How many times can a business get pushed out by construction and still end up on the same block of University Hill?
Bova's Market & Grill is on its second time. It opened at 1325 Broadway in 2004. It left the Hill when the Moxy Boulder hotel project came in 2021, then moved to 1100 28th St. That shop closed on September 12, 2026, ahead of a redevelopment that will put apartments on the site. Bova's next stop is 1134 13th Street.
Look at the rest of this fall's changes on 13th Street and most of them fit the same pattern. Bova's was displaced by redevelopment. Summit Tacos and Ichigo Matcha came in as additional locations of businesses that already run shops elsewhere. The storefronts changed hands, but the block's basic menu of late-night grills, boba, sandwiches and cheap tacos looks very much like it did in spring.
The Corner That Changed Without Changing Much
In August, University Hill Market closed suddenly at 1134 13th St. after almost 30 years. Nearly everyone knew it as Smelly Deli. Axios Boulder reported that the business never announced or explained the closure. The only sign of what comes next is Bova's signage in the window.
The swap matters less to your weeknight than it might seem. The same Axios report notes that both businesses paired convenience-store staples with a Mediterranean-leaning grill menu of gyros, falafel, cheesesteaks and burgers, and that both stayed open late. Someone who used to grab a gyro at 1134 will find another one there once Bova's opens.
Don't plan on that this week. As of late October, Bova's own site says the Hill space "is currently being remodeled" and gives no opening date. The site sends people to the shop's Instagram for updates. Its message to longtime customers reads:
"This isn't goodbye. It's Bova's next chapter."
Bova's also says it intends to return to 1100 28th Street once the redevelopment is done, which it estimates will take about two to three years. Axios reported that the company didn't say whether it would then run both locations or whether the Hill shop is a stopgap.
Bova's Three Addresses
Bova's history on the Hill shows how the block refills itself:
- 2004, 1325 Broadway. Bova's opens on the Hill.
- 2021, to 1100 28th St. Construction of the Moxy pushes out Bova's, Cosmo's and No Name Bar.
- September 12, 2026, the 28th Street shop closes. The property is set for an apartment project that includes a future Bova's.
- Next, 1134 13th St. Remodeling is underway and no opening date has been set.
The hotel construction that pushed Bova's out in 2021 changed the Hill once the buildings opened. In a September roundup of Hill spots, Axios Boulder credited the 2025 openings of the Moxy and the Limelight, along with more upscale restaurants, with bringing year-round activity to the Hill. Crepe Therapy Cafe opened its second Boulder location inside Limelight Boulder this summer, Yellow Scene reported in late July. Development pushed Bova's off the Hill and then brought more foot traffic to the street it's coming back to.
Expansions, Not Experiments
Look at the other new storefronts and you'll find mostly second and third locations.
Summit Tacos, 1149 13th St. This Longmont food truck turned restaurant opened its second location on the Hill in late August. It took over the Scrooge Sul space.
Blazing Bird, 1143 13th St. It opened just down the block with hot chicken and smash burgers, according to Axios Boulder's September food news.
Ichigo Matcha, 1313 College Ave. Ichigo opened in August in the space that used to hold Pizza 3.14 and Cheba Hut. It's a Japanese-inspired tea and dessert shop serving matcha lattes, soft serve, Hokkaido and brown sugar milk teas, boba, sandos, and taiyaki filled with azuki, cheese or Nutella. Axios Boulder noted that Ichigo already has two Denver locations, one on the 16th Street Mall and one on the CU Denver campus. The same report said Ichigo joins a crowded field of Asian drink and dessert shops on the Hill that includes Lollicup, Kung Fu Tea and Scrooge Bahn Mi.
Taken together, a taqueria moved into a former Korean spot, a matcha bar moved into a former pizza and sandwich space, and a late-night grill is replacing a late-night grill.
The Old Owen's Grocery Building Has a New Owner
Ownership is changing too. BizWest reported in August that the commercial building at 1100 13th St. sold for $3.3 million. It was built in 1927 as Owen's Grocery Store and has nearly 7,600 square feet. The buyer is High Wave Holdings, a Colorado investment firm founded by CU Boulder alumni. According to the release BizWest quoted, the firm plans to "preserve the property's distinctive character" and support local businesses.
The same release said a lease had recently been signed with Ichigo Matcha for that building. Ichigo was already operating on College Avenue by then, and none of the public announcements say whether the 1100 13th lease means a second Hill shop, a move or something else. The Hill's business directory lists Ichigo at 1313 College and lists "The Corner" at 1100 13th. For now, the place you can actually order a matcha soft serve is College Avenue.
What Hasn't Moved
The block's longest-running businesses explain why turnover rarely changes its character. Walking south from College, here's who was there before this fall and is still there:
- Fat Shack, 1110 13th St.: oversized sandwiches and fried snacks
- Gaia Masala & Burger, 1116 13th St.: Indian-American comfort food, from tikka masala and biryani to cheesesteaks, masala fries and momos
- Illegal Pete's, 1124 13th St.: the chain's original Hill location, which opened in 1995 and moved around the corner in 2014
- Lollicup, 1142 13th St.: boba
- The Sink, 1165 13th St.: a Hill institution since 1923
- Half Fast Subs, 1215 13th St.: the longtime sandwich shop that came back after a fire
Fit this fall's arrivals into that list and the 1100 block is crowded. Summit Tacos and Blazing Bird sit across from Bova's future storefront at 1134 and Lollicup at 1142. The Sink and the Fox Theatre are a few doors south. Within about a block, the spread runs from century-old burgers to brand-new hot chicken.
The Fox's Next Few Weeks
The Fox Theatre at 1135 13th Street is right in the middle of all of it. Its current schedule lists LOUD WOMEN Fest Colorado on Saturday, November 7, at 4 p.m. Foy Vance plays November 20 at 7 p.m., with Bonnie Bishop and Ryan McMullan. The Floozies, with Cut Rugs, play December 4 at 8 p.m. Venue calendars change, so check the listing before you build a night around a show.
If you walk down to Pearl Street afterward, the walk is lit again. The city reported that the Broadway Bridge lights between the Hill and downtown are working after a long outage. Crews traced the problem to a fault in an underground circuit, dug up a section of concrete and laid new conduit to fix it. If you spot a dark streetlight or another maintenance problem, report it through Inquire Boulder. That's how the city first heard about the bridge outage.
I keep an eye on 13th Street the way neighbors do, one storefront at a time. When a building like the old Owen's Grocery changes hands, the effects can reach the homes a few blocks up the hill. If you own near the Hill and want to talk through what this season's sales and openings could mean for your property, Kimberly Fels would be glad to sit down with you. Request a Concierge Consultation whenever you're ready.
