Jimbo’s Liquor Reopens in Basalt After 18-Month Trailer Siege

Gonzo Mirich is finally smelling the wine.

It took him eighteen months of living in a trailer to get there. For locals who remember Jimbo’s Liquors as a cornerstone of Basalt, the delay feels less like a business blunder and more like a siege. The store is reopening in the same spot where it has stood since 1972. Basalt’s oldest continuously operating business is coming home.

But don’t mistake the fresh paint for a simple renovation.

Mirich and his staff spent the last year and a half in survival mode. They operated out of a 360-square-foot trailer tucked into the construction zone of the Basalt Center Circle project. That’s not a storefront. That’s a storage closet with a door. They ran the entire wine, beer, and liquor inventory of a beloved local institution from a metal box while the old building was torn down.

The "short version" of their endurance is this: they didn’t just wait.

They survived the July 2018 Lake Christine fire. They stayed open through the pandemic’s worst years. They navigated the logistical nightmare of moving inventory in and out of a cramped trailer that sat in the middle of a construction zone. And they did it all while maintaining the supply chain that keeps the shelves full.

Mirich credited Mountain Beverage, specifically sales rep Robbie Parker, for keeping the logistics from collapsing. Parker helped manage inventory while the team waited for the new space. It’s a small detail, but it matters. When you’re running a business from a trailer, your supplier isn’t just a vendor. They’re lifeline.

Now, the permits are in hand. Mirich has an inspection scheduled for Monday, June 8. He hopes for a soft opening that day. The grand opening, complete with a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. on Friday, June 12, is next.

Jimbo’s will be the first tenant to occupy the new Basalt Center Circle. This isn’t just a retail space. It’s a mixed-use development. Residential units will sit above commercial space. A new restaurant from the CP Restaurant Group is already in the works. Jimbo’s is the anchor. It’s the first move in a game that’s been in play for years.

Mirich bought the store ten years ago from Steve Broitzman. He knew the building would eventually go. He knew the rebuild would happen. But he didn’t expect the grind to be this hard. Walking through the door in the exact same spot where the old Jimbo’s once stood is, in his words, an "amazing feeling."

It’s also a reflection of Mirich’s own history. He came to Aspen from Argentina in 2003. He started as a liftie on Aspen Mountain. He worked as a bar back at Matsuhisa under Pat Ryan. He opened the Hunter Bar. He represented wine for Breakthru Beverage Group. He’s raised three daughters in Basalt schools. He’s a ski instructor. He’s lived the valley.

The "WineInk" column usually focuses on the bottles. This story is about the blood, sweat, and trailer space that got the bottles to the shelves.

The new space is bigger. It’s permanent. It’s dry and warm, unlike the trailer. But the spirit of the place hasn’t changed. It’s still Jimbo’s. It’s still Basalt’s oldest continuously operating business.

The question isn’t whether the wine will be good. The question is whether the rest of the development can move as fast as Mirich did.

Mirich is ready. The paint is wet. The wood is fresh-cut. He’s waiting for the inspection. When that door opens on June 12, the survival mode ends. The real work begins again.