When Penzeys Spices, a Wisconsin-based gourmet spice company with shops in cities around the country, announced it would open on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, it caused a flurry of controversy.

A year ago, Kamala Harris browsed spice blends trailed by a mob of reporters at Penzeys, a spice blend shop in Pittsburgh where she stopped as she was preparing for one of the most highly-anticipated ...