Barista KJ Wright says everything Ned General offers has "created a sense of homeiness for the community."
There’s a giant clock on the facade of Ned General that tells you exactly what time of day it is, just like a clock should. But this clock plays tricks on you.
At 9 a.m., you’ll be sitting in the morning glow by a window enjoying a latte. Minutes go by. Friends pop in, you strike up a conversation with someone blowing through town, you get hungry and order a sandwich. The next time you glance up at the clock, it’s 4 p.m. and you haven’t left all day. That clock has to be broken, right?
It’s fully functional, believe it or not. Time slippage inside the Nederland cafe, bar and community hub is just part of its very purposefully constructed charm — a spell that both locals and visitors have been falling under since it first opened last year.
“We really wanted to create a spot where you can come in the morning and sit in the corner with a cup of coffee,” Ned General co-owner Mike McNett tells Caribou Current during the bustling Friday afternoon lunch rush. “Then you find yourself eight hours later and you're like, ‘Shit. I think I need a beer now.’ Then music starts, and all of a sudden, here you are.”
Whether it’s to work remotely, hang with friends, or connect with your neighbors, Ned General is building a space that is becoming increasingly rare: a “third space” away from work and home where you can come together as a community.
Ned General might be new in town — the store’s been open for less than a year — but the space and faces behind it are familiar to Peak to Peak locals.
McNett is also co-owner of the Gold Hill General Store, Ned Gen’s sister location over the hill. When the owner of Rollinsville-based Salto Coffee, the former tenant of the East 2nd Street hangout, approached him and his business partner Dwight DeBroux about taking over the shop, it made perfect sense.
“Salto had been a staple in the community for a really long time, which made it really nice for us in a lot of ways,” McNett says. “We just kind of came in and wanted to keep that part of it going, and then just sort of add a little flair of what we do over in Gold Hill.”
Depending on the day, it’s easy to find yourself moving from coffee and Zoom calls to shots and good old-fashioned bluegrass boot stompin’.
“People use the word ‘third space’ a lot. I do think that this is, at its core, exactly what somebody wants out of that,” McNett says. “A space to do work, a space to meet friends, to gather, throw a party, just about anything.”
A third space is a public place outside of work and your home where you can gather with your community, spending plenty of time and little money. At Ned General, it’s like a public living room.
“You might not even buy anything. People come in just to see if their friends are here or not,” Mcnett says. “Just having that kind of space where you can kind of come and go, almost like a clubhouse, I guess. But everyone's invited.”
Walking into Ned General with a full wallet isn’t a requirement, but if you have some dough, the eating is good.
Start the day off right with breakfast burritos, made to order: eggs, braised pork, potatoes and green chili, wrapped tightly in a warm tortilla waiting to be devoured on a drive up to the ski hill. Or crush a juicy burger piled high with the classic fixings — everything you need to melt away the stress headaches from a long morning of meetings that could have been emails.
Staying true to their “something for everyone” ethos, it’s not just handhelds. Special menus, designed for events like their Valentine’s Day dinner and show, treat hungry customers to finely crafted dishes, like buttery garlic shrimp bruschetta and fiery hangar steak, drenched with fresh chimichurri.
And then there’s “The Cookie.” Perfectly thin while somehow still chewy, oozing with chocolate and garnished with just the right amount of salt, this irresistible desert has developed a cult following among Ned General’s visitors.
“We could probably talk about the cookie all day. I actually kind of joke that maybe this is the house the cookie built,” Mcnett says. The recipe has crossed state lines; the Gold Hill resident brought it with him from a Seattle restaurant he worked at before moving to Colorado. After some struggles with recreating it at altitude, it made its Rocky Mountain debut at the Gold Hill Store, and it hit big. “It was game on from there.”
Ned General’s charm lies in more than just a cookie, McNett says. “You gotta really think outside the box and be something that people can rely on for more than just a good meal.”
Part of that is the staff, he says. “They all live here in the community, and are best friends with most people that come in the door. And if they aren’t, they will be at some point.”
The way he sees it, if the staff is having fun then everyone else will too.
At Ned General, fun could be hosting bingo night for the local PTA, or a disco-themed New Year’s Eve rager — it’s more about what the community needs than anything else.
“We're just little by little, kind of figuring out exactly who and where and why we want to do this, and who's best to be involved and dictating that. And nobody is better than the town that we're in.”
IN THE CLUB: Ned General. 112 E. 2nd St., Nederland. Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
