LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A group of Lakewood women — Beverly, Erin, Franny and Veronica — gather monthly to play American Mahjong. Their regular spot is Hello Coffee, a local shop one of them described as a natural fit.
"Well, it's close to my house, and I wanted something close to home, and with people that are local, very accommodating," Veronica said. "I call her and tell her how many people are coming, and she reserves a table. Hello, coffee. It's very nice place."
▶️ Lakewood residents tell Denver7's Allie Jennerjahn what makes their community special
One member of the group has called Lakewood home for 30 years. When asked what keeps her here, the Belmar area came up quickly.
"The Belmar Shopping Center has some good restaurants and the movie theater," one of the women said.
"And then you go across the street, and there's the Heritage Center and the park and the library. That's all a really great area," she said.
"And Nordstrom Rack," Franny added.
Belmar Library: A community anchor
PX Associate Alice Moreland has worked at the Belmar Library for nearly 2 years. She said it's a great place to her conversations from all walks of life.
"We're here for people," Moreland said. "That's why I love it here so much. I'm dealing with so many age groups where I'm helping older people print, or I'm helping a baby learn how to read for the first time."
Moreland has noticed more people coming from Denver to obtain a JeffCo library card — a trend she connects to school library closures.
"Like a lot of requirements now for school lists is you have to get a library card now because they're letting go of their library," Moreland said.
It's a pattern she worries could eventually reach Lakewood.
"The JeffCo schools that still have libraries home in on those because they're so important for kids because those are dying," Moreland said. "And that's something that's really important to me because I loved my library growing up, and so that's why I love it here," she said.
Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park: A step back in time
Just steps from the library sits Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park, a historic site complete with a school building, gas station and hair salon.
Jeanie King walks her dog Bailey through the grounds regularly.
"Oh my gosh, it's it's like a movie set," King said. "You're just totally transformed into a different you know place."
King said she loves Lakewood just the way it is — and isn't eager to see it change too much.
"I don't want to see too much more to be developed," King said.
One exception: the Colfax corridor.
"There's some areas down there that are still a little shady. I don't know if I'd feel comfortable parking my car. You know, definitely not walking my dog on the street," King said.
The Arts District: Local creativity on display
Along the busy stretch of local shops and strip malls — home to the well-known Casa Bonita — sits what's referred to as the Arts District, where Leo Sailas works as gallery manager of Lakewood Arts.
He said every artist featured in the gallery lives within 15 minutes of the hub.
"We get a wonderful array, an assortment of just different types of mediums, different types of practices, different types of personalities," Sailas said. "I get to work within the community. We get to kind of do outreach. It's wonderful. It really is great."
Sailas said he hopes the community continues to grow its connection to the arts.
"Oh gosh, if I could add anything, I would say, you know, more artists. I would invite the community to be even more inclusive with us," Sailas said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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