Best Of Denver® 2001 Winners
Shopping & Services
You're surfing the net at 3 a.m. Do you know where your cookies are? Richard Smith does, and he wants everybody to know how to lock their cupboards. As chief technology officer of the Privacy Foundation, it's Smith's job to uncover threats to online privacy and inform citizens of those threats; he's already made both Microsoft and RealNetworks rework software that secretly tracked user behavior. The Privacy Foundation and the Privacy Center, formed last July with funding from FirstData Corp., the Denver Foundation and longtime-cable-guy-turned-entrepreneur Peter Barton, are also contributing to the discussion and development of broader online ethics. So back off, hackers: The online sleuth is on the case.
Best Travel Advice for Scary Places
International Travel Clinic
There are any number of travel agencies and Web sites out there willing to explain the joys of hacking through some fetid South American rainforest. When you need the real dope, though, head to the Jefferson County Health Department's International Health Clinic. There, Janet Ballantyne, the take-no-microbes registered nurse who runs the joint, will give you the lowdown on -- and vaccines for -- the tubercular-ridden, Japanese-encephalitis-infested corner of the world you thought you wanted to visit (until now). An office visit is $15 plus the cost of the vaccines; a full "be scared -- be very scared" consultation is $50.
Best Place to Get Away Without Facing Scary Microbes
Window to the World Museum
Tired of viewing old pot shards and ethnic weaving products in tasteful displays behind glass? Time to pay a call on Window to the World Museum, a private museum-in-a-mall that holds a globe-girdling collection of memorabilia and souvenirs from its owner/curator's adventures. Sue Koenig taught in Jefferson County schools for twenty years, traveling on her summers off. But in 1984 she decided she wanted something entirely different, so she signed on with an oil company to teach in Saudi Arabia. But when she arrived, she discovered a single woman couldn't check into a hotel room alone, much less run a classroom. Koenig eventually found a job arranging and leading tours outside of the country, and didn't return to the States for good for another twelve years. Today, she keeps busy tending to her 44,000-pound collection of keepsakes from 108 countries, which she shows to groups-- by appointment only.
Doug and Barbara Crispin managed to grow African violets in the tundra. That should tell you something about the crop at their shop in Englewood, the Violet Showcase, the only store of its kind in the country. The Violet Showcase is packed with new and unusual varieties of the world's most popular houseplant, African violets in pink, purple, white, red and all colors in between. The Crispins grow and sell flowers in the store, stock everything from grow lights to leaf support rings to self-watering pots, and ship orders nationwide. "It's an odd little business," Doug says of the 31-year-old shop. "We're basically a plant farm, roadside stand, mail-order company and retail shop all in one."
Located in the new, improved University Hills complex, Timbuk Toys still manages to exude the feel of a neighborhood store. Featuring an attentive staff that obviously enjoys children, it offers a versatile selection and wide price range for a relatively small space. Mostly, though, it's just fun to go to, fully lacking the plasticized overkill of a big-box toy store. From Beanie Babies to tea-party dishes, hobby horses to wooden train sets, the store has something for everyone under the age of twelve. Better yet, it's still a pleasure to visit for anyone over the age of twelve.
If it's getting more and more difficult to call great-aunt Edna's Morris chair an "heirloom," perhaps its time for a touchup. Be kind to your mold-crusted chair. Or throw it away and start from scratch. Little more than a hole-in-the-wall with eclectic collectibles on South Pearl Street, Yesterday's Child, which stands by the motto of "My Chair or Yours," applies a personal touch to the art of refurbishing furniture. Don't just sit there!
Best Place to Find Stocking Stuffers Year-Round
H. R. Meininger
Artists must celebrate the coolest Christmases around. If they don't, they're not buying their paint at the right place. Meininger's, long known as one of the city's best-equipped art-supply stores, also carries compelling little items that make opening up old socks a tradition worth keeping. Although the inventory changes frequently, shoppers can glom onto such marvels as Elvis magnets, pens with the shape (and texture) of slugs, bendable alien figurines, miniature chattering teeth, temporary tattoos, cowboy cutouts and dancing skeletons. And if the alien-autopsy toy doesn't capture your imagination, you can always load up your basket with paint sets, modeling clay or pens filled with glitter paint.
Organized annually by the eclectica palace on South Pearl Street, Manorisms and Blackbird of Evergreen, this craft fair is a rarity of the holiday season. Of a manageable size and offering handmades and gifts -- vintage linens, fragrant pots of paperwhites, one-of-a-kind children's clothing, sensuously scented candles, folk art, imports and more, all chosen thoughtfully with the overall show's presentation in mind -- Gifts for Yule is also beautiful, with spacious vendor booths engaged in a friendly, write-in competition for the title of "Best Display."
Since moving down the street from an isolated corner to more compact and socialized digs, this shop has added a singular and eccentric brand of color to South Pearl Street's already charming retail community. Bold hues of green or pink (or whatever color best defines the season at hand) command the corner storefront's picture windows: For instance, orange brooms, green shoes and striped socks for Halloween; three-foot chocolate bunnies, geese lamps and jaunty bedsprings announcing "spring" for Easter. One brief window sporting party hats made from folded paper and gift-wrapping materials even had to be dismantled because a customer bought the hats for her child's birthday party. Of course, the real point is to get people inside the store, but it does put a whole new participatory spin on the fine art of window-shopping.
Best Place to Buy and Then Smoke Exotic Cigarettes
Paris on the Platte
Paris on the Platte is Denver's best approximation of a European-style cafe, the kind of place people go to eat baguettes, drink strong coffee, read, write -- and smoke heartily. Like the city it's named after (where travelers are free to light up immediately after stepping off a plane), Paris on the Platte is one of those increasingly rare places where those who indulge in a taste for nicotine can do so without inviting disapproving stares. In fact, the activity is almost encouraged: The adjoining bookstore features cigarettes from around the world (in addition to new and used books and assorted oddities) packaged in colorful, shimmering boxes. With its window seats, friendly staff, great music and yummy food, Paris on the Platte is an ideal place to while away the hours -- and the ashes.
If you're looking for something out of the ordinary or want to pick the brain of someone who eats, drinks and breathes music, Wax Trax is still the bee's knees. The store's stock czars make sure that just about every new, intriguing, indescribable or curious release is on hand, be it imported or independently released, and the rest of the staff is capable of pointing adventurous customers in very interesting directions.
Of course, locals know that Wax Trax isn't a single store, but a several-headed music hydra -- and the branch dedicated to used product shouldn't be overlooked. The space is crammed with oodles of previously owned treasures: CDs and LPs from a wide range of eras, as well as stacks upon stacks of 45s available on the cheap. A great way to go forward into the past.
An annex to the original Twist & Shout (recently named Retailer of the Year by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers), conveniently located on the other side of the street, Underground stocks a potpourri of musical accessories, including new and used stereo equipment, cartridges, and clothing intended to bring out your inner raver. But it's built around two rooms filled with vinyl -- one jammed with new and old LPs from every conceivable genre, the other overflowing with the newest and hottest dance jams. No wonder DJs from all over the state make the store their one-stop shopping place.
Best Place for Used Vinyl and Knowledgeable Grouches
Jerry's Record Exchange
Don't ask for the time at Jerry's. There's a big clock on the back wall, buddy, and it ticks for thee. Musical questions, however, are permissible, as long as they don't waste time and aren't stoopid. Otherwise, browse to your heart's content in the tiny catacombs of vinylus obscurus and used CDs. There's everything from Biota to Bertolt Brecht, opera to avant-garde. Dirty East Colfax never felt better. If anyone asks, tell 'em Captain Beefheart sent you.
Remember that Anne Geddes photo of her signature babies planted in acres upon acres of terra-cotta pots? Now imagine the picture without any babies. That's what Jackalope looks like -- a vast expanse of planters and pots in all shapes and sizes, stretching almost as far as the eye can see. The second outlet of a Santa Fe-based store, this Jackalope imports clay goods directly from Mexico and passes the savings on to shoppers. Short of shopping south of the border, this is your best bet for buys on glazed pots, goat-shaped planters and freestanding clay fireplaces. When we feel like going to pot, we head to Jackalope.
Best Place for Vintage-Vinyl Fiends to Score a Fix
Don's Discs
Forget CDs. Don Radke, proprietor of Don's Discs, has more used records than he has time to clean, sort and stock. He stopped keeping count years ago, but Radke figures that more than a million separate slabs of vinyl inhabit his increasingly cluttered space in Thornton. While many a local has bought and sold his record collection here since the doors opened in 1982, Don's has garnered something of an international reputation in the time since, so it's not uncommon for European and Asian record fetishists to come to town and clog the shop's aisles for days at a time.
Local rappers and DJs who want to be sure that their recordings are well represented head to Sunshine Records, the revered East Colfax institution that's served and showcased local hip-hop heads for years. Alongside the latest records from E-40 and Jay-Z, releases from area MCs like Don Blas and Nyke Loc also line the shelves; Park Hill's A-1 Sick and BJ Hog have moved some respectable units through Sunshine as well. The store is a bright spot on the local urban-music map.
In a small but sparely modern shop across the street from East High School sits the aptly named Hip Hop One Stop, where under one roof you can find magazines and CDs that will put you in the hip-hop mood, plus a small but high-quality collection of jeans, jackets, shirts and shoes that'll make you look the part.
Half the population of Denver seems to know about the courtesy phones installed at the Tattered Cover Book Stores in Cherry Creek and LoDo. Discreet signage informs patrons getting ready to "ride the light" to limit calls to three-minute locals. But a bit of persistent eavesdropping reveals the full scope of the phones' functions: People with memorized resumés use them to apply for multiple jobs; intimacies are offered and sometimes accepted for a nighttime rendezvous; mysteriously involved business dealings are discussed by homeless people. And that's just a sampler of the over-the-wire goings-on at the TC: One-stop shoppers and tourists often have even juicier tidbits to offer.
All you really need to get a Denver library card is a pulse. From the day of your birth forward, you are eligible to rent materials, free of charge, as long as you bring them back on time. But while books are the primary draw at the library's Central Branch, smart card carriers know to make an additional stop in the audio-visual room, where a nice selection of videos and CDs is there for the borrowing. The titles aren't all scintillating -- there are plenty of instructional oddities on everything from building a deck to speaking Mandarin -- but plenty of gems hide in the slightly haphazard shelves. The library's foreign- and classic-film sections rival those of the mega-chain video stores, while classical-music connoisseurs will have reason to cheer in the music aisles. Best of all, there's no need to worry about those whopping late fees if you don't watch your flick in two days: Films and discs are checked out for one week. Don't make it a Blockbuster night: Get thee to the library!
With big chains getting bigger, it's harder for the little guy to survive. The answer for video rental stores is niche marketing, carrying films that don't make it past the bean-counters at the big box: DVDs, classics, catalogue movies -- anything and everything consumers can't find elsewhere. Video One just might have what you're looking for.
Niche marketing is nothing new in the world of videos; Boulder's Video Station has been doing it for twenty years now. Yes, this is the place to find classics like Debbie Does Dallas, Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door, but a huge part of the store's 66,000-title inventory is made up of foreign, independent and avant-garde films. There's also a big documentary section; if you missed the basketball epic Hoop Dreams or the Academy Award-winning documentary Hearts and Minds, Video Station has them in stock. And if you want an obscure film -- say, Darby O'Gill and the Little People, starring a young Sean Connery fending off leprechauns --for your very own, this store has plenty of used tapes for sale. In fact, if you can't find your desired movie here, it doesn't exist.
Best Place to Find Roy Rogers Chenille Bedspreads Online
Cowboy Classics
Folks with a hankering for Western kitsch -- authentic cowboy clocks, wagon-wheel couch sets and tepee-shaped cookie jars -- once had to drive to Longmont in order to check out the new arrivals at Cowboy Classics, one of the area's best sources of Western memorabilia. But now the Wild West comes to you via the store's Web site, which offers one-stop shopping for lamps, chenille bedspreads, posters, vintage pictures and cowboy dinnerware, as well as hand-carved furniture by Dr. Niblack, a onetime Denver chiropractor whose work is now displayed in a South Dakota museum. The Web site is loaded with photos and updated frequently -- which can come in handy, since the store itself is open only by appointment.
Have needle, will travel. A certified nursing assistant by training, Millie Ferguson charges $25 an hour to keep you in stitches. She'll bring her rolling sewing machine to your home or office to make alterations, mend, hem or replace buttons. And Ferguson's not reluctant to tackle big jobs, either, like making banners for corporate shindigs or creating outfits for those who can't get out to shop. For the past five years, she's proved that a stitch in time...beats coming unraveled.
Best Mobile Service -- Professional Division
Rolling Stone Mobile Knife Sharpening
Man does not live by bread alone -- he also needs a knife to cut it. That's where Rolling Stone Mobile Knife Sharpening comes in. Your doctor won't make house calls, but Daryl Hoffman will -- if you happen to be a chef at one of Colorado's finer restaurants or country clubs, that is. Hoffman keeps all the tools of the professional sharpener's trade in an 11.5-ton custom-made truck, which he drives right up to the qualifying kitchen's door. Talk about a cutting-edge profession.
Best Place to Fill Up on Falafel While Filling Up
Haji Babba
Fuel and falafel may seem like an odd pairing, but the owners of this gas station/convenience store/Middle Eastern restaurant may be on to something. Although patrons get the usual potato chips with their petroleum, they also have the option of fueling up on a decent meal. The dining side of Haji Babba serves pitas stuffed with falafel, baba ghanouj, tabouli, hummus, baklava and pita bread made at the Haji Babba Bakery on East Colfax Avenue. And since the walls are covered with picturesque travel posters of Lebanon, you can almost forget that you're eating exotic food in a Lakewood filling station.
Magnesium chloride may be great on snowy streets, but it's hell to get off your car; touch-free just doesn't cut it. For an honest-to-God hands-on wash and polish, cruise on over to Sharper Cars, that purple building with the turquoise trim on the edge of downtown. With a complete line of detail services and a basic Po-Boy wash for only $10, you're sure to make a clean getaway.
As long as you're washing your car, why not clean up some messy spots in your personal life? Waterworks Car Wash stocks the usual deodorizers, tapes, atlases and car accessories -- which do in a pinch as a quick gift for that forgotten birthday or anniversary. More important, Waterworks also stocks an impressive array of greeting cards that rise to just about every occasion. Now you can polish off that tardy correspondence while they polish your car.
We know: The most entertaining do-it-yourself car wash, and certainly the cheapest, is in one of Denver's city parks, where you can pull up to the side of the road and pretend to polish the chrome while you're really watching all those hard bodies run by. But if the pressure's on for a fast cleanup, point your dirty car in the direction of this Hi-Performance station. This do-it-yourself car wash may look like nothing special -- in fact, it looks abandoned, and doesn't have any phone number that we could find -- but that just means there's never a line. And this Hi-Performance is high on the most critical component for a good cleaning: very hot water, and lots of it. Drop in a quarter and it just keeps coming --long after other car washes would have dried up. Drought? What drought?
A friend in need, as they say. Discount Tire usually fixes flats for free, even if it's somebody else's tire or you picked up your puncture on the other side of town. (Particularly tricky jobs might cost $5.) Of course, you don't want to ride around on a patched tire forever, so when you decide to buy a new one, remember who helped you out when you were flat busted.
Best Place to Park for Traffic Court
Denver Police Department/Denver City Jail
It's bad enough that you have to go to court, but it adds insult to injury when you discover there's no reasonably priced place -- or any place at all -- to park within a mile of the Denver City and County Building. Often overlooked, however, is a small parking lot directly in front of Denver Police headquarters on Fourteenth Avenue, kitty-corner from the courthouse. Although many of the spaces are designated for visiting law-enforcement officers and members of the press, there are usually a couple of spots available. But whatever you do, don't forget to feed the meter.
Best Free Service for Casino Workers
IRS Tax Preparation Workshops
Here's a tip: Declare those tips! Through the first three months of this year, the IRS has been holding free workshops in Colorado's mountain gaming towns to help casino employees fill out their 1040s, properly accounting for all those fabulous cash gratuities bestowed upon by them by happy winners. The self-employed and those just starting a business have also benefited from free IRS expertise. They're here to help, really. Bet on it.
A joint venture of the Colorado Attorney General's Office and Better Business Bureaus of Colorado, the Colorado Consumer Line is designed to provide a quick response to consumer concerns. Callers have their choice of listening to recorded tips or live employees, who answer questions and take complaints in both English and Spanish. Talking to a real person has another benefit: Your complaint may be passed on to the AG's office for investigation or added to the Better Business Bureau's files on local scofflaws. So don't wait to be fleeced by some smooth operator: Get on the phone and talk to folks who know the score.
Best Place When You're Feeling Pink, Career-wise
Pink Slip Parties
LH3, Inc.
If you've just had your third dot-com shot out from under you, there's a place you can go where everyone understands. Really. Everybody at a Pink Slip Party is looking for work, except for the companies and headhunters who are on hand to network with the recently axed of the high-tech world. This relaxed alternative to the cattle-call job fair is becoming increasingly popular as more area employers drop more human resources with less warning. One recent party at Brooklyn's drew about 275 job-seekers; there's another planned for April. Organizers at LH3, Inc., a PR/marketing firm, plan to continue the parties as long as there's a need. And with the economy tanking, it seems that people will be seeing pink for a while.
While you're waiting for the next Pink Slip Party, post your resumé on JustTechJobs.com, a Boulder-based job site that specializes in tech types. The site charges a fee for employers to post jobs, but job-seekers pay nothing. There are usually about 52,000 resumés posted on the site, and they remain active for sixty days -- more than you can say about most nerds.
If you're paying for a service, why not use one that supports your views? What Working Assets did for long-distance and progressive causes, The EcoISP does for Internet access and environmental issues. Each month, 50 percent of a subscriber's net revenue is donated to the environmental cause of his choice -- and in case he has trouble picking an appropriately politically correct charity, the site provides direct links to such organizations as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Sierra Club.
This Boulder-based reverse-auction Web site lets buyers tell the world what they want, when they want it and how much they are willing to pay for it. When the bidding's done, the buyer receives contact information for the three lowest bids; the vendor with the lowest bid receives the buyer's information...and then let the negotiations begin. The brainwave of CU grad David Chuang, Fatty Tuna (named for Chuang's favorite type of sushi) has about 250 registered vendors and about 2,000 visitors a day. So start trolling with the tunas-- before you get eaten by the sharks.
You've been to the Mount Everest base camp and survived. But now you find yourself with a yak harness you no longer need, along with some miscellaneous sporting equipment. Or maybe you're planning to summit the world's highest peak and are curious about yak-related paraphernalia. Never fear: The Mountain Miser store in Englewood will get you together with about 300 like-minded souls for the area's most sporting swap meet. Every spring and fall, the shop provides space for sellers and buyers to come together, free of charge: You price it, you sell it. Rental gear from the shop and excess from local dealers is also available for sale. And while yak-related wares aren't guaranteed, you can always hope.
When your stuff is too old to use but too good to trash, call the Stuff Exchange. The volunteers manning the hotline and Web site will see that your gently used items get a good home, either with a school, nonprofit organization or individual in need. If you're with one of those good causes that needs old computers, furniture or business equipment, check the Exchange to see what's available; if you have stuff to pass on for posterity, e-mail your listing to the Web site.
Do you really think that old 386 in the basement is good for anything other than a boat anchor? Compute again, Intel-head, then contact Computers for Community. This nonprofit collects, refurbishes and distributes used computers to schools and nonprofits in the metro area. And they'll accept any computer equipment, working or not. But a $1 donation is requested for each monitor to cover the cost of recycling all those nasty components inside.
Best Place to Equip Yourself Like Erik Estrada
Colorado State Patrol Specialty Store
Admit it: You have a thing for cops. You've memorized every episode of CHiPs and frequently fantasize that you're cruising alongside Erik Estrada on your motorcycle. For real vroom service, accelerate over to an old house at the corner of First and Wadsworth in Lakewood, where the Colorado State Patrol Specialty Store is open for business five days a week. Outfit yourself in such CSP-logo wear as jackets, baseball caps, sweats and polo shirts. Arm yourself with the kind of pens, pencils and flashlights the real troopers use. And it would be a crime to forget the kiddies: Future juvenile delinquents will love the shop's stuffed animals and T-shirts.
All salvage, all the time, donated by builders and contractors who would rather give it away than dump it in a landfill. By reclaiming used building materials and selling them to consumers at bargain prices -- $70 for a picture window, for example -- Resource 2000 aims to reduce the amount of construction waste winding up in landfills. Overseen by the Boulder Energy Conservation Center, the program generated nearly a quarter-million dollars in revenue in 1999. That's a lot of roofing shingles.
You pays your money, you takes your choice. And with the size of the newest Goodwill store -- a robust 11,300 square feet -- you have to be alert to the good things Goodwill will sometimes have coming and going. Skis? Sure. Snowboards? Once in a while. The best way to check it out is to check it out. While the economy was booming (remember that?), donations were up. However, the recent downturn has also been good for business, with buyers pushing profits from donated items over $20 million, organizers say. That's enough to fund programs for more than 6,000 disabled and disadvantaged people annually, mostly through job-training and support services. All while giving a few of those snowboards, skis -- and maybe some faded Levi's -- new lives with new owners.
Since 1982, Lenore Stoddard and her band of loyal volunteers have staffed this fundraising venture for Children's Hospital. And what funds they've raised! La Cache has generated more than $1 million for the hospital to date, even while giving consignors two-thirds of the purchase price. Shoppers will find a treasure trove of high-quality and rare sterling, china, jewelry, linens and antique furniture; look in the Blue Light room for incredible bargains. And don't be surprised to find curators sniffing around: This Cache has cachet.
Not long ago, there was a mink coat on sale at the Treasure Trunk. Although it was priced to move at $65, some shrewd -- but not necessarily PC -- fashion-hound snapped it up on a half-price day. Clean and well-organized, both the big, new shop on Colfax and the original in Wheat Ridge benefit Family Tree shelters, programs for victims of domestic violence, and the homeless. Donations can be made at any time; while you're there, you can think mink and look around for down.
When an organization runs dozens of programs and ministries that do everything from counseling unwed pregnant women to running a crisis shelter, it needs to dig deeper than just the collection plate, even if the 4,000-member flock is generous. That's why Riverside Baptist Church has been blessed with abundance at its heavenly gift shop. Riverside sets out its offerings inside the main entrance: You can't get to the pews without going through the gift shop. From Bibles to breath mints, it's all right there. Say "Amen" and offer it up!
Taking kids to the Shop Skip and a Jump store at the Children's Museum is like taking a group of chocoholics to the Hershey factory. You'll find some of the hippest gear for both learning and playing here: dinos, twirlers, books, games and other gizmos, all at your (sticky) fingertips. Cash proceeds benefit the museum, and the creative stuff benefits the tykes.
Best Western Store in a Restaurant
Denver Buffalo Company Trading Post
Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight? There are times when we hunger to dig into a big hunk of beast, be it beef or buffalo, grilled a perfect medium rare. But just as often, we have a hankering to see the critter put to another use -- as a great Western belt, bag or jacket. Preferably one about to be purchased by us. At the Denver Buffalo Company, you can satisfy both desires. Just beyond the swanky dining room that serves buffalo (and non-bison items) in a number of delicious forms, stands the Trading Post, which sells buffalo hide in a number of forms. But leather goods aren't the only excellent Western items offered here. You'll find jewelry and jerky, nightlights and nightshirts, art and artifacts. And where else in town can you pick up a totem pole at 9 p.m. while your companion pays off the dinner check?
Best Cafe in a Furniture Store
American Furniture Warehouse Superstore
You know how cranky you can become after a day of shopping, comparing prices on sofas and testing fabrics on divans. Take a break and get refreshed at Jake Jabs's huge American Furniture Warehouse emporium on the north side of town. A cup of joe, a light snack, and you're back on the showroom floor in no time. The new Megastore off Peoria Street and E-470 should be serving in the near future, too. Here's your chance to see how that new sofa would look with fresh coffee stains.
Real quality furniture at affordable prices -- there's a concept! It's the one Brian Frenkel and Jason Reimer put to work at the Furniture Room, which carries cream-of-the-crop designer lines of retro and contemporary furniture, from chairs and sofas to mattresses and bedframes. How much you save depends on your taste: You can get what you see on the floor straight from the warehouse, or you can customize your selection, pay more and get it about a month later.
Although the floor is a little less dusty since this store moved from an ancient LoDo warehouse to a new space on Santa Fe, Brandon's basic business concept remains unchanged: Jam as much stuff as possible into the building and see what goes out the door. On any given day, the jam could include large sofas covered with fake leopard skin, big porcelain bowls decorated with grapes, peculiar imitation Impressionist paintings, endless end tables...you get the idea. No matter what you're looking for, we guarantee you'll find something else that you simply can't live without at Brandon.
The building that started life in 1899 as Kopper's Hotel and Saloon today houses Diamond Lil's, believed to be the only adult bookstore in a nationally recognized historic building (it made the National Register of Historic Places in 1999); perhaps more important, it's also the last porn shop in downtown Denver. Lil's keeps the tradition of "beautiful ladies behind glass" alive, with two convenient bay windows for your viewing pleasure -- although the ladies who work them are considerably less Victorian in behavior and appearance than the impeccably restored building. In any era, it qualifies as a genuine beauty.
Best Little Luxuries Beyond a Rubber Duckie
Details: Embellishments for the Body, Bath and Bungalow
Anyone whose idea of a fabulous evening involves a hot bath filled with something that smells wonderful while surrounded by glowing candles that smell more wonderful, followed by a lotion that smells even more wonderful, can stock up for a month of luxuriating at this inviting shop. In addition to bath and body products, Details sells an assortment of gift items, home accessories and baby goods. Sisters Kim Crider and Stacey Johnson also offer a gift registry and a reminder service, and they'll design and package delightful little favors for wedding and baby showers.
Best Way to Celebrate the New Baby
Rose Medical Center's gourmet meal
Few moments in life are as treasured as those following the birth of a child. Mom and Dad stare at their little creation with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. What better way to complement that time than with an undercooked burger, a leftover energy bar or a tiny cup of hospital-issued juice. Yeah, right. The people in Rose Medical Center's family birth center (maternity ward) know that labor isn't easy, so they offer new parents a way to treat themselves right after the production is over: a gourmet lunch or dinner prepared by a real chef. Your meal (filet mignon, baby carrots, wild rice and cheesecake is one of several options) will be wheeled into your room on a tablecloth-covered table. To top it off, you can also order a bottle of bubbly -- a half-bottle, actually; this is the maternity ward, after all -- to toast your little bundle. After labored days and sleepless nights, the $20-per-person cost is definitely worth it. Here's looking at you, kid.
Experience is what inspired local stay-at-home mom Julia White to start Matching Moms. Faced with a feeling of isolation as a new mother in a neighborhood where she knew no other mothers with children, she realized how important it is to hook up with someone nearby for a combination of adult support and children's play opportunities. The resulting free Web site accepts and posts profiles that Web-surfers can then browse in search of a neighbor with whom they just might hit it off. Safety in making such decisions is stressed, and early communication between posters is purposely anonymous, though it's ultimately up to the mothers whether or not they actually meet. Think of it as a newfangled sort of dating service -- not such a bad thing when you need someone to lean on.
Best Supply Store for the Disabled
Pathways HomeCare Center
Developmental Pathways of Aurora, a nonprofit that provides services to the disabled, has taken its mission of fulfilling special needs to the next level by opening this 12,000-square-foot store. Pathways offers a full line of wheelchairs, walkers and other durable medical goods, and the profits are used to underwrite the organization's service programs.
Best Way to Give the Gift of Life
The Colorado Donor Registry
You can't use them where you're going, but back here, your organs could save the lives of others. Now is the time to sign up for the Colorado Donor Registry, created by the Colorado Legislature in 2000 and officially up and running as an electronic database on November 19, 2000. Those who marked the appropriate spot on their driver's licenses are already on the registry; those who sign up on the Web site will be added -- quickly, since time is of the essence. More than 71,000 Americans are waiting for organ transplants, including 1,200 at Colorado transplant centers; in 1999, more than 6,000 Americans, 63 of them in Colorado, died while waiting.
Searching the Web for information about a medical condition is convenient -- if you have a computer hooked up to the Internet. But you have to wonder how accurate some of that information is, and where it's coming from. Enter the Platte Valley Medical Center and the Adams County Library, which spent years preparing the fully staffed, regularly updated Community Health Resource Center. Not only can anyone with a library card discover a wealth of objective health and medical information in both English and Spanish, but local physicians can give patients a special "information prescription" that the library staff will fill with the appropriate pamphlet, book, videotape or computer printout.
Bad hair is something folks obsess, mess and confess over. But of much more concern is a lack of hair -- particularly when that lack results from a medical condition. Hana Designs helps men, women and children who have lost their locks feel better about themselves by outfitting them with natural-hair wigs (faux follicles are used when necessary) for all situations. Let there be hair.
What would you want to be caught dead in on your wedding night? Frederick's of Hollywood? Maybe not: It seems the trousseau is making a comeback, starting with the perfect foundation for holding everything in place during the ceremony and ending with...well, ending with whatever your imagination allows -- within the high-couture limitations of good taste, of course. So toss out your Victoria's Secret rag (not to mention the rags purchased therein): The new SoL Bride catalogue, brainchild of local sisters Jeanie Peterson and Cindy Johnson -- whose ritzy retail endeavor SoL (short for "Store of Lingerie") opened in 1997 in Cherry Creek North -- is hot off the presses in artful black and white. We promise it will uncover a whole new niche in mail-order underwear.
I stink, therefore I am. You've survived your kid's CSAP and your own Pap smear; you've tested out on thespark.com and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. But can you pass the smell test? Eleuria makes custom scents designed for your unique personality, as ascertained by a questionnaire on the company's Web site that asks such intimate questions as: Do you prefer the smell of campfires or fresh laundry? Combining the quiz results with her personal knowledge of chemistry, Eleuria owner Kerry Ott designs a customized fragrance that's you, and only you. The nose knows.
Once you've figured out that Denver Fabrics isn't in Denver, you know where to go to find the largest selection of fabrics in the area. The showroom is mammoth, filled to bursting with a greater variety of fabric colors, styles and textures than most of us can imagine, plus a wide range of buttons, patterns and any notion your sewing projects could ever required. As an added bonus, the store sports a small play area complete with a VCR, which gives kids a place to hang out while their parents assemble the materials for their next sartorial masterpiece.
For those of us unfortunate enough not to have industrious Lithuanian aunts and grandmothers, there's Lele. Local businesswoman Debra Belk imports sweaters, mittens, scarves and and assorted other items for women and children from Lithuania. The yarns, a blend of cotton and linen, are custom-dyed and then knit, crocheted or loomed by hand by a network of Lithuanian women supervised by Belk's cousin. Clothing by Lele -- the Lithuanian word for "baby doll" -- is available nationwide; in Denver, items are available at Applause and the Garment District.
Maybe you're really bad at wrapping gifts. Maybe you hate to make the effort when most gift wrap goes straight into the trash. Or maybe you're just tired of having your storage closet overrun by rolls of half-used paper and shiny curlicue ribbons that you paid too much for in the first place. What you need is a trip to MacFrugal's, where among such oddities as plastic lambs and giant boxing gloves, you'll find tasteful, high-quality gift bags of every size and shape, for every occasion. And here's MacFrugal's gift to you: The average price per bag is just 69 cents.
When you need an industrial-strength sun hat, go where the UV is the strongest: Australia. The Wallaroo Hat Company did just that, and it now imports fun and fashionable wide-brimmed chapeaux made of sun-resistant materials. In fact, these babies are rated by the Australian Radiation Laboratory (yes, there is one) to block 97 percent of UV rays. In women's and children's styles, starting at $26, the hats are available at about two dozen retailers in the Denver area, including Mountain Miser and Monkey Doodles.
Before you go out for Sunday brunch, treat your canine companion to a Saturday buffet. Bubba & Ebonee's serves an all-you-can-snarf buffet for dogs every Saturday for $4.95. The handmade dog biscuits are baked fresh each day, and some dishes are certified organic. Cats can get a doggie bag of treats to go.
Best Mexican Cooking Lessons
Charlotte Saenz's Mexican cooking classes
Once upon a time, if you wanted tortillas, there was only one place to get them: Grandma's kitchen. But now mass-produced tortillas line the grocery-store shelves, and Grandma has hung up her apron. Enter Charlotte Saenz. With a griddle in one hand and arolling pin in the other, she's teaching a new generation how to shake, rattle and roll. In a series of cooking classes offered through the Aurora recreation department, Saenz walks students through the basics of quesadillas, burritos and enchiladas. But first they must master the art of the flour tortilla. Students not only learn to make their own tortillas, they eat them, too. "Many of them get pretty good," Saenz says of her students. "One woman even came up to me and said, 'You saved my marriage.'"
Does your dog cower and hide when you pull out the old tin washtub? Are you tired of having to hose down the walls after treating Fido to a shampoo in your bathroom? If the answer to either of those questions is yes, hustle your pooch on down to Stinky Dog No More, a self-service, indoor dog laundry that features three elevated tubs and a tiled bay. For $10 (or $5 for small pooches), Stinky Dog provides everything you need to make a terrier tidier, including shampoo, conditioner, towels and blow dryers. The shop, located at the site of the old Cosmo's Dog Biscuit Bakery, also sells a full line of Cosmo treats.
Best Place to Learn English
Emily Griffith Opportunity School
Since 1916, people wanting to learn English as a second language have flocked to the big brick building at 13th and Welton downtown. Emily Griffith's philosophy of welcoming "all who wish to learn" lives on in more than 350 vocational and technical courses, including a dozen different English classes. How popular is this adult education arm of Denver Public Schools? Last year training was provided for more than 14,500 students from 128 countries, ranging in age from 17 to 87. And while a smile can say a lot, a well-articulated "thank you" also speaks volumes.
The joint venture of a Denver designer and a Chicago marketing strategist, Grow's greatest appeal is its wonderful simplicity -- the colorful, comfortable all-cotton daywear is durable, cute and easy to care for. Though the clothing, gently emblazoned with Verity Freebern's graphics, is available in Denver and Boulder at Applause and Rocky Mountain Kids and nationally in catalogues, Grow can also be purchased online at an incredibly user-friendly Web site. Once you've logged on, all you have to do is choose from a standard selection of styles, colors and designs (which include the popular "Sweet Pea" and "Little Monster"), mixing and matching in nearly endless, genderless configurations in sizes from 3 months to 6X/7. Whether you're sending something off quickly for a gift or ordering for your own little sweet pea, this is one alternative that really grows on you.
Don't be frightened: When you first walk into Gumballs after picking your way through a jungle of plastic trikes, wagons and other yard toys parked in front, it's a little bit frightening, like entering the remains of a trailer park ravaged by spring tornadoes. But step lightly over the shoes piled up in the aisles, and be brave: The stuff's there, at least what's in season, from frilly Easter dresses to swimsuits and leotards for little water babies and dancers. It's all used, accepted on a straight fifty-fifty consignment deal, and though it's tightly packed on the racks, there are plenty of clean and pressed treasures to be unearthed. Such as: sweet frocks from Baby Lulu and Biobottoms, an entire rack of secondhand Gymboree duds, Disney videos and a painted wooden Babar rocker that could be the centerpiece of any well-appointed nursery, all at prices well below what you'd pay for them new.
Best Place to Get a Trophy (or Huge Gavel) for Scoring Well
Colorado Badge and Trophy
Happen to be, say, an organizer of a stock show in need of official-looking "Participant" ribbons? Or need to impress a suddenly retiring Supreme Court justice with an engraved gavel bigger than his ego? Try Colorado Badge and Trophy, which since 1906 has been supplying the hardware that makes all those meaningful and inspirational moments in life last. From the tiny ribbons (about 30 cents apiece) to a big, honking walnut gavel ($450), you can get awards and promotions for just about everyone.
A division of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Voice Center is the only voice research laboratory in the world associated with a major performing arts organization. But the staff works with people throughout the community, not just professional actors. In addition to conducting research into everything speech-related, assisting Parkinson's patients and helping injured voices recover, the center offers an ongoing series of free public workshops that focus on presentation skills and enhancing voice production through posture and body awareness.
This family-owned company in the Highland neighborhood has brought new life to old books since 1929. Not only will Denver Bookbinding recover old volumes and bind new manuscripts, but it can also create custom-designed journals and blank books. Since 1972, the shop has been run by the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of founder Axel Erslund; no doubt the family has a pretty sizeable scrapbook of its own.
When you buy used books, you never know what you're going to find. The staff at Capitol Hill Books has been finding things tucked away in used books for at least two decades, and the store's Ephemera Wall of Fame is an entertaining, sometimes poignant display of long-forgotten news clippings, ticket stubs, prayer cards, photos, postcards, pressed flowers and the like. If it makes a good bookmark, it will eventually find its way to Capitol Hill.
It's tough to shmooze and booze with a buffet plate in your hand. The Party Mitt lets you hold drinks and snacks in one hand while grinnin' and grippin' with the other. Made of disposable plastic with a thumb-shaped recess that works for lefties or righties, the Mitt is the answer to a hungry partyer's prayers. Sadly, so far it's available only to caterers, at 35 cents apiece with a minimum order of 100.
Best Retail Block Revitalization
West City Perk/Deli/Loganberry's
Good things come in small packages. For a real taste of Denver's changing scene, visit a tiny enclave just north of St. Joseph's Hospital. Spearheaded by West City Perk, a combination coffee joint and garage-sale-cum-antique-boutique, this row of shops is still home to less trendy businesses as well, including an old-fashioned barber shop where the neighborhood folks continue to get haircuts and trade tales. But West City Perk, its newly opened adjunct deli and its compatible tenant to the west, a garden-themed shabby-chic nook called Loganberry's, give the block an updated look -- albeit a lived-in one that's not too ritzy or glitzy for the surrounding neighborhood. Stop and shop.
Want to tie up your kids for a couple of hours? Bead It is a real pearl, an entertaining oasis in the suburban wasteland of expensive, pre-packaged fun. The array of artistic beading possibilities is so intriguing, in fact, that adults are likely to take on their own projects, too. With a private room available for birthday parties -- as well as a package deal for those who'd like to keep the little ones busy beading at home -- Bead It delivers the goods. You just have to string them along.
Self-confessed compulsive collector Judy White says she ran out of room for all the objets and jewelry she'd amassed in her own quarters, so she decided to share the wealth: The result is Eccentricals, an antiques emporium flaunting "the best of all decades" and doing so with an unfettered lack of reserve that's totally refreshing. Part jungle safari and part trip down the Yellow Brick Road, a wander through Eccentricals unearths all manner of campy treasures: tiger portraits, an old set of Heller anodized aluminum pitcher and glasses, etched flamingo mirrors and trays, black leopard lamps, Dior lipsticks and gallon bottles of Chanel No. 5 -- you name it. There are amazing handbags: Hand-painted wooden ones decorated with cardinals or roses, Lucite totes and shimmery silk purses, beaded bags and even Kristin Easthope's lunchboxes hand-painted with tropical babes and devil women. But the crowning glory of the place is the jewelry, both old and new: stunning rhinestone collars that drip across the bust like Christmas lights, dice necklaces, jangly charm bracelets, art-deco treasures, Indian silver and much more, all judiciously arranged in glass cases that snake around the store, which is draped with burnout velvet Buddha scarves and the like.
This small, stylish retro boutique is a welcome alternative to the pricey stores farther down Broadway on Antique Row. Decade always has a reasonably priced selection of antique armoires, vanities, couches and chairs; you may also find 1950s- and '60s-era dinette sets. And that's just the furniture stocked at Decade. The store also has authentic and reproduction homeware from decades past, including deco-style kitchen clocks, vases, pillows and lamps -- everything you need to dress up your home. Venturing into the back of the store -- with its assortment of vintage faux fur-collared coats, snap-shut purses and white gloves -- is like visiting grandma's closest, but Decade stocks plenty of hip, new attire too. The store's inventory changes frequently -- giving you a good excuse to go there often.
Best Thing About FlatIron Crossing That Doesn't Involve Shopping
Waterfall and gardens
If shopping isn't your thing and you find yourself forced to spend the day here, take solace in FlatIron's lovely waterfall and adjacent garden. Intended to replicate a mountain meadow, this area on the mall's north side is the perfect spot to enjoy a picnic or soak up some sun. The waterfall is so large and soothingly noisy, you may even forget you're next to acres of free parking.
When you've run out of gift ideas for out-of-state friends or relatives who wish they could live in the Rockies, too, Made in Colorado is a godsend. The store sells an abundance of homegrown items: gold-plated aspen-leaf jewelry, stained-glass nightlights in the shape of columbines, gold-panning kits, ski hats bearing the image of the Colorado flag, and numerous books and CDs on the Centennial State. Most impressive, though, is the store's collection of Colorado-brand foods, which include buffalo summer sausage, Santa Fe Trail Soup Mix, Buffalo Bill's Tortilla Chips, Tommyknocker sodas and rock candy, to name a few. With the selection of goodies at this store and on its Web site, you're sure to find something for everyone on your list.
Best Place to Buy Vintage Advertising Posters
Gallerie Rouge
A visit to Gallerie Rouge is a little slice of heaven for advertising aficionados. This store stocks original and reproduction American, French and German posters advertising films, skiing, car racing, travel and champagne. Patrons can spend hours researching the mostly 1920s through 1940s vintage posters that are in vogue now as artwork; the store has a small library of books on Barnum and Bailey circus posters, classic horror movie posters, and the granddaddy of French poster art, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. Ooh-la-la!
Best Spiritual Drugstore and Hex Removal
Botánica y Yerbería Caridad del Cobre
Need dried bat wings, voodoo dolls, herbal teas or just to have a simple hex removed? Botánica y Yerbería Caridad del Cobre has thousands of lotions, potions, tonics, candles and talismans that can cure almost whatever ails you. Proprietor Martín Ramirez is a semi-retired curandero who has helped cure everything from hemorrhoids to hangovers to broken hearts. Since he opened the botánica in 1989, his shop has become the Wal-Mart of the spiritual fringe, specializing in exotic items used in Santería, voodoo, wicca and curanderismo. There are other botánicas in Denver, including one owned by his sister, but Martín's is by far the biggest and most diverse. "We're a spiritual drugstore, is what it comes down to," he says. "If you believe in this stuff, sooner or later you're going to end up here."
We're not making judgments here, but some people -- and you know who you are -- could benefit from a trip to the confessional booth. Architectural Antiques may be the answer to your prayers. This salvage shop specializes in religious articles -- velvet deacon's seats, stained glass, pews, statuary and, yes, confessionals. The old booths range from the fancy, with carved wooden doors, to the plain, with simple drapery closures; they start at $3,000 and go up -- way up. AA has sold a handful of booths over the past year, primarily to loft owners looking for a conversation piece to brighten their LoDo digs. Or maybe they just felt pressed to confess.
For forty years, Maurice Duman and now his son Steve have created custom suits for Denver's snappy dressers. Over the past two decades, the company has also grown to be the city's largest independent uniform distributor, dressing waitstaffs at some of the finest restaurants and caterering companies. The staff of nine includes no salespeople, and Duman's doesn't advertise. With a reputation for quality that goes back to the Kennedy era, who needs to?
Best Place to Launch a Career in Jewelry Design
Desert Gems
If you're a pirate at heart, here's the buried treasure. This gem of a store is filled to the brim with beautiful beads and charms made from semi-precious stones and metals: tiny jasper stars, wee garnet spheres, dainty silver tubes. You can browse for hours, filling a plastic tray with everything you'll need to create your wearable masterpiece. And Desert Gems' huge selection of goodies and personable, knowledgeable staff more than make up for its semi-industrial location.
Move over, Monica Lewinsky, there's a new purse designer in the biz. Denver's own Brandi Shigley is selling her "funky fresh handbags" at local stores like Decade and Miss Talulah's, as well as on her very own Web site. The twenty-something Kate Spade wannabe started her career back in the second grade; while she was supposed to be reading The Adventures of Frog and Toad, she was cutting purse designs out of scrap paper. She has since graduated to real fabric -- and how. Brandi's unique collection includes "Mini Moo," a faux-cowhide handbag; "Little Miss Boss Thang!," a more sensible choice for the working girl with its hounds-tooth pattern in dark, businesslike colors; and "Reversible Dragon Slayer," a purse that's denim on one side and '50s-vintage Asian dragon pattern on the other. She also designs custom purses to match an outfit or to accessorize special occasions like weddings. Brandi's got it in the bag.
Renee Zacher Himel took one look at a silk scarf printed with a map of Vail Mountain and got an idea. Wouldn't it look much better draped over some rugged terrain -- say, a man's nether regions? From that modest start emerged Silk Trails, a company that makes silk boxer shorts that also serve as trail maps for many of North America's most popular ski areas. Next stop: the 2002 Olympics.
You're not going to wear that, are you? What would Judie Schwartz and Evelinda Urman say? Plenty, probably: The two have been shopping buddies for years, and it shows in their sassy "Style Matters," a point-counterpoint column in the Mile HighStyle section of the Rocky Mountain News. No stylistic topic is too ticklish for these gabbing gals: They've touched on everything from Casual Fridays ("The worst thing to hit the business world since the leveraged buyout," says Urman) to tattoos to thong etiquette. The city has no finer fashion police.
If there's ever a Denver war of the roses, Buddy Rose will win, thorns down. At his House of Rose, you can pick up a bunch of 25 roses for just $12 -- a bloomin' miracle. These flowers were grown in Colorado, so they're not perfect, Buddy cautions, and they're hybridized, so you might not catch much of a scent. But at a price this low, you can afford to buy some rose cologne and spray it around the house.
Sheep, take heart. Sure, you've had a bit of a nasty run lately with all this hoof-and-mouth hubbub. But you've been giving us the wool off your backs at such a rate that you've stocked the 11,000-square-foot Showers of Flowers, the largest yarn store in Colorado. Yarns from all over the world aren't the only reason this is one baaaaaaad store; it also sponsors fashion shows and instruction in the venerable handiwork crafts. What really makes Showers of Flowers a true community resource, though, is a setup designed to make customers feel comfortable for hours. They can sit on the cozy loveseats and knit or crochet to their hearts' content, sharing projects and stories as the hooks and needles fly. There are many craft stores in the Denver area, but this one's a real purl.
Think all cleaners are the same? You might think again if you manage to maneuver your car through the Leetsdale traffic and onto the tiny wedge of parking in front of Continental Cleaners. At Continental, you'll be rewarded with quality service and a quick turnaround on even the largest dry-cleaning orders. Best of all, the place is cheap. You'll have to prepay when you drop off your items, but we guarantee you won't be hung out to dry.
A wild and untamed space overrun with stuff everywhere, Truong An supports a healthy video trade for its Asian-language constituency. But you don't have to speak Vietnamese to appreciate the place, where you can browse racks filled with satiny silk or rayon Chinese pajamas, poofy chiffon party dresses for children and dragon-lady frocks for women. The store also stocks haphazardly
arranged embroidered slippers, sparkly stickers and plastic see-through purses and trendy notebooks favored by pre-teens of any cultural background, as well as Hello Kitty and Pokémon-splashed items. Buddhas in all sizes and shapes abound, along with other Buddhist deities, live potted good-luck bamboo shoots and small red envelopes for monetary gifts at the lunar new year. A walk through the crowded aisles reveals a gold mine of teapot sets, scrolls, planters, kids' clocks and fierce dragons, carved in anything from jade to opalescent green plastic. After you're sated by all this trash and treasure, head over to the nearby Saigon Bowl for a bowl of steaming pho
Looking for a gift for that friend of yours who celebrates a mishmash of Kwanzaa, Ramadan and winter solstice? You're sure to stumble upon the perfect present, whether it's a papier-mâché fairy or a pyramid-shaped candle, by combing through the potpourri of handmade treasures at the Artisan Center -- and the ever-helpful sales staff will wrap your find in trappings selected with equal care. The shop's signature gift packaging is an understated brown box stamped with its logo and tied up with a bright bloom of silky ribbons that come in color combos to suit any occasion, from a hybrid Christmas/birthday bash to a Chinese New Year/bat mitzvah celebration. Presentation is everything, and this special service, though free, is priceless. So, l'chaim...and Feliz Navidad!
Here's a gift for bakers that takes all the guesswork out of making a pie: Littleton-based Mudworks makes colorful, hand-painted, dishwasher- and oven-safe earthenware pie dishes with recipes indelibly glazed into the edges. A wide range of available recipes includes a 1998 best-of-show-winning berry-and-rhubarb tart from the annual National Pie Baking Championships in Boulder and the Perfect Flaky & Tender Cream Cheese Pie Crust, from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible. Potter Julie Vincelette will also do custom work for folks looking for a novel way to hand down the ingredient list for their dear old Granny's best apple pie.
One of the leading reasons cats and dogs become guests of animal shelters is "bad behavior," or at least behavior their companion people can't deal with. To help owners solve pet problems before they require the final solution, the Dumb Friends League, with funding from several national organizations, operates this 24-hour automated help line. Perplexed humans can leave a message explaining their animal's antics and receive a prompt response from specially trained staff and volunteers.
Best Hardware Store for the Handyman-Impaired
Ace Hardware Neighborhood Solutions
This is not your father's hardware store. One of only two such stores in the country, the new Ace Hardware in Highlands Ranch is targeted squarely at women and young adults. The emphasis here is on hands-on, in-store instruction on home repair and improvement and the little, everyday things you need to take care of a house. A coffee kiosk, bistro tables and kid-friendly amenities help keep the store focused on its desired demographic.
Now your mutt can look as classy as any of those kennel-club types. All it takes is the talented brushwork of Jack Atkinson, pet portrait artist extraordinare. From your photos, Jack can create a masterpiece in color ($125) or a black-and-white drawing ($75) that captures the special spirit of your best friend.
Born in Boulder in 1995, the family-owned Little Mountain is what's known in the retail world as a super-specialty store, in this case specializing in miniature camping, outdoor and sports gear, from child carriers and joggers to hiking boots and skiwear. And without even thinking about it, you know it has immediate appeal for outdoorsy Boulderites with disposable incomes and blossoming families. However, it's really just good customer service that keeps the endeavor afloat (so buoyantly, in fact, that a third store is being penciled in for the Denver area in 2002): While parents shop, for instance, kids are entertained by such amenities as a Lego table in the Boulder store or a TV at FlatIron Crossing. But the stores are also known for their particularly large, well-equipped bathrooms -- an important consideration for parents toting kids around a shopping mall.
It's no secret: This is where the rich kids -- or at least their discriminating parents -- shop, from the day the kids are born and ready to be swaddled in heirloom-quality crocheted blankets, linen and lace. And as they grow older, they can continue to wrap themselves in luxury courtesy of Hollyhocks: The little girls will be adorned in simple classics, from creamy French cotton underwear underneath, to Lilly Pulitzer shifts and pink gingham-lined iridescent Florence Eiseman raincoats on top; and the little boys will wear perfect-little-man suits with tiny ties decorated with race cars, or playworthy overalls appliquéd with chenille trucks. What the heck. You're only young once.
Scene to Screen is the only bookstore in Denver that specializes in theater and film and caters to students and performers alike. The shop carries more than 5,000 scripts, but if you still can't find what you're looking for, owners Jacque and Joe Riala are more than happy to order it for you. Open six days a week, except during Denver Center productions.
The Music Stand is enough to make any music lover burst into song. Although the store's tucked away in Longmont, it also has a catalogue. In person or online, you're bound to find the perfect music-related gift item, from miniature instrument keepsakes to keyboard-embroidered socks, a handcrafted music cabinet or that collection of Broadway show tunes you know they've been coveting.
Author! Author! Every time a writer comes to read at the Tattered Cover, Denver photographer Gary Isaacs snaps a portrait -- and his collected works create an impressive wall of fame at the original store.
Don't plan your next bash without talking to the "Entertainment & Promotion Specialists." If you've got a theme, Reinke Brothers can make it happen, down to the last little detail -- costumes, sets, props, decorations, noisemakers and all the trimmings. From this fabulously stocked, 17,000-square-foot shop of effects, Reinke has supplied more than one Hollywood gala; parents worried over amusing kids at a modest birthday party should find a few tricks up the Reinke sleeves, too. They do party and event planning, too. If you're looking for magic, a call to Reinke Brothers should do the trick.
Best Make-It-Yourself Game
"The (Your Surname) Family Tree Trivia Game"
You know you've always wanted to be the answer to a trivia question. Now you can be, in "The (Your Surname) Family Tree Trivia Game," available for $39.95 from Heart's Corner of Golden. As you play the game with your nearest and dearest, you create permanent trivia cards about yourself based on the questions on the board; once you've finished that first round, you have a personalized game that contains fun facts and stories about the whole family. Add photos and memorabilia to create a treasured family heirloom that's bound to hold its value longer than that vintage Trivial Pursuit game.
Proudly display your true feelings to other drivers by placing a road-rage sign in your car window -- and then keeping your hands on the wheel. Your choice of various degrees of viciousness include: "Hang Up the Damn Phone and Just Drive, OK?"; "Caution: Horn Broken, Watch for Finger Signal"; "What Part of Use Your Turn Signal Don't You Understand?"; and our personal favorite, "Denver: Who Fuckin' Planned This City Anyway?" The signs were created by comic Jeff Chesler and sell for $3 each. No word yet on whether Chesler's ready to make an "I Brake for Funny Signs" sign.
Papyrus has the write stuff: everything you need to send out the classiest, most creative correspondence this side of County Line Road. So what if they don't actually stock papyrus? There are plenty of 100 percent cotton and wood-pulp goodies here. And if you want something that says Colorado, Papyrus offers paper with Aspen leaves printed on it. E-mail's quicker, but a genuine letter lasts a lot longer.
What price progress? After slavish service to tardy Denverites for decades, the Terminal Annex Post Office is going the way of the dinosaur. The problem isn't a lack of customers: Although the U.S. Postal Service opened a fancy new downtown branch on 20th Street years ago, the Terminal Annex still has many faithful fans. Customers rely on the familiar, friendly staff, on call seven days a week; the handy parking (just don't think about parking in the lot for more than fifteen minutes, as John Elway once did: They're serious about towing); the array of postal paraphernalia that make good gifts when you're crunched for time. No, the problem is that the station happens to reside in one of the largest development sites still available in LoDo, a circa-1960 building designed by architect Temple Buell that could be sold for up to $15 million -- and turned into a development worth ten times that. Given the Postal Service's current financial situation and its inclination to close a deal on the property, it's clear we'll soon be kissing the Terminal Annex goodbye. In the meantime, mark your calendar for 11:55 p.m. on April 16, the last time you may get to watch one of the town's best free shows as frantic filers deliver their tax returns into the hands of understanding Terminal Annex employees.
Best Store at Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Shop
The beauty, and the bane, of shopping malls is that they're pretty much full of the same stores. (Exception: No Nordstrom at Cherry Creek. Sigh.) This fact of life means that while you know what to expect, you'll rarely encounter anything unexpected. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift Shop is the exception that proves the rule. There are several of these shops across the country, but when you step into any one of them, in any city, you always feel like you've just made a major find. Each shop is loaded with dazzling trinkets that include reproductions of real artwork from around the world and throughout history. It's like browsing through a piece of the Met -- without the crowds, and with plenty of souvenirs for purchase.
For years we'd scrutinized the Coldwater Creek catalogue, checking out the colorful apparel and intriguing jewelry while trying desperately to avoid the treacly copy that described each item. And then Coldwater Creek opened its first Colorado store in FlatIron Crossing, doing Denver shoppers a great service in the process. While some of the clothes look, well, a tad matronly in person (can you say "shmatte"?), other Coldwater Creek mainstays move to the head of the class. The jewelry can be a real deal, and if you can't find a gift here for everyone on your Christmas list, you're not really trying.
Mountain towns have some of the nicest antique stores, with Victorian furniture you can imagine once gracing the homes of mining operators and oil barons. The problem is getting that lovely velvet 1800s settee back to Denver. But Ralston Bros. Antiques in Lyons is close enough to Longmont, Boulder, Denver and parts in between that you can easily return with a truck if you find something you simply must have -- say, a beautiful vanity (they just don't make 'em like this anymore) or an old four-poster bed. The store's owners are flexible and will arrange to be there during off-hours so you can pick up your purchase at your convenience. And since it's on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park, you can drive up to hear the elk bugle, outfit your living room, and still be home in time for dinner.
Best Place to Buy Pieces of Denver History
Architectural Salvage, Inc.
The first stop before restoring an old Denver home -- or adding vintage touches to a new house -- should be Architectural Salvage. The smallest but often hardest-to-find details for a home renovation project are stocked here: skeleton locks and keys, antique glass doorknobs and bronze door hinges, and numerous pieces of restoration hardware. And there are bigger, more expensive items for those who are redoing an entire house: century-old wood doors, mantlepieces and stained and leaded-glass windows.
Long before drugs became, well, a topic for roundtable discussions, cultures were busy nibbling on bark, boiling leaves and trying to figure out why the human ape did what it did. Although some primitives may have bitten off more than they wanted, they also assembled a healthy dose of remedies. And while Western medicine is good, there's nothing that says you can't have a little of both. That's why Clearspring has conventional standbys such as aspirin and vitamins alongside traditional herbal remedies and natural supplements. Clearspring is also bursting with information, in part because the store's buyer learned Denverites' needs while working for more than a decade as the buyer at Alfalfa's Market. The staff also includes a doctor, an acupuncturist, a chiropractor and a nurse in addition to the pharmacist who fills your prescriptions. If you have questions, there's always someone to ask, which is helpful, because those original bush doctors don't make house calls anymore.
Best Place to Find Replacements for Old Light Fixtures
Specialty Architectural Products
For people who hate anachronisms, Specialty Architectural Products is the place for historical accuracy. If you have an old light fixture that's missing a globe or a switch, don't fret. You don't have to substitute it with an old-looking new part -- or worse, a new-looking new part. Take it to the good folks at Specialty Architectural Products, who will restore it to its original splendor. The store also carries a sizable collection of Victorian and art-deco sconces, lampshades, chandeliers and floor lamps. You glow.
Miss Talulah's, a new LoDo boutique, caters to eclectic tastes that can't get no satisfaction in the chain stores choking the city. The shop is a little nook of delightful finds, from beaded lampshades and velvet baby booties to Eiffel Tower jewelry and chinoiserie. Not only does the store peddle plenty with which to decorate the house and body; it also sells goodies for the soul. Buy some Buddhist prayer stones and meditate over all the money you just spent.
Denver-based Borsellino Bags supplies tapestry bags to the stars (actress Juliana Margulies is reported to be a customer), but they'll also gladly supply them for you. And considering that tapestry bags are all the rage, these are particularly nice, coming in swingy, easy styles with rich brocaded fabrics, beaded or ribbon details, tassels or feather-boa trim. Just the kind of stuff you want hanging off your shoulder.
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