Manufacturing Sector

Meet the 2013 MasterMinds: Kitty Mae Millinery

On Saturday, Westword celebrated its ninth class of MasterMinds -- artistic adventurers who are changing the landscape of Denver. Here's our fourth winner: I'm not a hat person, but the first time I saw Susan Dillon's handmade toppers, I had to throw my hat into the ring. Under the moniker of Kitty ... More >>

Help Susan Dillon of Kitty Mae Millinery kickstart her own run for the roses

Millinery -- real millinery, where hats are made and blocked from scratch -- is a dying art, and nobody knows that better than self-taught Denver milliner Susan Dillon, who markets her completely hand-wrought, sculptural work under the name Kitty Mae Millinery. "I am saddened by the number of people ... More >>

Abound Solar bankruptcy: Does it raise concerns about Colorado's energy industry?

News broke yesterday that Abound Solar, a Colorado-based solar panel maker that has struggled for months -- notably with a major round of layoffs in February -- has officially filed for bankruptcy.

Denver milliner Susan Dillon makes chapeaus fit for a queen. The Queen.

There are a few places where women without hats would seem dangerously close to naked: a Baptist church, the Kentucky Derby and Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebration. And for a hat to appear in conjunction with the latter -- the Queen, in her sixtieth year of Queendom, is known for her elega ... More >>

Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act aims 160,000 signatures at 2012 ballot

​In July, the folks behind the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012 launched a petition drive to land the measure on the November 2012 ballot -- and at 11:30 p.m. today, they'll celebrate the effort at a press event before formally submitting nearly 160,000 signatures. Proponent Mason T ... More >>

Dress up your head at Kitty Mae Millinery. It just might stick.

Susan Dillon with some of her creations at Kitty Mae Millinery.​Photos by Norman Dillon. Elegant is back again, ladies. That's the look-at-me aesthetic Denver milliner Susan Dillon cultivates at her new Kitty Mae Millinery & Accessories boutique in RiNo/Curtis Park. And she's eagerly waiting ... More >>

Camel Orbs = nicotine Tic Tacs?: Resolution opposes dissolvable tobacco test-marketing

More pics below.​Is RJ Reynolds, the massive tobacco conglomerate, trying to get kids hooked on nicotine via new dissolvable tobacco products bearing more than a passing resemblance to breath mints? Bob Doyle, executive director of the Colorado Tobacco Education and Prevention Alliance, says ... More >>

New York-based Murray's Cheese opens its first Colorado shop in the Glendale King Soopers

Lori Midson​"Nine years ago," says Liz Thorpe, "when no one cared about cheese, we started selling cheese at Murray's, a small cheese shop in New York, and thanks to some amazing people with a genuine love and passion for cheese, we've become one of the best cheese shops in the country." Mu ... More >>

Three Colorado cheesemakers, including Fruition Farms Dairy and Creamery, win American Cheese Society Awards

Lori MidsonAlex Seidel's sheep's milk ricotta​Colorado creameries Fruition Farms Dairy and Creamery, Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy and Avalanche Cheese Company took home prizes from the American Cheese Society's annual competition held last weekend in, of all places, Montreal, Canada. With 1, ... More >>

Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012: Mason Tvert on petition drive launch

​Update below: At 2 p.m. today, backers of the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012 will stage a press conference formally launching a petition drive to land the measure on next year's ballot. Read it below and get more details from Mason Tvert, part of a group hoping to make history a ... More >>

Candyconomics

MasterMind: Tricia Hoke, clothing designer

Shawn Merriman, aka Mormon Madoff: Auction of amazing Ponzi scheme booty (PHOTOS)

Shawn Merriman.​Shawn Merriman, aka the Mormon Madoff, pleaded guilty to mail fraud in December 2009, earning a twelve-year sentence for Ponzi scheming that allowed him to amass an amazing collection of classic cars and more. This Saturday, Merriman's playthings go on the block. The photos of ... More >>

Urban Bourbon Slushie at Lala's

Medical marijuana in Denver: Learn all there is to know from... councilwoman Judy Montero?

Judy Montero.​No denying that medical marijuana regulations remain confusing, especially given that even many communities with established rules are already thinking about changing them. Example: Denver City Council's efforts to establish limits on home MMJ grows. With that in mind, councilwom ... More >>

Medical marijuana edible makers and Denver officials struggle over legal catch-22

​Can you have your pot cake and sell it, too? That's the dilemma facing edible makers and manufacturers of other marijuana-infused goods, since according to new state law they have to apply for an "infused product manufacturer" license by July 1 in order to continue operating -- but in most l ... More >>

Kenny Be's Hip Tip: Skier speed traps

​If ski towns do start setting up skier speed traps on lower mountain ski slopes, the manufacturers of ski paraphernalia will just offer laser-jamming ski parkas and radar-detecting ski helmets.

Denver Toy Library feels the pinch of new lead limits for toys

The Northwest Denver Toy Library​When Congress ratcheted up restrictions on lead and other harmful chemicals in children's toys last year, it was a victory for child safety. But the move has proven challenging for a beloved Denver institution and repeated Best of Denver winner: The Northwest D ... More >>

Ask the Critic: When the chips are down...

​Last week in Ask the Critic, I was trying to help out a buddy (and frequent Cafe Society commenter) who was looking for a place to get some real Hong Kong-style roast goose -- but either no one who frequents this little corner of the blogosphere knows where to find the stuff, or there's really no ... More >>

Lockheed's spin on impending layoffs at Jeffco facility

An image from Lockheed Martin Space Systems' website.​Lockheed Martin Space Systems' Waterton Canyon facility has served as a major economic engine for southern Jefferson County for decades, and it will no doubt continue to do so -- but its horsepower is due for a reduction. The firm plans to ... More >>

Denver manufacturing job losses: We're 45th!

A Flickr photo​Throughout the ongoing economic downturn, the Denver Business Journal has tried to look for upbeat stories to counterbalance the most dismal reports. But one of the latest has a small nugget of compensation built in. "Denver Loses 6,900 Manufacturing Jobs in Five Years" puts its ... More >>

More information about Huffington Post's plan to open Denver branch

A Flickr photoArianna Huffington. As reported in this space on Monday, the Huffington Post is planning to open a series of local branches -- and in a recent interview, Arianna Huffington, the site's namesake, revealed that an outpost in Denver would follow the launch of ones in Chicago and New York ... More >>

Black Tuesday for fourteen Colorado Chrysler dealers

An image from an economic-impact study about car dealers in Colorado. Today's the day when fourteen Colorado auto dealers are supposed to stop selling Chrysler products as part of the beleaguered company's attempt to emerge from bankruptcy -- an effort that hit a bump in the road yesterday when a r ... More >>

Bill Ritter goes to the dogs

Photo courtesy of Nestlé Purina"Could somebody remind me why I wanted this job?" Before Bill Ritter co-hosted a tribute to MediaNews Group CEO and Denver Post publisher Dean Singleton, who's hardly a fan of his policies, he appeared at a photo opportunity with a dog. Yep, Ritter joined Dealer, a M ... More >>

Doing what comes naturally at Naturally Boulder Days

Candy Girls: Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Urban Peak Wants to Get Young People Wired

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day

False Gold

Pot of Gold

Joseph Brodsky has a nose for great coffee. It led him all the way to Ethiopia, in search of the Geisha.

A Real Page-Turner

Rapp Sheet

Next Big Things

The five biggest attention-getters at E3.

Turbo A.C.'s

Monday, November 21, Bluebird Theater, 303-322-2308.

Smoke Detector

Anne Landman has dedicated her life to being a pain in the ash. Will it make a difference come election time?

Best Example of Moving the Cheese

The Cheese Company

Best Place to Buy Big Ice

Reddy Ice

Best Place to Make a Hat

Emily Griffith Opportunity School

Best Homeland Security Uniforms

U.S. Mint Police
Denver Mint

Best Hair on a TV Personality -- Male

Mike Landes
Channel 7

Best Fundraiser Alternative

Beautycares

Best Computer Recycling Service

Computers for Community

Best Chocolates Dedicated to Lucille Ball

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Off Limits

Dead air

Best music-industry scandal

House of Blues vs. the Backstreet Boys

Doing a Slow Burn

The Colorado AG grabs a hot potato in the state's tobacco lawsuit--and hopes she won't get scorched by the legislature.

Pack Contributions

Tobacco lobbyists do a smokin' business with politicians.

The Marlboro Hombres

Last June in Costa Rica, the tobacco lobby was berry, berry good to two Colorado legislators.

The Marlboro Woman

The AG's campaign fund is nicotine-stained--and critics say she's dragging her feet on tobacco suits.

ONE LAST GASP FOR MARLBORO COUNTRY

AMERICA'S LARGEST TOBACCO COMPANY WANTS TO RUN SMOKERS OUT OF DENVER ON A RAIL.