Her father was an “old-school” entrepreneur who’d built a loyal following in Aurora for his barbecue and fried catfish, and brought her into the family business of soul food.

So when Angelo and Deja Washington‘s new restaurant, Catfish King, opened on 5454 E. Colfax Ave. this month, Deja was resolute that nothing — not the city’s construction of a new bus line, not the roads dug into deep trenches, not even a figurative mountain — would keep their regulars from showing up through the doors for a meal.

They’re not the only business moving into the strip in a year when the encroachment of construction has dwindled customer traffic and squeezed out several restaurants .

The owners of Okinawa Japanese Cuisine opened Ma’s Kitchen Dim Sum & Noodles just off Colfax on 1514 York St. this

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