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If you love farmers' markets and you work downtown, you've gotta love this one, a weekly foodie fiesta in one of Denver's most secretly lovely parks. Civic Center's often spectacular summer gardens provide a bucolic backdrop for strolling among vendors of fresh, home-grown organic produce and specialty items, including garlic butters, organic beef, homemade root beer, sweet wildflower honey and more. Or you might choose to munch on al fresco fare from such restaurants as Steve's Snappin' Dogs and Big Kahuna BBQ. Whichever you choose, you can't beat the people-watching.

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www.danacain.com Dana Cain is so hip it hurts. She has that knack for knowing which old stuff is especially new again, and has used it to build an empire of totally entertaining collectibles expos. First, she's the entrepreneurial brain behind the Collector's Supershow toy extravaganza, which recently joined forces with the Majesticon comics show to provide a double whammy of happy pop-culture hunting under one roof. Last summer she launched the enormously popular Denver Modernism Show, an unbelievable mid-century blowout that will quadruple in size when it returns this August at a larger venue. And her newest take on collectibles-hawking was the recent Vintage Voltage Expo, an electronics-centric show that included everything from vinyl records to guitar amps to old-school audio gear. There's a packrat in each and every one of us, so go, Dana, go!

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2590 Walnut St.

303-291-1005 Design-forward couple Paul and Pifuka Hardt took a leap when they opened P Design Gallery in the RiNo arts district last summer. With the flip of a light switch over the showroom floor, Denver entered a brave, new modernist world that stretches from Brooklyn's burgeoning design enclave to European shores. There's Jason Miller's tongue-in-chic antler chandeliers and chairs patched with leather "duct-tape," Tobias Wong's rubber-dipped lighting and infamous coke-spoon replica, Denyse Schmidt's edgy quilts, Takashi Murakami pop-art pillows, Tord Boontje's detailed etched-metal and feathered polyester lamps, and DoubleButter's witty locally made furniture. This is the modern world.

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www.magnetmafia.com The Magnet Mafia not only has a cool name -- who wouldn't want to join that family? -- but it's also serious about underground art. Dead serious. The Mafiosi create art on -- wait for it -- magnets, then stick them up around town. Find one, take it home and throw it up on the fridge. Plus, the mobsters will teach you to make your own moveable art. How inspired.

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606 E. 13th St.

303-831-5944 Remember when wearing skulls was a sign of rebellion, back before you could find them at Wal-Mart? Jen McMillan does, and her new gallery, Idle Hands Boutique and Gallery, showcases a wide range of all things counterculture. McMillan's hope is to bring back the meaning behind the symbols that have been cut up, refinished, polished and recycled into the mainstream. It's hard-core. It's country-and-Western. It's riding a Harley. It's riding rails. It's creative. It's impulsive. It's a helluva lot of fun.

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2037 13th St., Boulder

303-449-1967 Stocked with vinyl art toys like custom MUNNY dolls, designer T-shirts, top-of-the-line spray paints and original artwork by such up-and-coming locals as Ray Young Chu, Jason Thielke and Scot Lefavor, Joy Engine feels like it should be on Colfax Avenue or Santa Fe Drive rather than off the Pearl Street Mall. But this retail boutique/art gallery also has an enlightened vibe that fits right into the People's Republic. Owner Todd Berger and his crew are branding and connecting local artists with companies like Trek and Timberland in their back-room design studio, Cypher13, and spreading the word about art happenings in Denver and Boulder on their obsessively updated blog. Who knew Boulder could be so hip?

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www.myspace.com/hiphopchocolate Box-cutters were the beginning of Original Hip Hop Chocolates. Marcus, the artist and creative genius behind the concept, was pondering their significance after 9/11, contemplating how something so commonplace could be a weapon. So he made box-cutter chocolates in an attempt to face and conquer the new, frightening connotations of the item. He's since expanded his reflections to include a communion of hip-hop, with his company selling shell-toed shoes, boomboxes, turntables and brass knuckles all made from chocolate. Eat something sweet, consider the meaning behind the medium, and consume a way of life. It's esoteric, it's philosophical, and above all, it's tasty.

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1200 Acoma St.

720-496-4146 NOVO Coffee doesn't actually brew your cup of joe in giant iPods, but their stylized metallic coffee machines, called Clovers, resemble them. They have the same modish aura, as if they, too, promise to change the way we do things. You can find NOVO's Clovers in action at the Denver Art Museum's Hamilton Building and the residential complex next door. NOVO's methodology is to treat coffee like wine, serving it by varietals and preparing one cup at a time, never letting their elixirs spoil in a carafe. The operation is so cool you'll want a Clover for yourself, but considering that the machine costs more than a small car, you may want to stick with the $3 coffee.

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www.milehighbuzz.com Denver's wired caffeine addicts rejoice over the Mile High Buzz blog. The site features a growing rundown of local coffee shops, describing the decor, menu and perks like WiFi. Plus there's a handy interactive map for finding the closest latte and a somber graveyard that lists beloved cafes like Monkey Bean that have gone the way of day-old grounds. The best stuff on the site, however, can often be found in the "comments" section, which sometimes devolves into battles royale between spastic coffee geeks over the best java drinks in the city (we've spotted a few coffee-shop owners in there, hawking their own concoctions). It's hot, steamy and energizing -- just like a great cup of joe.

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2370 W. Main St., Littleton

303-797-2081 Frenchman Stephan Poullier's charming store is buoyant with all things Provençal, including the Mediterranean region's distinctive sun-washed pottery, oilcloth and table linens, as well as fine French soaps and stunning glass pieces. But don't miss the candles, which are both fun and functional. Poullier not only stocks an entire spectrum of reasonably priced colored tapers and scented oil candles, but he's also got an amusing surplus of novelty candles, from sprightly floating poppies and delicious-looking petit fours to cute peas. Ambiance Provence really knows how to light your fire.

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3867 Tennyson St.

303-455-9663 This swell little Tennyson Street boutique is piled high with lots of cozy T-shirts, jeans and designer-wear for grownups, plus adorable gifts for babes (the little kind), from teensy tees printed with jeweled-navel Buddhas and pirate ships to ultra-snuggly animal-hooded towels and Käthe Kruse puppet theaters. But the standout find is catstudio's Geography Collection: nostalgic retro tea towels, tumblers and throw pillows emblazoned or embroidered with tourist attractions from pretty much every state in the union. Picking your favorite is the hardest part of making a purchase, so be prepared to relive your travel memories while thoughtfully fingering the merchandise. Route 66 is back.

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3512 E. 12th Ave.

303-322-2223 Knitters are a unique bunch, and they stick together like a herd of, well, sheep. LambShoppe is a smartly appointed meadow where those noble knitters can network, learn and replenish supplies from the handsome rows of rich, dark floor-to-ceiling wood shelves. Whether you're ready for a good long stitch-and-bitch, need help crocheting some bunny slippers, want to pick up an armload of skeins or just need to fuel up on a quick latte from the Latte Baa coffee bar, LambShoppe is the place.

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457 Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood

303-426-4411 Since its move from way-north Broadway to Lakewood, this gem of a store has become a prime gathering place for bead artists, metalsmiths, rock hounds and others interested in designing their own necklaces, earrings and whatnots. From clasps to cabochons to an astonishing variety of beads, all the jewelry-making fixings are here -- along with classes, books, a helpful staff, kitschy stone carvings, selenite wands and more. Learn the peyote stitch and go to town.

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5671 S. Nevada St., Littleton

303-730-8521 Helen Rice's Willow is one of those hidden finds, a showcase for local artisans. Small and friendly, it's pleasantly filled with bright Fimo clay makeup brushes and quilted fish mobiles, handpainted furniture and pottery plates etched with leafy fossil patterns, not to mention a candy-colored army of glass wind chimes and sun-catchers. Fall head over heels for Nina Sampsel's collection of knit and boiled-wool Sweet Cakes chapeaus, heart pillows, bags and pins, as well as the exquisite beaded jewelry of Jane Albright, whose rustic woven-sunflower necklace will break your heart with its beauty.

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www.glowfur.com GlowFur garments are the ultimate nightlife accessory, thanks to their internal battery-powered light system that can be switched on and off like a lamp. Designed by Colorado Springs entrepreneur David Lee, the illuminated faux-fur coats, boleros, handbags, scarves, leggings and bikini separates come in eight rave-ready lighting colors that glow in the dark like a Flokati rug on fire. Baby, it's hot in here.

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613 E. 13th Ave.

303-832-2909 Long before that corporate punk invaded Denver, there was FashioNation, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. The homegrown boutique took its name from an episode of the 1960s Batman TV series in which the vixenish villainess Catwoman plotted to steal clothing from a fashion show sponsored by "FashioNation Magazine." A few years back, the shop moved its groovie-ghoulie digs into the space formerly occupied by Wax Trax vinyl, which gave owner Paul Italiano room to expand his awesome inventory of Docs, goth garb and punk paraphernalia -- and to pump up the volume to eleven. Oy!

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303-937-7321 Clothes make the woman -- and Susan Matthews creates some stunners. In addition to doing basic alterations, she restyles clothing for the transgendered community, helping them to fill out fabulous frocks or power-pack their pants. She's also developing a series of interactive workshops to enable her clients to better recognize and select styles that will flatter their figures and give them curves in all the right places. And who couldn't use that?

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Expression Beauty Salon

5115 Federal Blvd.

303-458-6500 Jaider Sanchez knows a thing or two about turning a girl into a woman -- or a man into a woman, for that matter. This drag queen/stylist is the one many Denver padres turn to when their daughters turn fifteen and it's time for their quinceañera celebrations. They know that Sanchez will make their girls beautiful and prepare them for their first step into womanhood. Cha cha cha.

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300 Fillmore St.

303-355-2730 Here's the skinny on too many women's boutiques: The clothes they sell fit only willowy sylphs, teens and anorexics. But the rest of us -- and that means most of us -- want to look good without having to fit into one of those narrow, clingy, nipple-loving things that hang on countless clothing-store racks. A friend to local and small-run designers, Harriet Gibson champions garments stitched from good-looking natural fabrics in saucy colors that complement your shape. How novel.

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42 Broadway

303-860-8783 Sarah Lilly-Ray has raised the cheap shoe to stiletto-heel heights at her Broadway footwear emporium, where the prices rarely climb above fifty bucks a pair. And what pairs! Lilly-Ray's shelves are proficiently stocked with nearly 100 styles of inexpensive shoes, from ballet flats to knockoff wedges, made predominantly from vegan-friendly materials and oozing with personality. Walk on!

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3877 Tennyson St.

303-477-3361 Tiptoe into Elyse Burja's posh shoe palace, breathe in the sexy aroma of butter-soft leather and keenly crafted stacked heels, and you'll know how shoes become a fetish. Swoon over the black Bronx peep-toe pumps with front-buttoned straps or a pair of teetery, strappy Kaju wedges. Never have shoes looked so cute or irresistible as they do sitting in this sleek, modern shop.

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1409 Ogden St.

303-861-4623 Bruise carries what must be the premier selection of pre-owned sneakers, including Adidas, Puma, Nike, Reebok, Converse and other favorites of the city's fleet-footed. Owner Dennis Bodley claims to personally scrub, oil, polish and waterproof every pair he puts on the shelves, so what's old can be new again. And stink-free.

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3640 W. 32nd Ave.

303-477-3378 The relationship between a woman and her handbag is a little something like Kismet. Some people search for years for the right purse, carrying some ratty old thing while they look. One bag's not big enough, another's too heavy; the black bag doesn't go with your new brown shoes, but the brown one lacks that secret little spot where you can stash your lipgloss. Shana Colbin's year-old Highlands Square shop is a good place to start looking. With classic bags in soft leathers and luscious colors, Kismet promises that some day your purse will come.

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4321 Tennyson St.

303-458-1561 There's only one place for a cowgirl to stash her keys and cash: in a classic tooled-leather saddlebag slung freely over her shoulder. Zelda's stocks the archetypal Western-wear purses in several shapes and sizes, plus plush cowboy-boot slippers, bejeweled belts, sterling silver and turquoise jewelry, fur-trimmed jean jackets and willow bentwood furniture. Annie, get your fun!

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Three metro locations Finally, Sephora made it to the Mile High City. No more trips to New York and San Francisco to indulge in its plethora of tubes, pots and compacts. A veritable playground of choices, Sephora lets you peruse on your own or with the help of a skilled cosmetologist, picking and choosing from just about any skin-care, fragrance, makeup, bath and body or hair-care product under the sun. It's better than Prozac!

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1215 E.13th Ave.

303-830-0216 There's so much to love about Rare Bird Vintage Clothing, from the artful, ever-changing window displays to the great prices on cute couture from every decade. Owner Ian Nelson pairs old clothes with new ideas, which makes this Capitol Hill closet an ideal dress-up destination. The fun isn't just for grownups, though. In the back of the store, hidden behind mounds of retro dresses, kooky shoes and original pieces by local designers is a display of tiny treasures for tykes, from full cowboy outfits to onesies from the '50s, '60s and beyond. Jaw-droppingly adorable, these itty-bitty clothes are just the thing to get a future hipster through the early years in style.

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1238 S. Broadway

303-665-8161 Last summer, Brigitte Dornbirer moved her savvy upscale kids' boutique from a southwest Denver warehouse to a more visible commercial space on South Broadway, and we've fallen in love all over again. Gone are the haphazard hours and obscure location, replaced by an adorable cornucopia of gently used clothes for kids at bargain prices, including such to-die-for brands as Oilily, April Cornell, Baby Lulu, Zutano and more. A sprouting success.

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Every first Sunday at the Mercury Cafe, Denise Barnes hosts meetings for people who want to pray an alternative way. "Many religions today have kind of lost their passion," she explains. "Part of the idea is just to wake things up a little bit; God must be really bored, too. And one of the rules is 'Do not bore God.' So we're just doing our best to upgrade the spiritual software that probably expired about 500 years ago." Barnes and her Altar Egos take turns leading the meetings; you might meet Tina Tomasichio and her "Orgasms for Peace" plan, or try out the cleavage mudra for the Goddess. Give Peace Prayer a chance.

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560 S. Holly St.

303-322-7345 Did you ever wonder where Orthodox Jews get those black fedoras? Around these parts, they get them from Aharon's, and they aren't just any hats, they're Borsalino hats, handmade of pure Belgian lapin-fur felt. That makes them some of the finest chapeaus in the universe -- as Boy George can attest. Aharon also carries beautiful woven kippot (skullcaps) imported from Israel and Russia, Judaic baseball caps for the trendy and an endless supply of ritual items, including prayer shawls, mezuzahs, Kiddush cups, candlesticks and even Hebrew wristwatches. Go forth.

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124 W. 5th Ave.

303-777-5795 Did you really want a wrestling match between Devil Girl and Captain America to forever ripple across your pecs? Getting rid of the mistake is a little easier since Ink-B-Gone opened its doors near Sixth and Broadway last year, offering state-of-the-art, scar-resistant laser removal services at fair prices. You'll thank them for saving your skin.

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Modern men don't want their kissers to taste like a mango. It's supposed to be the women walking around half-naked smelling like a fruit bowl, like those Polynesian ladies in a Gauguin painting, right? But beer flavored? Now that's a different thing entirely. Lyons brewer Oskar Blues offers the Old Chub Stick, a manly lip quencher with natural ingredients flavored by the company's own Scottish malt concoction. Pucker up and say "Slàinte mhor!"

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Cherry Creek Shopping Center

303-321-6371 Face it: After years of scraping the hair off your mug with laser-sharpened Gillette Mach 3s, your skin is left with all the

sensitivity of wallet leather. Daddy may have taught you how to shave, but unless he was a metrosexual daddy, he probably wasn't very

versant in product. Supplement his training with a trip to Melt, where the staff will guide you through product and regimen with loving firmness.

Keep in mind that this is a Denver-based manufacturer of cruelty-free skin-care products -- so the Smooth Obsession Skin Care Prep and Smooth Operator Shea-ving Butter will moisturize your face as it greases the local economy's gears.

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www.cravepartydenver.com Maintaining a career and balancing it with a personal life is a challenge for modern women. When you throw in the desire to look fabulous all the time, suddenly there aren't nearly enough hours in the day to research new beauty products or fashion and still fit in the all-important pedicures, manicures and massages. That's where CRAVE Parties come in: A smorgasbord of fashion shows, cocktails, live music, snacks, spa services and more, these soirees are a one-stop shop for the busy professional. Come find what you crave.

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www.hipchicksout.com A grip-and-grin with Pam Grier. Valentine's night just for the girls. When it comes to putting together the hottest ladies-only parties in town, Hip Chicks Out is unrivaled. Get on the website's mailing list to find out what saucy events are coming up, then dress to impress and hit the town. You'll never even miss the boys.

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Robin Lohre's Miss Talulah's and Talulah Jones boutiques are wildly popular, thanks to their ever-changing merchandise. And now the same cool stuff is available without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Log on to talulahonline.com and shop for embellished satin handbags, embroidered cuff bracelets, eyeleted baby frocks, wooden pull toys, knitted smiling-lion pillows and more. And all without changing out of your pajamas.

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1521 15th St.

303-325-7365 Pets. We love them, but we don't love their detritus. The clumps and snowstorms of freshly shed hair, the naptime drool, the secret spraying spots. Luckily, the furniture in Amy McCawley's Livable Home Store makes the mess less permanent. Everything comes with stain-, soil- and odor-resistant upholstery that looks at home in any decor. Good, dog.

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Best Friends Care

1-888-770-0991

www.petpeek.info Best Friends has the perfect solution to bored Rover's lack of a backyard view. The PetPeek is a hard plastic dome that, with a little basic woodcraft, fits into a privacy fence and allows your mutt a safe, enclosed-bubble glimpse of the world beyond. Demand has been so strong that the company, a local mail-order operation, is now taking orders at www.petpeek.info months in advance.

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1038 E. 6th Ave.

303-733-2226 When Firehouse Animal Health Center opened in the old Firehouse Car Wash, it brought high-end veterinary service to an area with money to burn and dogs to pamper. Head vets Jed Rodgers and Beth Spencer drew in customers with high-tech equipment, warm bedside manners, mod furniture in the waiting room, original art on the walls, a client rewards program, charitable donations, fresh coffee and the motto "You wish your health care was this good." And last year, Rogers started building an empire around his concept, buying Colfax Avenue mainstays All Creatures Animal Hospital and Colfax East Animal Hospital, as well as a facility in Ken Caryl; he's planning a new practice in Park Hill. Here's to world domination.

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350 Kalamath St.

303-733-2728 Tender Touch Animal Hospital is known for its routine well care, but the staff also excels at easing the pain of loss. The hospital's private "comfort room" is furnished with a sofa, chair and rugs in soothing shades of eggplant and sage, candles, a water cooler and tissues for terminal-patient visits and euthanasia. Grief support and counseling referrals are also available, as well as cremation, urn selection and complimentary commemorative paw-print castings and angel ornaments to honor your dearly departed four-legged friends.

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1540 S. Broadway

303-722-2535 You can get your compost and beefsteak tomato plants at any of the big-box stores, but when it comes to quality tools, trellises, decorations and fountains -- the kind of thing that transforms an amateur's backyard plot to a horticulturalist's refuge -- Birdsall has the goods. Decorative pottery, fancy rakes and snips, lanterns and statuary, the right mix of greenery and more can be found in the showroom and throughout the adjoining grounds, much of it arranged to inspire visitors to get cracking as soon as winter's glaciers recede.

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University of Denver

2211 S. Josephine St.

303-871-3090 If you were too busy raiding panties and packing phone booths to pay attention to that tweedy professor half a century ago, here's your second chance. DU's VIVA (Vibrant Intellectually Vigorous Adults) program is for true seniors -- those 55 and older who want to keep using their noggin rather than hit the shuffleboard courts. A reasonable registration fee gains access to as many classes as a student can handle, on subjects ranging from Hemingway's stories, opera and the cinema of the McCarthy era to the legacy of 9/11 and African genocide -- meaty stuff, not the gruel served up by the usual adult-ed classes. Let's hear it for mens sana in corpore sano, even if the joints are beginning to creak a bit.

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7610 W. 42nd Ave., Wheat Ridge

303-424-1600 Soon after the zombie hordes of mailbox- and trash-can-pilfering meth addicts descended on our city, everyone had to rush out and buy a paper shredder. Sadly, the sheer volume of credit-card offers alone was enough to burn out the motor of the cheapest model. Tossing a

dead shredder into the garbage is not an option. That little machine saved you from thousand of dollars and many tearful days of having to repair your credit report; it deserves better. It deserves the recycling services of Action Recycling. In addition to accepting the usual recyclables, the full-scale center also accepts metal, computers, electronics and batteries. Trust their dedication in proper handling, and feel good about doing your part to make the world a better place.

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www.semsboulder.org As college administrators around the country struggle to combat binge drinking, one student group at the University of Colorado at Boulder has a brilliant idea: Keep students from killing themselves by providing trained EMTs at parties. "I just thought it would be great if college kids could party the way they wanted to, but if something happened there would be someone there to deal with it," says Anthony Rossi, a former CU student who developed Student Emergency Medical Services in 2004. SEMS now has about fifty members, staffs all of CU's sorority parties, is making progress with secretive, reclusive frat brothers and has even branched out to other schools. A sensible approach to college drinking that realizes it's going to happen and then deals with it proactively? Imagine that.

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