See also: Photos: Old World Treasures and Warm Treats at the Christkindl Market
Mona Lucero Holiday POpuP ShOp and Fashion Show Boxcar Gallery 6 to 10 p.m. December 12 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. December 13 (Fashion show follows at 8:30 p.m.) 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. December 14 Free, donations accepted
Once a year for the holidays, designer Mona Lucero throws a party like no other -- an intimate happening of a fashion show that celebrates her newest garments while harking back to her artist roots. And this year, she's also wrapping a three-day market around the Saturday-night fete, that features her own chic and feminine designs, along with jewelry, art and wares by friends, fellow artists and designers. Drop by and let Lucero inject a little big-city class into your shopping routine.
12 X 12 Art Show Crimson Hilt Tattoo 8 to 11 p.m. December 12
Get a square deal when Jarred De Palo of 1/1 Magazine throws this annual small-art show, offering buyers quality foot-square lowbrow and street works for $144 each (or less). De Palo says he's got a wicked lineup this year; if lowbrow is your bag, the show is not-to-miss.
Continue reading for more last-minute shopping stops.Horseshoe Holiday Market Highlands Masonic Temple 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. December 13 and 14
One of the region's best-loved street-shopping events, the Horseshoe Market gets into the holiday mood with a festive version of its patented blend of vintage and handcrafted wares and treats. Make a day of it: Small-batch goodies will be prominent at the show, which includes 100 quality vendors in all, and food trucks will be parked outside to keep shoppers well-fueled for the business of gift-buying. And if you'd like to go into the market feeling prepared, check out Horseshoe's online gift guide before you go; get there early and you might snag one of fifty swag bags being handed out to early arrivers each day. Also, free coffee until 10:30 a.m.!
Ujamaa Holiday Market Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church 1500 South Dayton Street, Aurora 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. December 13
Get ready for Kwanzaa at this annual sale that celebrates the African-American holiday's fourth principle of "Cooperative Economics" with a wonderful spread of handmade jewelry and afro-centric products and services of all kinds. In keeping with the community-minded theme, the market will also have an educational air with lectures and workshops.
Denver Handmade Homemade Holiday Market Denver Art Society 1 to 7 p.m. December 13 and 14 $2 to $5 donation at the door, no one turned away
The Denver HaHo's holiday swap-and-shop goes down a little differently than the usual market, by bringing neo-economics and an open-bartering policy into the mix. Along with the shopping, there'll be live music, a catered vegan buffet for eats and a clothing swap where where you can renovate your holiday wardrobe. Each day will feature a changing roster of sixty vendors; be one of the first 25 folks in the door, and you'll leave with a nifty swag bag.
Continue reading for more last-minute shopping stops.Ornament Extravaganza Open House Blake Street Glass 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. December 13 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. December 14
Blake Street Glass has been a fixture in what's now RiNo since Kit Karbler and Michael David opened the glass-blowing studio 1979, when it was pretty much the only thing going in a maze of warehouses. Thirty-five years later, Blake Street is closing its doors, but not without a last hurrah. This is the last weekend -- and the last-ever edition -- of the studio's traditional Ornament Extravaganza, where you can find impossibly beautiful glass ornaments for your tree. Drop by and say goodbye; ten percent of the proceeds benefit the Children's Fund at Children's Hospital Colorado.
Holiday Chocolate Festival The Broadmoor 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. December 13 $5 (kids under five free); taste tickets, $1 each
Goodies are an integral part of the holidays, and chocolate is high on everyone's list. If you agree, head up to the tony Broadmoor in Colorado Springs for a seasonal swim in a chocolate-tasting sea. Sixty booths will offer tastes and deal chocolate, wine, sweets and gift items, and because the event is produced by hoopla queen Dana Cain, the fest will also include chocolate-eating and Name That Chocolate contests, ongoing live entertainment, Santa and chocolate martinis!
Gifted: Holiday Handmade Market McNichols Building Market: 5 to 9 p.m. December 17 Discussion: 6:30 p.m.
Do you ever scratch your head over what that shop-local business is really all about? Warm Cookies of the Revolution invites shoppers to learn about the benefits of micro-economics while picking up gifts from local vendors at this combined civic discussion and holiday market.
Continue reading for more last-minute shopping stops.Share Denver Fairfax Holiday Market Share / Denver 10 a.m to 4 p.m. December 20
Throughout the year, Share Denver helps bind the DIY craft community by providing makers with a place to work and learn. Now those artisans will have a chance to shine in the public eye at the facility's annual market, where you can enjoy a cup of hot cider and buy beautiful handmades from talented crafters.
Handmade at the Hall EXDO Hall 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. December 20
Handmade at the Hall will bring more than sixty quality local vendors to Exdo for a flurry of last-minute shopping enhanced by food trucks and an accommodating atmosphere. Here's an idea: Don't shop until you drop. Instead, kick back and have some fun.
The Night Fair Before Christmas The Watering Bowl December 20 Family market and party: 1 to 7 p.m. Adult market and party: 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
This ambitious event comes in two parts -- it's a family-friendly festival during the day and a party for grownups at night, offering shopping opportunities for everyone, along with live music, a chocolate fountain, a s'more bar, a magician and more for the kids, and more music and sophisticated partying after-hours. Bring your smiles to the photo booth, and prepare to shop with abandon.
Cabalidays! Craft Fair Cabal Enterprises 1 to 10 p.m. December 20
Cabal Enterprises, formerly the Concoctory, brings you an alternative holiday fair, where instead of sitting on Santa's lap, you can have your picture taken with the jolly one's alter-ego Krampus. At Cabalidays!, you'll also be able to shop under-the-radar craft items and even get a tattoo, and DJ Frank Bell will be spinning holiday kitsch.
Holiday Open Farm And Market Broken Shovels Farm 1 to 3 p.m. December 21
The last market of the year at Broken Shovels will, as always, showcase the farm's growing menagerie of animals, from holiday-clad goats to pigs, turkeys, chickens and more. But the food for sale is going to be magnificent, beginning with the farm's own handcrafted cheeses and yogurts, which are to die for. Also on hand will be goat-cheese truffles from Skål Farm, vegan desserts by Pardon My French Pastries and homemade jams by RedCamper. Care for a red velvet whoopie pies with chevre filling or a salted caramel apple galette? You get the picture. And Broken Shovels will be slinging its signature grilled cheese and jam sandwiches on the grill to keep cold fingers and bellies warm.
For more last-minute shopping opportunities visit Westword's Shopping listings online.
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