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New visitor’s center, artisan retail store to occupy former Granby Mini Mart

Alex Magallon with VA Construction of Granby, uses a grinder to cut a hole in a piece of corrugated metal while working inside the old Granby Mini Mart building as part of the property's renovation project.
Lance Maggart / Sky-Hi News

If you have driven through Granby recently you may have noticed the ongoing construction at the former Granby Mini Mart at the east entrance to town.

Local resident and Granby Mayor Paul Chavoustie purchased the former Granby Mini Mart building at the end of last year. The facility is currently in the midst of a significant renovation and upgrade project in preparation for new tenants, which Chavoustie hopes to have at least one new retail business operational in the facility by the end of April.

“We should be done by the end of April with everything,” Chavoustie said Monday afternoon as construction inside and outside the shop continued apace. “The tenants can start finishing their spaces next week. We will have the majority of the building done next week. We will fine tune the outside, work on fencing and landscaping, towards the end of April.”



The renovation work on the facility is designed to evoke a western and mountain theme. Chavoustie and his wife, Paige, who is an architectural designer, developed the plans for the renovation work, both inside and out. The building’s exterior will feature rustic 100-plus-year-old reclaimed lumber and rusted corrugated metal. The interior will also heavily utilize reclaimed lumber and corrugated metal with additional design elements.

“I have always wanted to own a building downtown and wanted to continue the western themes throughout the town,” Chavoustie said. “Pete was ready to sell and we were ready for another project. My wife and I do projects together. She worked on the floor plan and I worked on exterior designs.”



Chavoustie purchased the 4,100-square-foot building, which includes a finished basement, from long-time owner Pete Gallo. According to Chavoustie, the facility already has two tenants secured: the Granby Visitor’s Center, which is currently located across from the building on Highway 40, and Tracy Navarrete’s Westside 40. The Visitor’s Center is an arm of the Granby Chamber of Commerce while Westside 40 is a retail shop offering artisan products made by Grand County locals and Colorado residents including things like jewelry, housewares, signs and soaps among other products.

Westside 40 has secured the majority of the space inside the building and the Visitor’s Center will occupy a portion of what remains. There is however an additional 700-square-foot backroom that Chavoustie said he plans to upgrade as well. The Chavousties are kicking around different ideas for the backroom space including the potential development of a “creation station”; a satellite workshop for crafters, artisans and other individuals who may not have space in their private residences to build or make commercial products.

“We are not trying to compete with stuff that already exists in Granby,” Chavoustie said. “We are trying to add more of a shopping experience.”


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