Craft meets comfort: Trails End Taproom's new Mason Jar mashup 'best of both worlds'

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Kevin Weese knew he’d be walking a fine line, stitching together a high-concept, bike-themed craft taproom and an old-school comfort food joint where generations of diners had found their chicken-fried bliss, without alienating either audience.

But it was time for the owner who’d launched Trails End Taproom in leased space at the far end of a shopping plaza at 31st Street and Colorado Avenue to find a new home, and the nearby Mason Jar restaurant was for sale.

"We spent a lot of time fine-tuning and perfecting that spot over there," said Weese, reflecting last week on the original iteration of Trails End Taproom, which, when it opened in 2017, was the first pour-your-own craft spot in Colorado Springs and only the second in the state. "We had a five-year lease there and the lease was up, and they told me my rent was going to go up exponentially."

That original spot also came with a unique set of concerns given its location a stone's throw from Midland Trail, a popular route for homeless camps and foot traffic.

"Our closing day, we had police showing up, fighting (among) the homeless, and it was the worst grand closing ever," Weese said. "Here, we have no problems at all. It's amazing what being two blocks closer to Old Colorado City has done for us."

When the lease was up last summer, Weese packed up shop (except for those awesome garage doors), closed the original Trails End doors around Father's Day, and moved two blocks east, to 2925 W. Colorado Ave., into a building that began its long Colorado Springs tenure as a Shakey's Pizza more than a half-century ago.

"The easy button would have been for me to close it (Mason Jar), lay everyone off, bring Trails End over here, close for three months, and get it going," he said.

But that's not what he wanted to do.

And that's where things got complicated — message- and branding-wise — for Weese, who found himself suddenly beholden to and responsible for both hipness and history.

"This place was a hub for beer, pizza and music in the '60s and '70s, so we’re trying to bring back the history of Shakey's, marry the history of what Mason Jar was … and bring our own vibe to the whole thing," said Weese, a Colorado Springs native. "Why? Because I love history, to be honest."

Weese kept on the "inherited" Mason Jar staff, and much of its menu, and set out to create a hybrid space he knew wouldn't please everyone; at least, at first.

"I feel like when we moved here we were like the awkward teenager," he said. "People were, like, ‘Oh, you’re not Mason Jar, you’re not Trails End.' Our next struggle is to get out and tell people what Trails End is now."

What it is, is both, and also something entirely new.

Ruth Richey started as a server at Mason Jar almost 28 years ago, and said the infusion of energy that's come with the new ownership, whole-cloth remodel, and Trails End/Mason Jar mashup, has been a boon for what was, for decades, a Springs go-to where people always knew what to expect.

"I really like the new renovations. It's made it lighter, brighter and happier, and now we have the patio. And I think the people are actually getting better service," Richey said of the pivot to a restaurant and taproom that focuses on self-serve.

Orders come into the kitchen faster, are delivered faster, and patrons don't have to wait for a waitperson to come fill their drinks, she said.

"The quality of the food is equally as good as it was at Mason Jar, plus they have additional items. The pizzas are excellent," Richey said. "I’ve seen lots of changes and lots of personnel come and go, but I am very happy with the changes, and actually I’m excited about many of the changes still to come."

Those changes, which Weese expects to complete before the end of the year, include swapping glass-paned garage doors for several north-facing windows.

After taking over the new, larger space, Weese and his team did major cleaning, renovations and build-outs, removing part of a south wall of booths to build a pour-your-own wall with 32 taps, with 10 more to come, pouring craft beers, ciders and craft mixed drinks, including the Monument Mule, a cocktail featuring Lee Spirits vodka, lime and ginger beer. The east-side dining room will retain more of the old Mason Jar feel, with booths and an overall "quieter" environment.

"The other side, that's kind of our loud, obnoxious side, but this side will be exactly the same food delivered, same booths as the old Mason Jar," Weese said.

Trails End Taproom still hews to its founding ethos as a hub to build community, support nonprofits, and bring together outdoors lovers through regular events. It continues to host live music and Sunday "picking around" sessions, which often draw more than two dozen local musicians for a freewheeling afternoon jam.

An evolution that's proved a challenge to explain in words might better be summed up in imagery, said Weese, whose logo now features the Trails End name inside a Mason jar-style glass.

"A few weeks ago, our rack in front had a walker in it next to a bike," he said. "I was, like, ‘That's who we are.’ You can come in and get your chicken-fried steak you’ve had here since 1982, or you could be one of these people who's here for the Trails End bike vibe. I think, and I hope, it can be that bridge between everyone, and the best of both worlds."

IF YOU GO

What: Trails End Taproom and Eatery

Where: 2925 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs

Info: trailsendtaproom.com

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Stephanie Earls is a news reporter and columnist at The Gazette. Before moving to Colorado Springs in 2012, she worked for newspapers in upstate NY, WA, OR and at her hometown weekly in Berkeley Springs, WV, where she got her start in journalism.

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