The Corner on Madison seeks tavern licence for long-vacant Madison Street corner

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

A corner grocery in Denver's Skyland neighborhood that has sat empty since 2015 is one step closer to reopening. City records show a construction permit dated July 20 and a pending tavern licence for The Corner on Madison at 2800 N Madison St.

First-time owners Max and Emily Bramer plan a grocery, deli, cafe and bottle shop at the former Frank's Food Mart. The project responds to a food desert that has left residents without a walkable grocery for about a decade.

Why it matters

For Skyland residents, a reopened corner market would mean fresh food within walking distance for the first time in about a decade.

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Key Indicators

Pending

Tavern liquor licence

Licence application appears in Denver records with no decision date published.

2026-07-20

Construction permit date

Denver dated the alteration and tenant finish permit July 20, 2026.

11 years

Vacancy at the corner

The building has been empty since Frank's Food Mart closed in 2015.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

Ever wondered what historical figures would say about today's headlines?

People Involved

Max Bramer

Co-owner, The Corner on Madison

Guiding the project through permitting and construction

Emily Bramer

Co-owner, The Corner on Madison

Co-leading the project

Organizations Involved

The Corner on Madison

Neighborhood grocery and gathering space (planned)

In permitting and construction

Planned grocery, deli, cafe and tavern at 2800 N Madison St in Denver's Skyland neighborhood.

City of Denver

Municipal government

Processing the licence and permit applications

Denver's licensing and building departments are handling the applications for The Corner on Madison.

Timeline

January 2015 July 2026

2 events Latest: July 20th, 2026 · 2 months ago

July 2026
Construction permit and tavern licence application appear in Denver records
Latest Permit / Licence

Denver records show a commercial alteration and tenant finish permit dated July 20, 2026, plus a pending tavern licence for The Corner on Madison at 2800 N Madison St.
July 20th, 2026
January 2015
Frank's Food Mart closes; corner goes vacant
Closure

The grocery at 2800 N Madison St shuts down during 2015. The building stays empty for about a decade, with ownership holding out for a grocery tenant.
January 1st, 2015

Scenarios

The Corner on Madison opens this fall

Likely Resolves by Nov 30, 2026

Discussed by: What Now Denver, which reported a late-September opening target

Construction finishes and the city approves the tavern licence, letting the grocery, deli and cafe open at 2800 N Madison St. The bottle shop next door opens around the same time.

Tavern licence stalls or is denied

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: The pending-licence status shown in Denver's open records

The tavern licence faces a review issue, gets held up, or is denied, which would delay or force changes to the alcohol side of the business.

Opening slips into 2027

Possible Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: The project's construction and permitting timeline

Permitting or construction delays push the opening past the late-September target into next year, keeping the building unopened through the holidays.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

June 2013

Whole Foods Market opens in Detroit (2013)

Whole Foods opened a full-service grocery in Detroit's Midtown, betting on a city long described as a food desert. The store was a test of whether a major chain could succeed where many grocers had left.

Then

The store drew large crowds and became a destination, though much of Detroit's residential core still lacked grocery access.

Now

It became a symbol of Detroit's revival and drew further grocery investment to the city over the following decade.

Why this matters now

Shows how a single grocery opening can change food access in a neighborhood that lost its stores, the dynamic The Corner on Madison is trying to replicate on a smaller scale in Skyland.

February 2015

Heinen's opens in downtown Cleveland (2015)

Regional grocer Heinen's converted the century-old Ameritrust rotunda in downtown Cleveland into a full-service supermarket, giving the city center its first grocery in decades.

Then

The store became a hub for downtown workers and residents.

Now

It helped anchor retail and housing growth in downtown Cleveland.

Why this matters now

Illustrates how a single grocery can anchor a neighborhood that lost daily retail, the role The Corner on Madison aims to play for Skyland.