Smith + Canon Ice Cream Co. has now shut down its East Colfax Avenue store. The good news, though, is that the homemade ice cream and coffee shop is opening not one, but two locales (most likely). First, the original store is moving and will reopen in about 10 days at the Colorado Mills indoor shopping center at 14500 W. Colfax Ave. Second, in about a month, Smith + Canon has a signed Letter of Intent to occupy the space at 12158 E. Mississippi Ave. in Aurora.
“We made it through COVID successfully, and we maintained a five-star rating across every social media platform,” founder and owner Curt Peterson. “Now we’re in a spot where we can really take flight.”
Smith + Canon, named for Peterson’s eight- and 11-year-old daughters, diversifies with not one, but three revenue streams. First up are the founder’s made-from-scratch ice creams, which employ a handmade ice cream base.
“We’re the only brick-and-mortar shop in Denver that makes ice cream entirely from scratch,” Peterson said. “The Health Department determined that we were the first when we registered.”
The store’s 11 original recipes include distinct flavor bursts like Thai Tea (sweet black tea with “vanilla hints”) Foxy Brown (“tastes like cinnamon rolls and cheesecake”), a buttered toffee option in Butterbrickle, and Strawbanero (strawberry and habanero peppers, duh) — Smith + Canon’s “spiciest option,” which was voted a favorite Denver hot foods by 5280 magazine (per the company’s digital description).
On the steamy end of the scale, the restaurant serves up brewed coffee along with beans and accessories for home brewing. They’re supplied by one Colorado and one California roaster and make the majority of their very popular on tap Nitro cold brews in house. Which is where their “affogados” come in — ice cream coffee floats that bring the whole Smith + Canon experience together. Per Peterson, this rich coffee-based dessert comes from the Italian word for “drowned.” (Mmmm… drowned ice cream…)
While the store won’t be open again until next week, fans can still order gear, beans, and ice creams online until a reopening featuring seating in a climate-controlled mall. And don’t forget to watch for Smith + Canon near the Safeway at S. Peoria and E. Mississippi streets in Aurora in March.
