The historic ambience of downtown Delta has been embraced by the new owners of CB's Tavern. Located at 334 Main Street, the tavern is housed in the Stockham Building, which received historical designation in 2004.

The 104-year-old building has been occupied by a furniture store, undertaking business, a clothing store known as Garrett Mercantile, and most recently, Paper Works Ink, an office supply store owned by Cathy Boyd and Colleen Jensen. In 2011, Cathy and Colleen decided to downsize their business and consolidate the office supplies in the rear of the building. They decided to remodel the front end and rent out office space.

About the same time Wanda's closed, and Cathy's kids, Carrie and Todd and their friends, lamented the loss of the Main Street bar. Their casual conversation planted a seed, and the more Carrie thought about it the more she liked the idea of leaving her corporate job in Denver and moving back closer to family members.

So the idea of CB's Tavern was born, and with great hopes Carrie and her crew began remodeling the building's interior in the spring of 2011. Their goal was to push hard to get the bar open by Deltarado Days in mid-July.

"Instead of hitting it hard, we got hit hard," Carrie said. The biggest "debacle," she says, was incorporating a sprinkler system that would mesh with the building's historic integrity. "We went back and forth with the state," she said. Three sets of plans were approved; three sets of plans were unapproved. "It got really complicated for a while."

In the meantime, they'd removed the plaster covering the beautiful brick walls and discovered bricks that had been recycled from an even older building with a mural or a sign. The bricks on the south wall resemble a jigsaw puzzle that's been thrown together randomly, with bits of color and pieces of letters adding character to the rough-hewn surface. They uncovered the original tin ceilings and gave them a fresh coat of metallic paint. A beer cooler from Wanda's, which was known for the coldest beer in town, was moved down the street.

A year and a half after the idea of a Main Street tavern was conceived, CB's Tavern opened for business on May 30.

From the outset, Carrie wanted to create an old-world style tavern with modern attributes like big screen TVs, arcade games and a pool table. "We wanted to create a comfortable place where people can hang out," she said.

At the same time she is committed to improving the local economy by providing jobs and serving local products such as Rocking W cheeses and Jessie's Garage, a pale ale made by Revolution Brewing in Paonia. Menu items are made with as much local produce as possible.

The tavern offers burgers, brew dogs and sandwiches. The express lunch, which includes your choice of soup, salad or half a sandwich (choose two), costs just $5. Appetizers, salads and homemade soups round out the menu. Top off your meal with a slice of Eatery pie made by Pat Kerns, who is working in the kitchen.

"Everything is made from scratch, from the beer-battered onion rings to the fresh cut fries," Carrie said.

The bar is fully stocked and CB's offers 12 beers on tap.

The tavern has 21 part- and full-time employees, including Cathy and Carrie, who plan to continue working their former jobs at least part time. "Until we get going, it's more important to pay the employees than myself," Carrie said.

CB's Tavern opens at 11 a.m. daily and can be reached by calling 399-3292.

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