What was formerly Woody’s along U.S. Highway 160/491 has been retrofitted into a grocery store after extensive renovations, including air duct repairs and interior reworking to extend the building’s life.
After more than a decade of plans and funding lapses, Towaoc has a community grocery store decorated with tribal photos and art, from Russell Lopez’s 40-year-old painting to the Ute Mountain Ute insignia.
Nuchu Market opened at 158 U.S. Highway 160/491 and is stocked with essentials such as eggs, diapers and more to serve a tribal community long considered a rural food desert.
The store will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The grand opening marks what Ute Mountain Ute tribal leaders and economic development officials describe as just the start. While shelves are stocked with staples – fruits, breads, condiments, drinks and canned goods – the long-term vision for Nuchu Market goes beyond the traditional store model.
Beth Cascaddan, director of the tribe’s economic development department, said the goal has been to include tribal businesses through local food-sourcing practices.
“This creates socioeconomic benefits and employment, as well as lowers food cost,” Cascaddan said. “It brings a sense of pride and accomplishment.”
She said Nuchu Market is partnering with the tribe’s Farm & Ranch program to source corn, wheat and alfalfa, and with the tribe’s Bow & Arrow cattle operations. Sourcing meat locally is a major component of its future model, allowing the tribe to control quality and pricing.
“We'll know where it's from. We know it's from healthy animals, and it'll be hopefully cheaper than anything we can buy from third parties. We want to have a niche in the Montezuma area for more affordable meat that people can buy instead of how high prices have been,” she said.
Towaoc’s food bank also plans to purchase from Nuchu Market at a good price, adding another local connection.
Reaching this point took years of effort, with shifting plans and funding challenges. While the idea of a grocery store in Towaoc dates back more than a decade, Cascaddan said meaningful progress happened only recently, making the opening especially significant for residents who have heard about the project for so long.
“It is a celebration,” Cascaddan added. “I feel very blessed we’re able to get it up and going. It would have been a lot quicker had we not lost some of this funding. But we’ve actually just started changing the pace on how we're going to move forward.”
Years ago, she said, a significant financial setback involved an outside firm hired during the early planning stages. According to Cascaddan, the tribe hired a firm to handle design and engineering for the project, but that firm “got away with $1.8 million” while providing “deliverables that were not usable.”
Cascaddan said her department eventually reached out to multiple foundations, receiving more than $260,000 from the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority and another $100,000 from Colorado Trust to make the store happen.
“We got another $10,000 for groceries, and we have some workforce development funds that we’re able to train people with. So on a very minimal budget, less than $400,000,” she said.
The grand opening unfolded Monday with a prayer, speeches and a ribbon-cutting led by tribal council members and attended by the public.
Former Ute Mountain Ute Councilman Darwin Whiteman Jr. opened the event with a prayer and reflection on the long path to completion.
“Back in time, the ideas came about and were put in motion. God the creator makes things happen for us. We just leave it to God the creator … With that, thank you to all the people involved, and now it’s just a steppingstone on the behalf of the people,” he said.
Ute Mountain Ute Councilman and Treasurer Conrad Jacket emphasized the significance of the project for both the tribe and the surrounding region.
“This is a blessing. With this administration, we said, ‘Let’s make this happen.’ We had to think first, how can we make this work. Our people want to see this, they want to see results,” he said.
He closed by encouraging community members to spread the word and “tell everyone to stop by.”
Ute Mountain Ute Councilwoman Tawnie Knight spoke to the importance of ownership and persistence.
“As Councilman Jacket said, there were barriers, so I want to say it’s our own store, Ute Market, Nuchu Market, it’s for our people.”
Councilman Alston Turtle thanked staff and addressed concerns raised during the long development process, encouraging communication rather than division.
He also acknowledged the work done to bring the project to completion.
“I want to thank Beth. Really, the store’s face-lift happened many times. We have to appreciate what we have,” Turtle said.
Ute Mountain Ute elder Floyd Morris was invited to cut the ribbon in recognition of his consistent presence at community events.
Cascaddan spoke during the ribbon-cutting as well, crediting the multiple grants and partnerships that made the store possible, including CHFA and Colorado Trust funds, support from other foundations, workforce development assistance and help from Region 9 Economic Development District.
