The Story of The Merc

Rainbow Schultz

The Jamestown Mercantile Cafe, better known as “The Merc,” has been in continuous operation since its completion in 1892. It is one of the oldest running businesses in Colorado. What began as an Odd Fellows Club quickly became the mining town’s mercantile and has continued to evolve and grow like an organic, living, breathing member of Jamestown. As the only public storefront in Jamestown, The Merc is our area gathering place. It is affectionately referred to as our community living room, but it is also so much more.

The Merc has been imprinted by the hands of many loves and many lives. What started as a mercantile for miners working long days evolved into a post office and a place to get a slice of pie while waiting for the mail. In the 70’s, the ladies in town sold clothes in the corner. In the 80’s, Richie added hamburgers at lunch. Later, Susie added a Tuesday night spaghetti dinner, and then Joey added live music and a license for beer and wine. In the 20 years that I have owned and run the business, I have added more food and drinks, more music, more art, and more events, but the soul of The Merc remains the same- it is a place that is fed by the community with ideas and art and the passion of individuals, and then it feeds us back. 

The Merc believes in the power of art, of gathering, of food, of sharing, of celebration. Everyone owns The Merc because everyone belongs here. A millionaire popping in from his mansion and a hippie living in the woods in his tent enjoy the same table, often at the same time. It is somewhat crooked, unfinished, and rough, but it is for all of us. The mess at The Merc has a message. It is about connection, not about how we look connecting. There is the spirit of wildness, and also the spirit of love that comes from food prepared and shared with ingredients grown by our friends locally, which builds the foundation for a place where famous bands still stop in to play and first-time performers feel supported to be brave. It was aptly dubbed the “home of the somewhat feral” because we value wildness and individuality at The Merc. It’s a place where we all contribute, and we all belong.

In the 130 years that The Merc has lived in this mountain canyon, all the other commercial buildings that once served this town have succumbed to flood and fire. The Merc alone has stood - and continued to serve us as our collective gathering space. In the 2013 flood, we watched the floodwater rise to the level of the front door boards of The Merc. We held our breath, worried that Mother Nature would at last bring our beloved building down. A torrent of debris made of homes, cars, trees, and propane tanks built up enough weight against the bridge on the south side of the canyon to break free; it all broke through the bridge, and the water was diverted within minutes of breaching The Merc to the other side of the canyon. The Merc stood.

Now we face another existential threat to The Merc, but we believe it can be saved once again. The building's ownership has changed hands over the years, and the latest owner, who bought it 6 years ago, is ready to sell. The asking price is an intimidating $1.5 million (a lot for a ragtag group of locals- but not a lot for real estate developers.) We were immediately worried that our community gathering place would become high-end condos, or a fancy fine dining wine bar- we worried that the lure of the spoils of capitalism would tempt a developer to turn our feral home into profit. We don’t know what a developer might want to do with this community asset, but the risk of finding out is too great to watch and wait.

We quickly mobilized and established a non-profit. Officially filed as “The Jamestown Home for Wayward Artists, Pirates and The Somewhat Feral,” our 501c3 is doing business as SAVE THE MERC. It is our intention to raise the $1.5 million needed to secure this property for the community far into the future. Because the building is very old and has had maintenance deferred for nearly as long, there is no option of an inspectable bank loan. The route to keeping The Merc safe is a cash purchase to the owner, and a board that manages the tenants after the transfer of ownership. Because there are 8 units in The Merc building, there will continue to be rental income from the cafe and apartments to cover the maintenance, operating costs, and future improvements and programming. (The Merc, the business will remain a business and tenant of the non-profit landlord.)

Merc 2.0 is the dream of the new non-profit. Late-night conversations over the past 100 years have had the opportunity to become reality. The recording studio where bands can cut a few songs while stopping in to stay at The Merc apartment can move from dreams to vinyl. The writing-in-residency program can host local and traveling poets and storytellers, who can be inspired by the stories living in these breathing walls. There is an opportunity in this existential challenge for The Merc to continue evolving and to turn these dreams and more into part of our story. We are inspired by all of the effort that has built The Merc into what it already is, and inspired by the ideas that continue to flow into this special place.

The Merc serves a large community and not just a geographic one. It is where the townspeople of Jamestown find one another during power outages and when there is a local birth or a local death, but the community of The Merc stretches across the globe. Bands that got their start here don’t forget the love that they first felt. Evenings in the summer, listening to music in the park, staying with people when they’re back home in New York or California. Every year at Christmas, The Merc receives postcards and holiday cards from people who have been touched by a place that truly belongs to anyone who wants to belong there. The Merc has regulars who travel from other canyons or who travel weekly up the hill from Denver. We appreciate the artists who share their music, the farmers who grow our ingredients, the guest chefs, the area bakers, the sound guys, and all the producers who come together to make life at The Merc a special place to gather. 

We believe in the art of celebration. We believe that it is important to continue the culture of celebration unique to The Merc, and we are on a mission to keep going, onward and upward! We are so excited that you’re here. Every dollar and every volunteer effort means a lot toward this effort. It’s going to have to take every pirate on the ship to save the home of the somewhat feral. Cheers and gratitude, with love, from Rainbow and the board of SAVE THE MERC!