Meet Jesse Fox | Owner and Gangster of Love

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesse Fox and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Having been a barista in the small mountain town of Nederland for almost a decade, I had already grown to love the environment. I love my customers and had grown to see them as family. It feels highly fulfilling to serve people food and drinks that brighten their days. Having struggled with alcoholism in the past, I learned to appreciate kava bars. In the back of my mind, I had a plan to start a kava bar in some capacity. Kava offers a unique environment to relax and socialize that differs from an alcohol based establishment. Following Covid, I truly realized that the people of this world were struggling and could really use a place to be where they didn’t feel like they had to drink. When the opportunity to become the owner of The Train Cars presented itself, it felt like a natural progression in following my dreams, and serving my community.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My story is pretty atypical. In 2008 I decided I wanted to see the country. I had a strong intuitive sense that it was time to hit the road and see what was out there. That bohemian hippie thing, I guess. I gave away most of my possessions and bought a bus ticket to North Carolina. If I’m being honest I would say a large part of me just wanted to avoid another Vermont winter. Thinking back it kind of reminds me of that scene in Pulp Fiction where Samuel L. Jackson’s character says he’s just going to “walk the Earth” to which John Travolta’s character eventually replies “so you’ve decided to be a bum?” No one got it, I just had a feeling. That’s kind of how it was. In a large sense it was by the Grace of God, but in another it was just me being selfish. I had a lot of personal defects I had to work through at the time. I was trying to run away from myself and I ended up in the mountains of Colorado, a small town called Nederland. Something about the outlaw thing, the cowboy thing, the rich history, Niwot, it all just drew me in. I ended up having two wonderful children, and this really started to shape how I viewed myself and the world around me. I couldn’t live the selfish life I had experienced before and I quit drinking to focus on living for them. It didn’t come overnight, but it was through being a father. I was able to take that joy of living for the other and, in a way, transform it. I started really putting myself into my job as a barista for The Train Cars Coffee and Frozen Yogurt Co., under the leadership of The Coffee Roaster, Jim Graves. I started to volunteer. I found Jesus. It wasn’t just about working hard to feed my family any more, it was about serving my community. I started to really give. It was weird because it always came back. Like, I would buy someone in need lunch or a drink, with my tip money. It would always come back. Sometimes double. It wasn’t direct, I wasn’t trying to game karma, but it worked that way. I don’t think it would have if my intentions had been different. Kind of hard to explain. Regardless, during that time I discovered kava and found it to be a great way to relax without alcohol.. but there was no kava bar in Nederland. Up in these mountains people do tend towards altered states and I had a feeling that I could actually provide a service to the community. One that was fun but also a healthy lifestyle alternative. Within this timeframe Covid happened. I really saw the value of small business. How people needed the mom and pop shops to feel a semblance of normalcy. But people were getting out. It was scary. The business I was working for went up for sale, transferred ownership, and almost crashed completely. I knew someone had to grab the reins. Honestly, my only intention was to get things back to where they had been while providing jobs for my community. I knew if I did so I could combine that goal with my dream of providing kava. I was already selling a great line of locally roasted coffee, which became Creekside Coffee Roasters. So this opportunity happened. We pretty much hit the ground running. I had a very small budget on loan and a will to succeed, as well as kindhearted companions that really helped with the logistics. That’s how Train Cars Coffee and Kava was born. We kept what worked; the mini donuts and frozen yogurt that were brought in under the late Will Guercio, the Buffalo Bill memorabilia. It had to have something from every era of coffee shops that existed within the venue. Then I reached out. I rehired many of the amazing baristas who had left during the rough times. We already had great relationships with wonderful companies and artists, so I contacted them as well. Sherpa Chai from Boulder was there for us. Kathy Bremers and Sticker Chris from the Peak to Peak provided great artwork for us to sell. Black Dog played music on the patio with his band New Family Dog. I had the business Blessed, literally, for the ghosts that inhabit the old train cars the building is comprised of. It was really sort of an organic, symbiotic relationship with the community that I was trying to foster. After getting things back on track.. pun intended.. I started working with The Root Kava bar in Boulder and they are now our sole provider of kava from their personally sourced farms in the pacific. Great guys, they know their farmers directly. I’d call my life and this business the story of a self made man, but I cannot. It’s the staff. It’s the customers. It’s the vendors. It’s my family and the people who guided me spiritually and emotionally through the rough times. This business is a rich tapestry sewn from all of the beautiful people who I could not have done this without.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would have to take a trip on this whole Peak to Peak Highway. From Ward to Central City and everywhere in between. We would start the morning drinking fresh spring water and checking out artwork at The Glass Tipi. Then we would travel south to Nederland and hit all of the spots. Mountain Man Outdoor Store to gear up with warm clothes, and The Shop and Brightwood Music to get gifts for bringing home. Of course we would grab lunch at Backcountry Pizza, cause I like things a little more casual. Next door we can ogle some art at Kay’s Stained Glass Studio, as well as Kaleidoscope Art Gallery. From there I would probably let them drink a couple beers at Very Nice Brewery, as well as Busey Brews, where I would likely grab some wings as I can usually eat more. Most likely we would grab some baked goods for later at The New Moon Bakery, and then hop next door to look at some cool fossils and crystals at Nature’s Own. If there was time we would have to see the Mining Museum. Most definitely I would then take them to the Carousal of Happiness to see the hand carved animals. Their kids would love that, as well as Wild Bear Nature Center. Next I would take them to stock up on sandwiches at The Deli at 8236, and we can get back in the car. It’d be a quick drive from there to see the ghost town at Caribou before heading south again. In Rollinsville we would grab an americano at Melt Coffee located in the Howlin’ Wind where my friends could grab a beer and we could see some good live music. Afterwards we’d drive out to see the Moffat Tunnel before continuing south. When we get to Black Hawk proper they could gamble a little if they wanted, but my goal is dinner up a little further in Central City where I would happily devour some pizza at the Dostal Alley Brewpub. Even though I no longer drink, I think it’s amazing that they brew beer with heirloom hops that have been growing on the hillside, curtesy of the miners that brought them over way back in the 1800s! Plus they even make their own root beer.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give a shoutout to Jim Graves. He mentored me in the process of running this business and I would not have reached the heights I have without first standing on his steady shoulders. His networking ability, generosity, and farm boy work ethic are something I constantly strive to emulate. It is because of him that our amazing coffee roasting company, Creekside Coffee Roasters, was welcomed into our lives and business. In addition I am blessed with the best staff I could hope for, and would be remise to not give them a hugely deserved shoutout.

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Image Credits
Isabel Szucs