Some people take the scenic route to Westcliffe. Brian Clince — took the polar one
From Boys Ranch to Broncos Stadium
Born in Connecticut but raised in Texas, Brian graduated from Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in 1996 — a 40,000-acre working ranch for “young men who needed extra hugs,” as he puts it with a smirk. “Like Boy Scouts for convicts,” he laughs. From there, he followed fellow alumni into the ironworking trade, laying steel from Amarillo to Denver.
When his buddies called in ’99 about a project to help build Denver’s new Broncos stadium, Brian dropped his Boilermaker contract and headed west. “It sounded iconic,” he says. And it was.
But after 9/11, construction froze. “The world shut down overnight,” he recalls. So, he pivoted — back to school at Metro State and side gigs fixing up properties for his Lakewood landlord, Ken Battershill. That relationship changed everything. Ken and his wife Mary, invited Brian to visit their second property up in Westcliffe.
He came. He saw. He stayed.
Running south — way south
Before planting roots, Brian took a detour — south. Way south.
In 2003, while flipping through the Rocky Mountain News, he saw an ad: Raytheon was hiring ironworkers for Antarctica. There was one tiny hitch: a psychological screening. “It wasn’t about who could weld best. It was about who wouldn’t lose it in isolation,” he explains. Out of 60+ applicants, only five were chosen. Brian was one of them.
“Truth is, I had a girlfriend I couldn’t break up with — so I broke out instead. Antarctica was the farthest I could run.”
Between August and March, Brian worked at South Pole Station, hanging steel and dodging frostbite. He arrived at McMurdo with three bottles of Glenlivet, passed the initiation (barely), and had his hair bleached platinum blonde while passed out in a barber chair. “I looked like a punk rock yeti,” he grins.
Back to the Valley — and behind the counter
When he returned stateside, then owner Ken was ready to retire — and the iconic Antler Liquor Store in Westcliffe was up for grabs. Brian had money saved, a new perspective, and a growing love for the town. By 2007, he bought the business.
“Then 2008 hit. Market crash. Every dime I had was in that store. I thought I was done.” He wasn’t. Turns out, when times get tough, people still buy booze.
Today, Brian’s still slinging spirits at Antler Liquor. He’s served on the town council, school board, and tourism board. “It’s funny,” he says. “I came here running. But I stayed because I finally found a place worth standing still for.”
In a town full of stories, Brian’s may be the only one that goes from Boys Ranch to Broncos Stadium, down to Antarctica, and back again — with a liquor license, a geology degree, and enough tales to toast for years to come. Now, he specializes in sourcing the best craft beer and spirits from Colorado and beyond. Bottoms up, Westcliffe! Now, I’m gonna get a drink…
– K.C. Stark
Tribune’s Man on the Street
