Entry No. 51 — the Denver file — filed under: art-gallery
Dikeou Collection Pop-Up: Colfax
From the sidewalk it reads as a shuttered old record store on a gritty stretch of Colfax — which is exactly why nobody knows it's a free contemporary art collection inside the former Jerry's Record Exchange. Email or call ahead, show up by appointment Mon-Fri, and you get a private wander through installations by artists like Anicka Yi and Devon Dikeou alongside 7,000-plus vinyl records, often with the space basically to yourself. It's an extension of the by-appointment Dikeou Collection (the main 5th-floor space is closed while it relocates), and it's completely free. One visitor described it as slipping through a wormhole into a wild art collection they accidentally wandered into.
The story
Walk past 312 East Colfax Avenue and you’ll assume Jerry’s Record Exchange simply died and forgot to take down its sign. The storefront on this gritty stretch of Colfax, two blocks east of the Colorado State Capitol, keeps up the facade of a defunct vinyl shop. But siblings Devon and Pany Dikeou—who founded the contemporary Dikeou Collection in 1998 alongside Devon's New York publication zingmagazine—took over the building in 2014 and deliberately chose not to give it a polished gallery overhaul.
Instead, they kept the record-store bones intact and filled the space with thousands of vinyl records, laserdiscs, and CEDs from their personal archives, installing world-class contemporary art right into the retail layout. You'll find works by artists like Anicka Yi, Lizzi Bougatsos, Rainer Ganahl, and Devon Dikeou tucked directly alongside vinyl crates. It bypasses the sterile white-cube art space in favor of something far weirder: an art collection hiding behind a dead commercial front.
What it's like
Getting in takes advance planning because you can't just walk off Colfax and push the door open. You need to reach out by email or phone a few days early to secure a free weekday appointment. When you arrive, you'll generally get the entire space to yourself to move through the installations, crate-dig through 7,000-plus records, and take in the quiet while Colfax traffic hums outside. Street parking along East Colfax is metered and hard to grab, so take transit down the corridor or park in a garage near Civic Center.
The move: Email ahead for a weekday appointment and treat it as a private gallery date — just the two of you moving through the installations and crate-digging the 7,000-record collection, no crowd, no admission fee.
📍 Before you go You will find it on a scruffy downtown stretch of East Colfax, a block or two east of the Colorado State Capitol — look for the old Jerry's Record Exchange storefront, since little to no signage marks the art inside. It is appointment-only and free: reach out a few days ahead by email or phone, since a same-day walk-in is a gamble, and weekdays are the only window. Street parking along Colfax is metered and tight, so a nearby garage or transit down the corridor is easier. Pair it with the Civic Center cluster a short walk west — the Capitol grounds, Denver Art Museum, and Clyfford Still Museum.
- 📍 Downtown / Colfax
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 312 E. Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203 (inside the former Jerry's Record Exchange storefront; little to no signage)
Hours: Open by appointment Monday-Friday (free). Schedule by calling 303-623-3001 or emailing info@dikeoucollection.org. The separate main Dikeou Collection is temporarily closed for relocation.
Pair it with
- Black American West Museum & Heritage Center — Head north into Five Points to swap avant-garde art for a deeply specific historic collection documenting Black cowboys in the Old West.
- Forney Museum of Transportation — Continue the hidden-in-plain-sight warehouse theme by trading vinyl crates for over 800 rare vehicles tucked into a nondescript industrial stretch.
- Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls & Toys — Pair high-concept contemporary art installations with an obsessive archive of 20,000 historic miniature items in Lakewood.
Good to know
How do I visit if there are no public drop-in hours?
You must schedule ahead by emailing info@dikeoucollection.org or calling 303-623-3001. Visits are free and available Monday through Friday by appointment.
Is there an entrance fee?
No, admission to the pop-up collection is completely free.
Can I buy any of the records or art pieces?
No, nothing is for sale; the records, laserdiscs, and art installations belong to the permanent non-profit Dikeou Collection archive.
Where is the main Dikeou Collection gallery?
The main downtown venue on California Street temporarily closed for relocation and renovation, leaving the Colfax pop-up as the primary place to see their curated collection.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Westword · Official site · denverite.com
last checked: 2026-06-07