Best Free Service

303-355-2585 Chandra Moseley's reimagined vintage store rose last fall in the same Colfax spot where her grandmother kept an antique shop for years. Among the pink-and-white-striped walls, she sells handpicked used clothing, glassware, costume jewelry and whatever else strikes her fancy. But vintage bags are Moseley's true passion. Her extensive collection seems to have dropped through the years from her grandmother's era to land on Moseley's freshly painted counters. Made of summer straw or dressy patent leather, hand-beaded or simply stylishly retro, they're both forward-looking and reminiscent of a time when things were a little more lovely.

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2508 E. Colfax Ave.

303-722-1943 Sooner rather than later, most record stores are likely to vanish from the commercial landscape -- but rather than passively waiting for this sad day, Paul and Jill Epstein are raging against the dying of the light. The sprawling new Twist & Shout, relocated last year from its former home on Alameda to the Lowenstein Center on East Colfax, brings together CDs, DVDs, vinyl, books and rock-era paraphernalia of every description in an enormous yet wonderfully warm space that consumers won't want to leave. It's as fine a place to shop for music as any in America, not to mention a terrific venue to hear special shows by touring performers. If this is the end of the record store as we know it, we feel fine.

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2526 E. Colfax Ave.

303-322-7727 Some longtime Tattered Cover fanatics still miss the old Cherry Creek location, which was a bit roomier than the store's new digs in the Lowenstein Center on East Colfax. Still, today's TC is plenty praiseworthy: The design, which incorporates elements from the theater that once operated on the site, is fresh and fun, and if there aren't quite as many tomes as there once were, the supply remains impressive -- and the service provided by the legendarily helpful and knowledgeable staff couldn't be better. The store may not have earned classic status quite yet, but it's well on its way.

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1112 Santa Fe Dr.

303-572-2260 Nan Wigington named Miss Prothero's for the character in Dylan Thomas's "A Child's Christmas in Wales" who descends the stairs to ask, "Would you like anything to read?" There's more than enough here: Wigington keeps her orderly, pleasant shop stocked with hardback editions of titles with literary merit, as well as a number of other interesting choices. She's also experimenting with a weekly yoga class and unusual book clubs, including a "whodunit" club where participants meet to try to guess the outcome of a partly read mystery. With its great ambience and comfy sitting area, Miss Prothero's is well worth spending some time exploring.

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Fourteen metro locations Tired of paying high prices and library late fees for your favorite novels? Goodwill Industries is the place to go. In between the secondhand clothes and the well-worn furniture, you'll find the used-book section, where paperbacks are 99 cents and hard covers run $1.99. A patient and diligent search is sure to yield some gems, but the classics are plentiful, as are last season's bestsellers, chick lit and Stephen King. Happy hunting.

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2340 W. Main St., Littleton

303-730-2105 Alas, it's spring. And where in Mugglesville will you pick up your new Quidditch gear? Unexpectedly, you can buy it all -- Quidditch goggles, a fine broom, a flighty golden snitch, a Hogwarts banner and officially licensed house robes, scarves and ties -- in the back of this Littleton metaphysical shop. Then slap on a Mad-Eye Moody eyeball patch and gulp down a handful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans or a Chocolate Frog while perusing the beautiful Alivan wands, character buttons and key chains, sorting hats, posters and collectible figures. And you won't need a bank full of Gringotts Galleons to do it.

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Last year marked Colorado's 130th year of statehood, and what better way for the Colorado Department of Agriculture to celebrate than to dream up an imaginary feast, with the menu planned by residents? The Department put a call out for recipes made with Colorado-based ingredients, culled them and then published the best in 130 Years and 130 Dishes. Inside you'll find fava beans, steak roulade, noodle pudding, corn-and-poblano soup and much more. There's your taste of Colorado.

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29th Ave. and Spruce St. Sweet William Market popped up last spring like its floral namesake, all pure and perky and lacking pretension. Owners (and Stapleton residents) Kim Kouba and Lizzie Kienast stitched together their open-air flea market by choosing a ripe collection of vendors offering lots of quality retro, refurbished, nostalgic and trendy merchandise in a relaxed atmosphere. They're coming back for a second season in May, but until then, you can find them at www.sweetwilliammarket.com. The picking promises to be good.