Hidden Gems: Meet Haleigh Shipley of Number Thirty Eight

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haleigh Shipley. 

Hi Haleigh, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve never been someone to know exactly what I want to do. Even when I thought I’d found the right direction, something new would pique my interest and I’d go back and forth debating internally whether or not I actually wanted to actually take a leap and do it. I received my B.A. in Hospitality & Event Management from MSU Denver in 2015 (after changing my major 3 times) and realized a common theme was that I’m a social person who loves working with other social people. I worked event management in higher education right out of college, which led me into marketing as they go hand in hand. Between 2015-2020, I managed and promoted gallery openings, concerts, film screenings, networking events, alumni gatherings, receptions, and more. I’d been casually looking for other career avenues for a few years within that time frame after realizing high education was far too rigid and inflexible for what I believed I could bring to the table after five years of experience. 

I played in a cup-in-hand a kickball league with Volo Sports (formerly Play Mile High) in the summer of 2019 and stayed signed on for their marketing emails after. In April 2020, I received an email offering a sand volleyball league in RiNo. I’ve always had a casual interest in volleyball because my parents met playing volleyball in their 20s. I checked out the offering and it was set at a location I’d never heard of before – Number Thirty Eight. I googled the location which led me to a bare-bones website promoting a brand-new bar and music venue on Brighton Boulevard. There weren’t any photos of the space, just a handful of impressive renderings, enough to excite me about a new hangout spot in my neighborhood! I noticed a ‘Careers’ tab on the top of the site, checked it out, and saw an offering for a Marketing & Event Manager as the first listing. 

Being a pro internet sleuth and not wanting to apply blindly, I was able to find the owners through LinkedIn and noticed I had a mutual connection with one of them; a woman who worked at the same university I was currently working at. I’d only met her via Zoom once as she’d just started right as COVID was hitting, but I reached out in the off chance that she would be willing to make an introduction for me. Turns out, her fiancé was one of the owners! 

I will be forever grateful that she was willing to make that connection for me because it’s taken me down such an unimaginable, special, and opportunistic road. I’ve now been the Marketing & Event Manager for Number Thirty Eight since August 2020. 

It’s been a year and a half of learning and being exposed to things I’d always wanted to be a part of! Running a startup, managing marketing for a large scale (32k sq. Ft.!) bar, restaurant, and music venue, meeting local and national musical & comedic talent, putting on outrageous and unique events, getting to think outside the box, and be autonomous while doing so. Not to mention the additional challenge of doing all of this through a global pandemic. And the best part? My social nature has been nothing but an asset! It’s been long hours, insanely hard work, learning to toughen my skin and learning that you can’t and won’t ever please everyone and being okay with that, and working with some of the best people around. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have to laugh when asked this question because it has been literally anything BUT a smooth road. Fact aside that we’re running a startup with a 1,200 person capacity, 120+ taps, and live music 4 days a week…we opened in October 2020 and did all of this through COVID. The constant adjustments to adhere with mandates, keep everyone safe, manage both customer and staff expectations, still try to make a profit, AND not take things personally has been the greatest career challenge I’ve ever experienced. 

Not to mention, I’ve never been an overly confident person. I’d say in the first 6 months of my career with Number Thirty Eight, I cried at least once a week and would literally ask the owners why they hired me. Probably not the best move, but I have always worn my heart on my sleeve, both personally and professionally. There were constant internal questions about why I thought I would be qualified to do this along with opinions of third parties on what I should be doing better. 

I think my lack of experience in the service industry also presented a huge struggle. I continually felt like I needed to prove myself to our staff who are established in the Denver music and bar scene, not to mention, feeling like I was always faking it ‘til I made it with huge partners such as AEG. I wasn’t new to marketing or events, but I was new to this industry and it’s been a whole new world of learning and growth. 

I’d also never been the head of a department before (albeit a one-person department for the first 8 months), but I had to learn how to make decisions that not everyone was going to like and to be able to eloquently, but firmly explain my decisions and thought process. I had to stick to my guns quite a bit and that’s become something much easier for me to do over time as I’ve gained confidence in my abilities. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Number Thirty Eight is a 32,000 square food, drink, and live music venue. We opened our doors in October 2020 during the height of the pandemic and I firmly believe our spacious venue, 18,000 square foot patio, and free live music is what helped us make it through our first year of business in a difficult time for all businesses. We have about 120 taps in the venue, large kitchens with food options for all, both indoor and outdoor stages, a 200 square foot LED wall on the outdoor stage, an outdoor bar, volleyball courts, and more! There is something for everyone at Number Thirty Eight and a unique experience right in RiNo. I am the Marketing & Event Manager for the venue and could not have landed at a more wonderful spot to work. 

Colorado was the 38th state to join the union and Number Thirty Eight celebrates Colorado-based beverage brands by serving beer, wine, cider, and spirits only made within Colorado! We like to say a visit to Number Thirty Eight is like a trek across the state. While we may not have many of the typical large brands on tap, we have quality local brands and a deep appreciation for the wide array of beverage options that can be found in Colorado. The ease of ordering at the venue is also a unique concept as we are a contactless payment system. Each person who visits Number Thirty Eight opens a tab via an RFID wristband and only needs to take out their credit card once. 

Another unique aspect of the business is our ability to be able to provide free live music every day we are open. No reservations are needed and no tickets are required, just know that you will see local (and sometimes national!) artists and musicians on stage to add the cherry on top of your visit! Only a small amount of the shows and events we do are ticketed and these range from AEG concerts to festivals to fundraisers. 

We’ve been fortunate enough to put on insanely fun events both internally and by partnering with several community organizations. If you’ve visited Number Thirty Eight you may have seen Frankie Ballard or Lindsay Ell perform, danced the night away at Adult Prom, helped send off the Colorado Rapids to the 2021 playoffs, adopted a dog at Tails & Ales, and more! 

Who else deserves credit in your story?
We have such a fantastic team at Number Thirty Eight. One of my favorite things about this group of people is we come from a wide variety of professional backgrounds, most of which were not at all in the food, beverage, or live entertainment space. We’ve been able to come together and look at this business in a unique and outside perspective based on our personal and professional experiences. We very much have a mindset to try everything once and if it doesn’t work, we learn and move on; but this has provided us with amazing opportunities to provide the public with unique experiences during their visits. 

We have a small team and everyone deserves special recognition in making Number Thirty Eight what it is. Ultimately, the business is the brainchild of Spencer Fronk (CEO) & Andrew Palmquist (COO); the two of them along with Elliot Lang (CCO) provide great leadership for the rest of the team and worked on this project for years before it fully came to fruition. I could not ask to work under a better group of people. Erica Beegle (Bar Manager) & Josh Kohm (Former Product Manager; now the National Director of F&B!) have also been an immense wealth of knowledge, not just for myself, but for everyone. Of all of us, they are the only two who came from the food and beverage space. I also have to shout out Amy Gabriel, our incredible Digital Marketing Coordinator, who has been an absolute dime to work with since June 2021. The business was growing fast and I could no longer be a one-person marketing team. Amy has taken this challenge in stride and is not only a wonderful employee but a great friend. There is not a day that we aren’t wheezing with laughter over literally everything. 

Last, but not at all least, OUR STAFF! They are the literal front lines of this operation and I’ve learned more about how to help run this business from them than from anyone else. They help make the customer experience what it is and I am forever grateful for that. 

We are small but mighty! 

Contact Info:

• Email: haleigh.shipley@numberthirtyeight.com
• Website: https://nmbr38.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/number38_colorado/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nmbr38
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/haleighshipley/