ColoradoBiz's Dynamic Duos: Mike and Janet Johnston

In 2004, husband-wife duo Mike and Janet Johnston took their love of food and built a brick-and-mortar retail space to spice it up. Opening their Platte Street Savory Spice Shop in 2004 with great resolve, they offered a wide variety of blends, ground fresh in weekly batches.

Their efforts were well-received and they moved forward, crafting close to 200 seasoning blends, growing to seven Colorado stores, 32 locations in all, and more than 100 employees, including Mike’s parents. This year, they’re expanding their focus to include e-commerce, baking and BBQ and talking about plan-making for the future.

Before there were spices

Janet: I worked at a consulting firm in new media marketing in Chicago in my early 20s.

Mike: I was a fine artist, a painter. It was more miss than hit.

The meeting

Janet: The old-fashioned way. In a bar. He was the bad boy. But of course, I was totally attracted.

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