Meet Josh Franklin: Co-Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Josh Franklin and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Josh, what is the most important factor behind your success?
We believe there a two factors that have encouraged the city of Colorado Springs to embrace ICONS. First, the entertainment aspect. Every bartender at ICONS is a professional singer which was essential for the owners who both have a history of performing in Broadway shows. Second, being an unapologetically gay bar in a historically discriminatory city. Turns out when a community has been oppressed for decades, they’re eager to celebrate their pride at a fun and entertaining lgbtqia+ establishment.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Having grown up as a queer kid in Colorado Springs in the 90’s, the true mission behind our space is ensuring that no queer resident of Colorado Springs will be made to feel ostracized or unwelcomed in this community. There’s truly nothing like our place in all of Colorado. From the atmosphere, themed craft cocktails, gourmet hotdogs, to the nightly broadway level live entertainment from every bartender, in just a few short months ICONS is already drawing crowds from all over the state. Beyond that I felt it was high time that the queer people in Colorado Springs deserved a beautiful space filled with color, joy, and art to not only celebrate our beauty within but be surrounded by it as well. This is why even going to the restrooms at ICONS brings its own unique sense of joy as you’re washing your hands next to 10 ft murals of Dolly Parton or RuPaul. It’s been a learning curve for us having to pivot and adapt with the ever changing covid-19 restrictions. However, whether we’re scaling down our staff to only the owners on the back patio in the middle of winter belting out showtunes or we’re back indoors at various capacities, we’ve managed to be there for this community and provide a needed escape from all we’ve endured in 2020.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Hiking – Cheyenne Canyon, Bear Creek Canyon, and Garden of the Gods. Breakfast – The Exchange, Java Punk, and Mountain Shadows. Lunch – The Bench, T-Byrds, Cerberus Brewing Co., and 503 West. Dinner – Streetcar 520, The Famous, Amanda’s Fonda, and Dos Santos. Shopping – Yobel, The Local Honey, and Novis Mortem.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My partner and co-owner John T. Wolfe. Our mentors and fellow queer business owners Christian and Dakota Malacara of Montage Salon. Susan Edmondson and the Colorado Springs Downtown Partnership. And the overwhelming support of our friends and family.
Website: www.icons-co.com
Instagram: @icons_colorado
Facebook: Icons-CO
Yelp: https://yelp.to/9ZwRFDsyldb
Image Credits
Molly McClure, Mark Reis, Breanna Katherine.