Talking Shop

If all this gray winter weather is getting you down, fly to Sparrow, a tiny new Capitol Hill store that is adding a breath of fresh air to 17th Avenue. Whether you're looking for an exotic bromeliad plant or a cheery paper pinwheel, Sparrow is the just the place to...

By Julie Dunn

February 20, 2003

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If all this gray winter weather is getting you down, fly to Sparrow, a tiny new Capitol Hill store that is adding a breath of fresh air to 17th Avenue. Whether you're looking for an exotic bromeliad plant or a cheery paper pinwheel, Sparrow is the just the place to swing by when you don't know exactly what you're looking for -- but you know that it has to be unique. "I try to pick the unusual stuff; I love things that aren't the norm," says Kirsten Coplans, Sparrow's owner and a Denver native who returned last year, after more than a decade in San Francisco, to open the store.

Sparrow carries everything from vintage furniture and accessories, including silver candlesticks, china and jewelry, to handmade soaps and lotions. If it's a dose of greenery that you desire, Sparrow also sells a variety of cut flowers and more unusual plants such as Australian protea, orchids, cacti and flowering pineapples. "It's not just a vintage store, and it's not just a flower shop," Coplans says. "I want to incorporate all the different elements of the home."

Coplans sells her own artwork -- small collages on vintage photographs dubbed Natural Science Postcards -- as well as works by local artists that will change on a monthly basis. Photographs by Melissa Borman are currently on display.

Coplans describes her store as "definitely an oddball hybrid idea. But Denver has become a lot more urban, and I thought it could use a different type of environment like this." Located at 1608 East 17th Avenue, Sparrow is open Monday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Call 303-321-1559 for further information.

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