Antique Shops Not Happy With 'Green Mile' Rebranding Concept

DENVER (CBS4) - A battle is brewing over a Denver street.

Two very different businesses on South Broadway are butting heads over a re-branding concept.

One group is proposing the area south of Alameda Avenue be changed from Antique Row to the Green Mile to highlight all the marijuana that's for sale. But that's not sitting well with owners of the antique stores there.

Such business owners say they have spent decades spending lots of money to brand the neighborhood as Antique Row.

"It felt like they were coming in and stepping on everything that we stand for and that we have built," said Rachel Hoffman, president of the South Broadway Antique Row Association.

The multiple pot shops are hoping the antique dealers will help pay for an ad campaign promoting the Green Mile concept, but that's not sitting well with them at this point.

"It's almost comical what they're trying to do," Hoffman said. "We're not afraid of them and they're not going to take anything from us and we're not going to pay for their agenda."

The owners of the pot shop Evergreen Apothecary were among those who have been approaching the antique dealers.

A spokesperson for their effort provided CBS4 with the following statement:

"Several marijuana businesses reached out to their neighbors to see about working together to brand and market South Broadway. Several concerns were mentioned, and, at this point, the marijuana businesses are assessing the best way to move forward in compliance with Colorado's strict regulatory framework."

They plan to meet next Wednesday to discuss the Green Mile concept.

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