 13th St. Adjacent to the University of Colorado. The iconic record store opened in 1976 and shut its doors in an emotional goodbye last year. After five months shuttered due to health issues, Andy Schneidkraut, Albums on the Hill’s owner since 1987, held a five-day closing sale in September 2022 (per The Denver Gazette).
Turner’s vision for the expanded location was not to bring retail records back, but to continue the musical culture established at the Albums on the Hill. Like the Illegal Pete’s on South Broadway in Denver, the idea was to bring in live entertainment in the form of music, comedy, and other performers. Not only was Albums a longtime Illegal Pete’s neighbor, but a place where Turner shaped his rebellious ethic. In the early 1990s, part of Turner’s college experience were Albums on the Hill’s “Tuesdays at Midnight” record release parties (per The Denver Gazette).
The vision for the Boulder expansion aligned to the Illegal Pete’s mission to be a hub for artists and advocates, those challenging the status quo and standing up inequity. Founded in a university environment, the eatery welcomes “constructive exchanges around equality and belonging, and has “a zero-tolerance policy for bigotry and discrimination in our restaurants,” according to its website. The South Broadway setting has become a magnet for agitators and artists. It was there in 2001, after all, that Jack Johnson received his first big record offer from the nascent Brushfire Fairytales label while eating an Illegal Pete’s burrito (per Surfer Magazine).
The Colorado Springs store will maintain this mission, supporting artists and fostering the counterculture community while serving up sustainable meat from Niman Ranch and sponsoring Denver Urban Gardens growing fresh produce. Keep an eye out for slow-cooked barbacoa, beer-battered fish, Mexican Coke carnitas and more from Illegal Pete’s on El Tejon come around June or July.
I’d love to hear more about the planned expansion of Illegal Pete’s in Fort Collins. I understand Pete owns the storefronts East of his restaurant in FTC.