Denver businesses prepare for Stanley Cup parade: 'It's a massive boost'

Excitement continues to build as the big celebration for the Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, approaches. Among those preparing for the massive influx of fans are downtown business owners on or near the parade route.

The parade itself will start at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday at Union Station, continue down 17th Street and south on Broadway before ending at Civic Center Park.

"A lot of folks are going to be in our stores, so we're really excited about that," said Derek Friedman, owner of Sports Fan, which has two locations on 16th Street.

From hats and shirts to everything in between, Sports Fan is a one stop shop for Avalanche championship gear. While busy now, the day of the parade will be another story.

"We're super excited to have merchandise just flowing in and then flowing out immediately," Friedman said.

Thursday morning, the store will be just a block away from the upcoming Stanley Cup parade. It's an opportunity the store hasn't had since the city's last championship parade in 2016. That parade for the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos came two days after the big game, leaving store like Friedman's in a tough spot.

"We were like receiving stuff and running it out. I was throwing stuff on the ground," he said. "It was chaos."

This time, the two 16th Street locations will open early, have more staff, and be ready to accommodate everyone.

"People will be arriving early, get their spots, and they want to make sure they have their merchandise before they get into line to watch the parade," Friedman said. "For a small community like our business or some of the other family-owned businesses downtown, it's a massive boost."

Closer to the end of the parade route, Stoney's Bar and Grill is also preparing, especially after their last parade experience.

"It rushed downtown so fast we weren't able to get staff here. It was really hard," said owner Stoney Jesseph. "[It] probably put 500 people in here just in a few minutes, so it was crazy. We were super understaffed."

To avoid that, staff will arrive early and in full force Thursday to be ready for an avalanche of hockey fans.

"Sports bars slow down a little bit for the next month, so we're pretty excited to have one last day," Jesseph said.