Outpost at Helen’s Corner, roughly 14 miles northeast of Durango, has officially shut its doors.
The liquor and grocery store located at 13906 Florida Road (County Road 240) is listed by Coldwell Banker for $1.4 million.
Owner Gregg Smith said the store closed because of family reasons but declined to elaborate, saying he was “moving on” from the business.
The store first opened in 1936 and was run for more than 60 years by Helen Burkett, who died in 2003. The location sat vacant for years but was eventually sold and rebuilt in 2017 when Don and Nicole Hutchins opened Helen’s Country Liquor Store.
Smith purchased the store from the Hutchins Family in 2022.
An open house was held Saturday for prospective buyers to view the property.
The property is 4.7 acres and sits along more than 1,000 linear feet of the Florida River, said Coldwell Banker real estate agent Jaime Marquez.
“We have it for sale, but it’s not under contract yet,” Marquez said.
Helen’s Corner, at the corner of county roads 240 and 243, as been a notable landmark near Vallecito and Lemon reservoirs.
In 2020, the plot of land where the liquor and grocery store was located was being considered by the county for historical status.
Outpost at Helen’s Corner has served as one of the area’s primary places to purchase groceries, beer and liquor for residents and people recreating at Vallecito Lake.
During the Missionary Ridge Fire in 2002, the location served as a command center for the firefighting response.
Post courtesy of TheDurangoHerald.com.