Best Used Menswear 2014 | Found Above Ground | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Used Menswear

Found Above Ground

Downtown Louisville is a sweet drag to explore anytime, but the recent debut of Found Above Ground, the menswear companion to the street's longstanding women's basement resale shop, Found Underground, makes it just that much sweeter, because, hell, yeah, men like to shop, too. Well, some of them. And even the naysayers who order their chinos twice a year from Land's End or sheepishly allow their women to dress them might find the store's curated clothing stash a reason to change their ways, because the prices are just that good, considering the quality of what's on the racks. "It's a really cool mixture of retro to vintage to cowboy cool to really chic Ralph Lauren cashmere coats," says Above Ground owner Lia Cooley, whose mother, Nancy, is the tasteful force behind Found Underground. But you'll also find trendy new items, from mustache wax to bow ties, and the store hosts monthly art shows featuring local artists. At Found Above Ground, shopping 'til you drop is a manly occupation.

  • 901 Main St., Louisville, 80027 Map

Best Collision of Couture and Art

Goldyn

Highland's Goldyn boutique has carved out an unusual niche since it opened a few years back, bringing up-and-coming and established designers to Colorado through its high-profile trunk shows. But what really sets the couture hub apart from the commercial pack is its thought-out collaborations with local artists. Photographer Kristen Hatgi-Sink has designed store windows for the shop, which has also exhibited her work. Goldyn also hosts regular shindigs where guests can peruse the latest in global fashion from Helmut Lang, Cartel Noir and Lizzie Fortunato while enjoying live music, expertly mixed cocktails and the occasional palm reading and manicure. Light-years ahead of the retail game in Colorado, Goldyn is more than just a store; it's a platform for art of all mediums.

Best Fashion-Supporting Space

Fashion Design Center Denver

Branding itself as the "revolutionary garment district" of Denver, Fashion Design Center Denver may only be a few months old, but the concept was a long time in the making. Westword's 2014 fashion MasterMind Lisa Ramfjord Elstun has long been an active participant in the local couture scene, but she saw the need for a place where up-and-coming designers could find everything they needed to create, produce and sell their own brands. Fashion Design Center Denver was born in late 2013, with Ramfjord Elstun at the helm and a handful of other Mile High fashion experts, such as Tricia Hoke, April Hoy and Stephanie Ohnmacht, all working to strengthen the connection between the designer's sketchbook and the showroom floor.

Best Small-Business Empire

Pandora/Soul Haus

The hip boutiques that now proliferate on South Broadway and all over town clearly learned a few lessons from Stephanie Shearer and Chris Bacorn, who opened the Capitol Hill boutique Pandora an incredible twenty years ago, and its man-centric companion, Soul Haus, five years after that. Their formula of fashion, handcrafted jewelry, locally sourced vendors, retro cool and an appreciation of funnybone-tickling novelties ever changes...yet somehow never changes. Here's to twenty more.

Best Pop-Up Store

Denver Fashion Truck

Have truck, will travel: Adrian and Desiree Gallegos-Barragan first took to the roads in their plaid-painted Denver Fashion Truck last spring, driven by a stick-to-it spirit and a sense of adventure. Since then, the boutique-on-wheels has become a drive-up presence in trendy neighborhoods and at special events all over town. What makes the truck so darn great? Curation, for one thing: There's only so much you can stuff into a truck and have it look good when the crowds come filing in, and the Gallegos-Barragans' mix of hip, locally made clothing and accessories, vintage pretties, home-design items and just plain fun stuff seems to come together perfectly every time, in just the right amounts. Where's the Denver Fashion Truck going to park today? Keep up with its travels on Twitter, where changing locations are posted regularly.

Best Holiday Craft Show

Holiday Mancraft

Stu and Nicky Alden of the Ink Lounge, an Overland screen-printing and design shop, threw their first Holiday Mancraft in 2011 as an alternative to the female-centric craft markets they'd participated in as both vendors and customers. In doing so, they tapped a whole new holiday clientele — guys who love to swill a little beer while shopping and are maybe looking for something handmade for their man caves. To be fair, Holiday Mancraft also attracts gift-buying women and couples — its selection is just that egalitarian and downright good — and because of its unique appeal, the market has grown larger each year. This December's promises to be the biggest yet: Ink Lounge, which is moving to larger quarters itself, is still looking for the perfect space for Holiday Mancraft 2014.

Best Indoor Mall

Cherry Creek Shopping Center

When it opened in 1990, Cherry Creek Shopping Center looked like any other suburban mall — except that it was planted firmly in the city. Now, nearly 25 years later, the place has transformed itself into an ever-evolving mecca for shoppers from around the world, offering everything from Anthropologie to Z Gallerie. It has all the normal trappings of an indoor mall, but Cherry Creek steps up the game, with upscale dining options and an area devoted to recharging your phone or getting a little R&R away from the mall madness with plenty of plush seating. Did we mention that it has valet parking, luxury restrooms and two Starbucks locations under one roof?

Best Outdoor Mall

Aspen Grove Lifestyle Center

Lo, the eternal question in a snowy state as to whether shoppers like outdoor merchants or enclosed malls. Part of the answer can perhaps be found at Aspen Grove, which has been successfully running with its open-air atmosphere for more than a decade. The center includes a diverse selection of shops in a sprawling space directly across from the light rail's final southern stop. Whether you're a sexy lady looking for killer duds at Hot Mama or a healthy type in search of protein powder at GNC, the Grove has you covered. The recent addition of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has upped Aspen Grove's attractiveness, giving us all the more reason to hit up the outdoor complex on a Friday night.

Best Store at DIA

Kazoo & Company

After more than thirty years, it was a blow to both the young and the young at heart when Kazoo & Company finally closed its doors in Cherry Creek. But the store's legacy lives on both online, where you can still buy hundreds of toys that are both entertaining and educational, and at Denver International Airport, where an offshoot of the original is going strong. Although the selection at DIA isn't as vast as what you'll find on the website, this Kazoo is still packed with games, gizmos and gimcracks — more than enough to ensure that you'll find the perfect toy for the kids back home. And if you're traveling with your family, Kazoo & Company is a great place to eat up time during that unanticipated flight delay.

  • 8500 Pena Blvd., Denver, 80249 Map

Best Unexpected Store at DIA

Elway's

Forget to grab a gift for your big or little sports fan? Stop by Elway's, the fourth outpost of the popular steakhouse, which opened last year on the B Concourse at DIA, and your spirits will soar: The restaurant sells hats and shirts, not to mention steak seasoning, all adorned with the Elway's logo and guaranteed to send the forgotten one back home into 7 heaven. He'll never suspect that you picked up his present at the airport.

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