Jonesing for Jives: new coffee house enlivens city’s social atmosphere

There are only a few hang-outs in Colorado Springs that aren't, in actuality, bars: The Maté Factor, Montague's, Serranos, Shuga's – if you ignore the expansive drink menu – and perhaps one or two others.

But I have been privileged enough to witness the birth of the coolest non-bar hang-out in the city. It might, indeed, be called the ultimate, the grandmaster, the coup de gras of all the Springs' heretofore sparing social scene.

This place of wonder and burgeoning legend is called Jives Coffee Lounge, opened during the first week of May at the corner of Colburnn and Colorado Ave. and sharing a complex with the Michael Garmin Gallery.

Owner and manager Randy Fair has worked as a software designer and consultant for Deweye Software Company, and during his time there has "[sat] in coffee shops from California to New York," sometimes all day long, and he noted over the years what he enjoyed most about each. As his family grew in size (he and his wife now have ten children, two of whom help man the coffee bar), Fair wondered, "What am I really good at that makes good money?" and he found himself attracted to the notion of opening his own coffee shop. That wish fermented for seven years or so, until Fair and his wife decided to create Jives.

"I wanted to combine my three great loves," said Fair, "coffee, music and life."

Fair's vision is evident in every corner of Jives, from the sleek hardwood floors to the mosaic glass counters to the 115-year-old brick walls, splayed here and there with jazzy art- and metalwork. The register sits on a counter made of decoupage pennies, and blues is in the air around the living-room-style furnishings and cabinet full of one-of-a-kind mugs – for customer use, of course. Some even bear artists' stamps. 

Jives' coffee is the result of direct trade with growers. "It's great that what you're drinking, two weeks ago, was grown by Matumba in Kenya," Fair said, smiling. Original drinks like the Jive Spicy Mocha and the Red Moon (a sort of raspberry white mocha) augment the place's sense of unique identity. "My wife wanted to call the place ‘Red Moon,'" Fair said, "so I named a drink for her."

Coffee isn't the only delectable ingestible Jives offers. Fair has agreements with Alpine Bakery and The Maté Factor to sell their baked goods, and with Fudge It for a more sugary alternative. Pure cane sugar sodas are available for $2 each, and snacks like bagels and croissants are available daily. Soups and sandwiches are anticipated to join the menu soon.

Three nights a week, Jive hosts live music. Fridays and Saturdays provide a venue for local bands, and Wednesdays are open mic nights.

"Anyone can play, but we have one rule: Don't suck. If you suck, I'll turn the machines off and the radio back on," Fair said, laughing.

Jives was the result of a Fair family effort – and a symbiotic relationship with almost everyone Fair knows. "With my dad, everything is a relationship, including, well, everything," said Fair's oldest son, Paul, with a grin.

Originally, Fair partnered with New Tribe Community Church to create Jives, and for a few summer months church services were held there on Sunday mornings, though the partnership has since dissolved. Jives opens each day at 8:00, and closes around midnight on weekdays and 1:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, though Fair has considered running it 24 hours a day, if clientele becomes more consistent through the nighttime hours.

Jives is a dream come true for Fair, and for the denizens of Colorado Springs who will welcome a new and engaging locale for good coffee, fine music and lush life.