This is the second part of a two-part series highlighting Palisade businesses.
PALISADE, Colo. (KREX) - One business in Palisade allows folks to sip a cold drink and watch the Colorado River flow while another takes customers back with gelato and a retro sci-fi theme.
Clark & Co’s Distilling and The Milky Way are two newer businesses in the area. Clark & Co started around two years ago, while The Milky Way opened this past February.
"We envisioned this to be a tasting room but once we got into it, we decided we could do a full-service kitchen as well," Clark and Co. Distillery's Chris Schmalz, who owns the business with his wife, wife Mackenzie Clark-Schmalz.
The Milky Way Owner Kathy Gilbert said, "We wanted a place for families in Palisade because there are a lot of alcohol-based businesses here. And there's not really here for families."
As the name implies, Clark & Co. Distilling features various mixed cocktails and spirits, as well as food and merchandise.
"We offer over 35 labels now – everything from flavored whiskey to flavored brandy to sweet moonshine," Chris said.
Another popular feature of the distillery is a back patio that faces Mount Garfield and the Colorado River.
The name Clark should be familiar to anyone who's been around Palisade. Just up the road on Highway 6 is Clark Family Orchards -- which Chris and Mackenzie also own.
The owners originally wanted to use all the fruit unfit for commercial sale and distill it into brandy. But they ultimately decided to expand their plans.
"The further Mackenzie and I got into it we realized with our equipment and kind of our whole setup that we have back here that we could do a lot more than just brandy," Chris said. "We started off with a little brandy but then we got into vodka, rum, tequila. Bourbon has been big. Flavored whiskey has been big. We realized we could do much more than brandy with our setup."
Meanwhile, in downtown Palisade is The Milky Way. The business offers a variety of edible options -- including gelato, breakfast food, drinks, teas and much more.
The Milky Way is also home to Percy – the name of the whale that sits on top of the store's vending machine.
"He's our art vending machine and we have lots of little knickknacks. There are vintage-styled ones, and we have different artists that carry their art in there as well," Gilbert said.
"We have a lady who comes in every week and buys mystery socks in there. And they are socks that are in an envelope. She comes in every week and gets a pair of mystery," Milky Way Manager Brittany Thurston said.
The Milky Way's retro sci-fi look can be traced back to the shop's parent company, named Cygnus Crossing -- referring to the Cygnus constellation – which is located next to the Milky Way found in space. Gilbert also says the building itself offers an "out of this world" feel.
"We decided to lean more into it: the atomic age and therefore Milky Way. Our decorations are definitely leaning toward that direction, especially the bathroom," Gilbert said.
Thurston added, "We've had actual NASA employees saw that we were space theme and gave us NASA stickers. It's a fun atmosphere."
Palisade Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Jessica Burford said these creative approaches to business help showcase the area.
"I think our businesses are doing a very good job of really utilizing the unique characteristics of palisade as a strength and continuing to highlight that and promote that as part of their offering inside their retail space," Burford said.