For years, a grocery run at Denver West Village meant pulling up to 14357 W. Colfax Ave. Since last December, that storefront has been dark. Whole Foods moved a short distance down the center to a much bigger building at 14225 W. Colfax Ave., and the space it left is scheduled to reopen on Thursday, October 29, as a Nordstrom Rack.
When the Rack opens, the shopping corner where I-70 meets 6th Avenue will have a new anchor without a single new building going up. Most of the change here this fall comes from tenants trading places and filling empty spaces inside existing walls. The one piece of truly new ground in the area sits across Union Boulevard. It has an approved plan and, so far, no published construction schedule.
One Grocery Move, Two Storefronts
| Address | Before | After | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14357 W. Colfax Ave. | Whole Foods Market | Nordstrom Rack | About 23,500 sq ft as a Whole Foods; 24,000 sq ft announced for the Rack | Rack scheduled for Oct. 29, 2026 |
| 14225 W. Colfax Ave. | Not confirmed in our sources | Whole Foods Market | 49,500 sq ft | Opened Dec. 9, 2025 |
The first row's size comes from Whole Foods' own numbers. The company said the new store is 49,500 square feet and 26,000 square feet larger than the old one, which puts the old store at roughly 23,500 square feet. Nordstrom announced its Lakewood store at 24,000 square feet. So the Rack is moving into a space about the same size as the grocery store that left it, and the grocery store more than doubled its floor space.
What Moved Down the Row in December
The Denver Post reported the planned move in November 2025: Whole Foods would leave 14357 W. Colfax for a larger store at 14225 W. Colfax, with a December 9 opening date. The store opened that day, and Whole Foods' opening-day announcement confirmed both addresses and the new store's size.
The added space shows up in what the store carries. In its pre-opening release, Whole Foods listed these features for the new Lakewood location:
- More than 800 local products
- Larger produce and beer and wine departments
- Full-service meat and seafood counters
- Hot bar, salad bar and soup bar
- Made-to-order pizza and sandwiches
- A bakery
- A Wellness & Beauty department
For a quick weeknight stop, the hot bar and made-to-order counters change what the store is good for. An extra 26,000 square feet makes room for the kind of grab-and-go dinner a store half that size had less space to offer.
The move also left an empty space in the middle of a busy shopping center. As of this month, that space has gone ten months without a tenant, and it's about to be filled.
What Fills the Old Box on October 29
Nordstrom first announced the Lakewood store on April 16, 2026, saying it would open in fall 2026 at Denver West Village. Nordstrom described the center as owned and managed by Simon Property Group and home to World Market and Barnes & Noble. Lakewood was one of two new Colorado Racks in that announcement. The other is at Dillon Ridge Marketplace in Summit County, and it's also 24,000 square feet.
The specific date came later. Nordstrom Rack's store page for 14357 W. Colfax Ave. now reads "Coming Soon 10/29/2026." The page lists apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home goods. Coverage in August tied the date to the old Whole Foods address. As of today, October 12, that date is still a scheduled opening. It's worth checking the store page before you make a special trip.
Nordstrom Rack president Gemma Lionello said in the company's announcement that customers at the new locations will be able to pick up online orders from both Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack.com and make returns easily. If you already shop online, the old grocery space becomes a pickup and return stop in the same parking lot as World Market and Barnes & Noble, where you used to buy groceries.
The tenant list is changing in smaller ways too. Simon's Denver West Village directory currently marks Reclectic as "Now Open," without an opening date, and lists the Rack as "Coming Soon."
Across Colfax, Colorado Mills Starts Its Holiday Season November 14
The same pattern of filling existing space continues across the street at Colorado Mills, 14500 W. Colfax Ave., which Simon also operates. The mall's directory shows several changes:
- Buckle is listed as "Now Open."
- Cavender's Boot City is listed as "Coming Soon," with no date.
- Champs Sports is listed as "Coming Soon," with no date.
The date you can plan around is the Santa Photo Experience. Simon lists it at Colorado Mills from November 14 through December 24, 2026. That puts the two biggest dates on this corner about two weeks apart. The Rack opens at the end of October, and Santa arrives across Colfax in mid-November, just before the holiday shopping rush.
None of these changes adds a building. Every one of them is a tenant moving into a space that already exists, whether that's a former grocery store, a mall storefront, or a seasonal setup in a common area.
The Only New Ground Is Across Union
The project that would change the size of this area, not just its tenant list, is south of 6th Avenue. The City of Lakewood describes The Bend as a roughly 59-acre parcel in the southeast quadrant of U.S. 6 and Union Boulevard. Lincoln Property Company is redeveloping it with plans for about 2,000 homes, 100,000 square feet of retail, and public plazas and open space.
Lakewood City Council adopted the development agreement on December 8, 2025, the day before the new Whole Foods opened. The agreement sets a 20-year framework for the project. The city's project page doesn't list a demolition date, a construction start, or a date for the first homes or shops. We didn't find any 2026 reporting that construction has started.
Put in perspective, The Bend's planned 100,000 square feet of retail is about four times the size of the Nordstrom Rack opening this month. For now, that retail is a number in an approved agreement with a 20-year window. The new things you can actually shop at this fall are all inside existing buildings: the bigger Whole Foods at 14225 W. Colfax, the Rack at 14357 starting October 29, and the new and coming tenants at Colorado Mills.
If you live near the Denver West corner and want to understand what these changes might mean for your own home, Kathryn keeps a close eye on west Lakewood as it shifts. Get your home valuation or schedule a consultation with Sold With Kathryn, and we'll walk through it with you, calmly and clearly.
