Meet The New Tennyson Street, Same-ish As The Old Tennyson Street

Tennyson Street may have lost a few beloved businesses over the past decade, including Elitch Lanes and BookBar, but a slew of new boutiques and eateries—plus a few mainstays—has helped the six-block stretch between 38th and 44th streets maintain its reputation as one of northwest Denver’s premier retail and dining destinations.

1. Feral

3936 Tennyson St.

Indie outdoors shop Feral started in a tiny Tennyson bungalow in 2016, but two years later, after the building’s landlord decided to redevelop the property, the shop moved into its current home: the century-old Berkeley Theater. Now it boasts the city’s largest selection of used gear and technical clothing, and if you can’t find what you’re looking for secondhand, Feral has new equipment as well as select rentals. Its repair program can extend the life of old gear, too.

2. Call Your Mother Deli

3880 Tennyson St.

Andrew Dana and chef Daniela Moreira weren’t going to open the 10th outpost of their Jewish deli—and the first outside of the Washington, D.C., area—just anywhere. They were looking for a neighborhood full of browsable shops where families can camp out for a few hours on the weekends, and with Dana’s best friend living in Denver, Tennyson Street caught the couple’s eyes. Their hunch paid off: When Call Your Mother opened this past May, the line for its honey-tinged bagels extended down the block.

3. Top Tenn Lounge

4110 Tennyson St.

Ortavio Griego recently launched his fourth business on the street, the wine-and-classic-cocktail-focused Top Tenn Lounge, which found its niche with a simple menu and loads of leather club chairs for cozy tippling. Griego says he wouldn’t have considered opening an after-dark destination here a decade ago, but these days the street feels safer after sundown. Top Tenn, located next to Griego’s tattoo studio, Monkey Fist, isn’t Tennyson’s only new spot for a nightcap. The speakeasy-esque OK Yeah and golf-themed Crow’s Nest both opened earlier this year.

4. The Oriental Theater

4335 W. 44th Ave.

The Oriental opened in 1927, just as movies got sound, but things went quiet midcentury when the suburbs lured its audiences away. Although there was a brief stint showing, ahem, adult films in the ’70s, the Oriental finally got loud again in 2006 when new owners brought the theater back to life as a music venue. This month, catch first-wave punk band Dead Boys (September 12) and indie-folk quintet the Nadas (September 14).

5. Fenway Clayworks

4317 Tennyson St.

After his 2022 holiday pop-up shop proved a hit, ceramicist Sean VanderVliet practically begged the building’s owners to let him keep selling his mid-mod-style pottery in the storefront through 2023. That means you’re on the clock to snag his clean-lined lamps, sconces, pitchers, and mugs in person. (Don’t worry; his digital store won’t be going anywhere.) “Tennyson has the most communal feel,” VanderVliet says. “They really support their own.”