For Chad Yetka, Bigsby’s Folly was born from a career detour, a little stubbornness and a willingness to take a risk. Yetka built a career in aerospace, beer, homebuilding, consulting and operations. Then, he was fired for the second time.
After spending some time “sitting on my back porch and feeling sorry for myself,” Yetka decided it was time to “finally back myself.” Wine became the answer. While researching businesses for sale, he realized that most wineries depend on visitors coming to the vineyard. Yetka wondered: why not bring the winery to the people?
“The grapes can travel just fine,” he laughs. “Have the wine travel to the people.”
That idea became Bigsby’s Folly, a winery planted in the heart of Denver. The name reflects both the whimsy of the Roaring Twenties-inspired concept and the reaction Yetka received when he first shared his plans with friends. But Bigsby was more than just a name. He was Yetka’s beloved dog, the kind of companion who could make an exceptionally hard day better simply by greeting him at the door. “He was that very special dog that you hopefully have once, maybe twice in your life,” Yetka says. Today, Bigsby’s spirit lives on in the experience Yetka hopes to create for every guest: “to give you the lift that your dog does when he greets you at the door.”
The building itself has its own story. Nearly 140 years old, the structure began as the George Lininger Works and has lived several lives, including serving as a ready-mix concrete plant. Yetka says the space was essentially a beautiful shell when he took it over, located in what was then a different version of Denver’s RiNo neighborhood.
Rather than erase its past, he embraced it. Industrial details mingle with elegant chandeliers, while the back bar’s wainscoting incorporates an original ready-mix sign.
“We didn’t have to do a lot to build something that really speaks to people,” Yetka says. “All we had to do was respect the heritage of this building.”
That balance of history and polish has helped transform Bigsby’s Folly into one of Denver’s most sought-after event venues. The space hosts roughly 370 events each year, evenly split between social and corporate gatherings, and can accommodate up to 300 guests for a full buyout.
It is, Yetka says, “an excellent alternative to a hotel ballroom.”
Weddings are fitting. “People walk in, they see the chandelier hanging over the bar, and they immediately…want to have their wedding here.”
The experience extends beyond the setting. With 14 wines on tap and a philosophy Yetka describes as “new world grapes, but old world feel,” Bigsby’s Folly offers an experience that feels personal. Its team is small, trusted and empowered to treat guests like family.
“We want them to feel like this is their home away from home,” Yetka says.
That may be the heart of Bigsby’s Folly: a place built from an unlikely career change, an old Denver building and a special dog named Bigsby, designed to make people linger, celebrate and connect over a glass of wine.
“The grapes can travel just fine. Have the wine travel to the people.”