The Soul of a Friday Night
Get to know why the Merc has been the heart of the community for 134 years.
July 3rd, 2026
By Robbie Vitrano
Friday Pizza Night in Jamestown is everything you need to know about the Merc. Because it's everything you need.
An evening made possible by a 134-year-old building that has withstood fire and flood, the Merc is defined by the grit and conviviality held in its bones, the community it houses, and the generations of Jimtowners who have served as its stewards—protecting, celebrating, and renewing one of Boulder County's most sui generis places.
It all spills out, wide and inviting, like the many blankets spread across the creekside lawn. Feral kids dart and cackle. Music pours from the bandstand, easy and in tune with the burble of the creek. The velvet breeze and soft summer sun surrender to the canyon peaks. Perfect pizzas from the wood-fired horno and fishbowl margaritas work their charm. Together, it all teases out a grand murmuration of spirit—everything implicit in the "why" behind our Save the Merc campaign.
And, as ordained by all that remains good, right, and beautiful in this cattywampus world, the first, last, and always word goes to Merc owner, chef, and queen Rainbow Schultz. Here, Rainbow shares how Friday Pizza Night became legend:
"During Covid, Merc BFF Andy Clark would drive up every Friday with his pizza oven, and we'd all have a pizza party in the park. He was our best friend for decades, and Jamestown was a sweet place to be during the pandemic—lots of space to stay six feet away from each other and still have a good time. We moved the entire restaurant outside, and we'd all have pizza and dance in our masks—you remember how it was! Lots of ingenuity, hand sanitizer, cleaning spray. And tequila.
After a year with Andy's oven, he decided his next step as the godfather of Boulder County pizza was to procure our own Merc oven. I was shopping around, trying to find something we could afford, and Andy had the idea that, since Alfalfas was closing at the time, we should ask his friend, the owner, if we could give him a 'suitcase full of cash' and knock the pizza oven out of the walls there.
We all came down the hill from Jamestown—a gang of Merc regulars and Andy—and smashed the walls around the pizza oven. We moved it with a massive forklift into a huge truck I'd rented and brought it back to Jamestown. When we arrived, there wasn't a forklift in town big enough to move this beast. The forklift kept tipping over. We called a neighbor who had a machine called a lull, and it finally set the oven down in the spot where it will likely stay forever.
Mercers Mae and George did an impressive job tiling it and building a roof and smokestack for it, and it has been serving up our Summer Friday pizzas ever since."
The community has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to purchase the building and secure the Merc's future. Without fear of losing this space to outside investors, the Merc can belong to this community permanently and officially. Learn more about the “Save the Merc” campaign.
Join the Colorado Grain Chain and Slow Food Boulder County on Friday, July 10 to support the cause in-person. Enjoy pizza made with Colorado-grown flour and local ingredients, as well as live music and good company.