New businesses open downtown as Corner Bakery leaves after 25 years: "I always hoped to open my own restaurant"

Another 16th Street Mall staple is saying goodbye. Corner Bakery Cafe closed on Aug. 31, after 25 years on the mall in Denver. They join other national chains like Hard Rock Café, Starbucks, and McDonalds who closed their locations downtown this year. 

But as one business closes, another opens. 

"We serve dumplings, noodles, and buns, and one of the most popular items is soup dumplings," said Zhijian Liu, owner of new restaurant Chopstickers.

Chopstickers opened at 16th and California in June. 

Liu is a Chinese immigrant who came to Colorado to get his PhD in petroleum engineering at Colorado School of Mines. But he soon changed paths to follow his true passion. 

"I always hoped to open my own restaurant," Liu said. 

Liu says business downtown has been good so far, but the exodus of other restaurants is concerning. 

"A lot of stores are closed, so it means there are less reason for people to travel to downtown," Liu said. 

Some businesses who have left the mall in recent years have cited crime and a lack of foot traffic. 

"We did have a break-in a few weeks ago," Liu said, "I forget to lock the door and we had people come in and steal chairs." 

Liu worries construction and homelessness on the mall may deter customers. 

"When I see somewhere on Broadway there's a lot of homeless people and you can see a lot of businesses closed and my concern is we become the same as there," Liu said. 

The Downtown Denver Partnership is working to bring new businesses and experiences, like the recently opened Flight Club Darts, downtown. They say foot traffic is now 90% of what it was pre-pandemic. A statistic that has the mall's newest residents feeling cautiously optimistic. 

"I think it's getting better and better," Liu said. 

An interactive museum and a Norwegian bakery are among the businesses set to open on the mall in coming months.