DENVER — A small Denver business is shutting down after a second case of arson in six months.
ReFillanthropy opened on East Bayaud Avenue last year, but on Tuesday morning, the front half of the shop was set on fire.
The Denver Fire Department said the fire started around 4:45 a.m. Denver police arrested Andrew Harris, who was allegedly captured on camera setting fire to the building’s front door. Harris was previously arrested for another arson case in 2021 and pleaded guilty in 2023.
“I don’t think we will come back as any sort of retail front in the future,” said Vesper Holly Muck, co-owner of ReFillanthropy.
Muck and her business partner, William Mathewson, said the area is a hotbed for crime, drug use and homelessness. The business owners were the victims of arson back in February, where a man set fire to their front door and then went to the Ross-Broadway Library next door.
“The library has been kind of a magnet for people who are struggling with mental health issues and with drug abuse issues,” said Muck.
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Mathewson and Muck aren’t alone in placing the blame on the library. The owner of Coco Coquette, located next to ReFillanthropy, also voiced concerns.
“I constantly get tagged with graffiti,” said Heather Farris, owner of Coco Coquette. “I constantly have to clean up drug paraphernalia out from my doorways.”
Farris cited constant drug use and homeless encampments near the library as the reason for closing down her shop. She started Coco Coquette in 2019, and although she still has several months left on her lease, she said enough is enough.
“I would rather pay rent on an empty space than have to deal with the stress that comes with physically being here,” said Farris.
Denver Public Library spokesperson Erika Martinez argued that the library isn’t to blame for vandalism.
“It’s not our issue,” said Martinez. “This is not a Denver Public Library issue. This is a societal issue.”
The Ross-Broadway branch has a community resource team, peer navigators and social workers who help individuals with everything from food to housing, to navigating job resources. Additionally, the library has regular security officers who patrol the grounds, and camping is not allowed.
Denver business owners close shop due to arson, drug use near library on Bayaud Avenue
Martinez said although the services they provide might attract unruly customers, they are necessary services for the community.
“These resources we believe are crucial for the personal development of people,” said Martinez.
But the businesses on Bayaud aren’t buying the library’s answers.
“It is a societal issue, but they’re a magnet for attracting people and giving them a halfway safe place to use,” said Mathewson.
The owners argued that security needs to be tightened and that some of the services provided at the library should be moved elsewhere.
Muck and Mathewson said they’ve lost around $25,000 in inventory. ReFillanthropy won’t reopen a retail store, but Muck said they might still operate the company at local markets.
“It’s like witnessing your dream literally going up in flames,” said Muck.
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