5280 Why Does Danny Newman Keep Buying Old Denver Buildings? The Colorado native recently purchased The Mercury Cafe, but this isn’t his first venture into the restaurant scene—and it likely won’t be his last. By Cassidy Ritter July 26, 2021 Saving Denver institutions is Danny Newman’s passion. As of late June, the tech entrepreneur, along with wife Christy Kruzick and business partner Austin Gayer, are the new owners of The Mercury Cafe—a Denver eatery offering live music, poetry slams, and more since 1975. The group purchased the restaurant and its building for $2.07 million last month, according to But this isn’t Newman’s first restaurant purchase. Nor is it his first time preserving an iconic Denver business and building. The Colorado native also owns one of Denver’s oldest establishments: My Brother’s Bar, a watering hole known for burgers and Girl Scout cookies that began as a saloon in 1873.