Shopping & Services

In the big picture, a CashKey may seem like relatively small change — but it can certainly change the lives of those who always have trouble finding a quarter (much less eight quarters) to feed Denver’s ever-hungry parking meters. A $15 deposit nets you a programmable key from the Denver Department of Public Works; you buy $5 increments of parking that are loaded into the key. (The limit is a hundred bucks a shot.) And then you’re good to go, and stop: Every time you insert the key in a meter, 25 cents is deducted; when you run out, you can just reload. The CashKey is available at five city locations (check out www.denvergov.org for addresses and payment information); it may be coming to a few more convenient spots, too.

Back in the early ’50s, some Denver cops were bemoaning the problems involved with towing cars — and an inventor friend, Frank Marugg, shouldered the task of coming up with a better way to handle parking scofflaws. Enter the Denver Boot, the now-notorious clamp that paralyzes the front tire of an offending auto until its owner pays up (or gives up on the car altogether). Although Denver was the first city to use Marugg’s masterpiece, it’s since spread around the world.

It may be one of the first airport amenities specifically designed for cell-phone users: In light of the security changes at Denver International Airport that eliminated the 45-minute free parking spots in the passenger pickup area, airport officials have designated the old toll-plaza area (torn down last year when the booths were relocated closer to the airport) as a new free 45-minute parking lot. (Of course, people have been using the area illegally for a while, despite signs that warn motorists against stopping.) Since the seventy-space lot is four miles from the terminal, however, arriving passengers have to use their cell phones — or a pay phone — to call friends, relatives or associates who are waiting in the lot with their cell phones. Still, it’s a creative, and helpful, use for the old space. Ring up a winner.

Ka-ching! Now that the city’s cramming parking meters along every possible inch of asphalt downtown, why not cut yourself in on the action? A batch of Denver’s old, obsolete parking meters have found quarter at Mike Kaplan’s booth in the Antique Center. Fork over $22.50 and one of them can be yours — ready to plant in front of your office or your home, or to take with you so that you can transform a “loading only” spot into a metered mecca whenever the need arises.

Back when Denver really was a dusty old cowtown, the Jurenka clan came to town to clean up — or at least give its good citizens the tools to do it. You might think that the venerable Eze Mop Company hasn’t changed much since its founding more than fifty years ago, but you’re wrong, pard. Second-generation owner David Jurenka can sell you any kind of brush, scrubber, duster, broom or mop known to man, including the one he makes himself, the eponymous Eze Mop. He has pails and cleaning products, too, as well as washtubs, cloths and anything else you need to keep your space spotless.

A sharp tool is a safe tool. The guys at Schlosser Tool & Machinery have been keeping Denver woodworkers sawing safely for more than half a century. Bring your old hand blades — saws, chisels, augers, anything but power tools — to the service department and get them spiffed up for a whole new lifetime of service. It’s a sharp idea.

Denver’s Home Improvement Thrift Store is a fabulous community resource on many levels. It recycles usable building materials not accepted by regular thrift stores, so it’s good for the environment. It sells building materials (everything including the kitchen sink) for up to 70 percent less than even big-box discounters, so it’s good for your remodeling budget. Bud’s Warehouse also provides job-training opportunities for individuals struggling with drug and alcohol addiction or prison records, employing the formerly unemployable and helping them get on with life, so it’s good for society, too. Stop by the warehouse, in the historic 1881 Colorado Ironworks building (five blocks north of Coors Field), and say hi to Bud.

Step up to a custom look in your little log cabin with a handcrafted spiral or curved stairway from StairMeister, a Boulder company that has carved out a niche business by offering replacement stairways for the standard steps included in most log-home kits. Tad and Kimberly Horning’s shop off U.S. 36 turns out the designer staircases, which run between $3,000 and $20,000, for delivery to all fifty states.

Anyone who’s shopped for floor coverings recently knows they usually come in two types: the wrong color that fits your space perfectly, or the perfect pattern that’s only two feet too wide for your room. You can find the third type — exactly what you want in exactly the size you need — at Allure Custom Rugs. For more than a dozen years, owner Avner Giladi and his artisans have been transforming individual designs into custom rugs. The carpets, available only through interior designers, take about two months to create and are never of the fourth type: cheap. Most cost between $40 and $90 per square foot, depending on the design. The rest of us can watch the rugs take shape with a tour of the Allure factory; call for an appointment.

Not only is Compass building goodwill with ATM users by not soaking them for fees (even if they aren’t Compass customers!), but they tend to offer more pleasant surroundings for the cash-hungry on the move. This drive-through is well-designed, clean, well-lit and nicely landscaped. If only they’d plant a money tree, it would be ideal.

You thought the ATM next to the checkout was convenient. Now you can fill up on your way out of the parking lot at King Soopers and City Market locations across the state. Parent company Kroger has been pumping petroleum products from mini-convenience stores since 1998; the metro Denver area now has eight locations. Use your Sooper Card for a three-cent-per-gallon discount, too.

Talk about a stirring story! Every Friday afternoon, volunteer Marty Slattery sets up shop at the Hospice of St. John, dispensing cocktails and comfort to the terminally ill. Back in the days when he was a drinker, Slattery tended bar; when he needed to fulfill a community-service requirement, he came up with the cocktail concept. Today it’s a real public service. Slattery’s even written a novel based on his experiences, the self-published The Cocktail Cart.

A trip to the hospital isn’t supposed to be a day at the spa, but it doesn’t have to be dreadful, either. Longmont United Hospital was named “A Hospital With a Heart” last year, for good reason: Family kitchens and dining rooms, quiet rooms for meditation, and health-education libraries on every floor are just some of the amenities available to patients. Non-traditional treatments such as massage and acupuncture are also available to make patients feel a little bit pampered.

The typical managed-care office visit doesn’t leave much time for the kind of small talk that can reveal otherwise overlooked symptoms of serious conditions, especially with elderly patients who don’t like to complain. The patients of geriatric specialist Dr. John Scott now receive the benefit of an hour-long group visit once a month, where they learn about their multiple illnesses, get their prescriptions refilled and have their general questions answered. That leaves time for one-on-one visits with anyone who needs more care. Dr. Scott isn’t accepting new patients at the moment, but other physicians might be open to new ideas in treating older people.

Imagine what life would be like if it were more like TV commercials, where an offhand remark about your kids to your hairstylist would summon up your personal self-help guru bearing armloads of books she wants you to read. Actually, life is like that, if you get your ‘do done at one of the beauty salons on Charlene Ferguson’s regular Saturday route. Sista’s in the Spirit is a one-woman lending library that’s filled with titles from a 400-volume collection and set up in salons in Brighton, Park Hill and Five Points. The dynamic Ferguson found the power of books during the toughest times in her own life, and she now shares that power with others in need at no charge.

So, you’re sitting around in your newly leased one-bedroom apartment, wondering what happened to all the things you really cared about: the boat, the big-screen TV, your marriage. Rather than wallow in self-pity, crack open Divorced Men Have Feelings Too ($14.95, PDB Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1809, Arvada, CO 80001) and take a big bite of the reality sandwich. Paul T. Smith, a small-business consultant and past president of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, describes this book, written after his own divorce, as a kick in the pants for men who wonder what went wrong with their marriages. “Take action now to change, or don’t consider getting married again,” he admonishes, providing exercises, worksheets and illustrations to help readers do just that. There’s also a section for women who fall in love with divorced men, including twenty questions they should ask themselves before getting involved.

As layoffs continue to rise, so does conflict, anger and resentment among those remaining on the job. Rather than let bad feelings fester into workplace violence, managers are learning how to manage conflict through programs offered by the Conflict Center. Workshops are conducted by local and national experts and offer training in practical supervisory skills, such as recognizing when co-workers are angry, ways to diffuse a conflict, and how to create a fair work environment free of harassment and discrimination.

At the other end of the workplace surveillance continuum is the oh-so-Boulder FastTracker, software that allows everyone in a company to share their best Internet practices and the information they collect. Instead of the boss surreptitiously spying on individual workers,

all employees know that in most cases their online activity is transparent to everyone else in the company and can quickly learn to surf responsibly. Maybe that’s why Human Resource Executive magazine recognized FastTracker as one of the year’s ten best new products in 2001.

Employers who want to keep their workplace computers free of recreational use or abuse by workers — who should have better things to do than spend all day bidding on kitsch on eBay or checking out the latest trends in video games — now can turn to Vericept (www.vericept.com.). The Englewood company formerly known as eSniff makes software that monitors every move of every employee’s mouse, from the moment that each employee logs on to the Internet. The beauty of this arrangement is that Vericept products rarely announce their presence — unless an employer wants them to. So if you don’t want the boss to know where you’re surfing, don’t do it on company time. Listen to the worker bee: Do your job or get stung. Why do you think they call it “work”?

So, you want to know everything there is to know about a prospective employee, tenant, business partner, date, fiancé, soon-to-be-ex-spouse — but just can’t bring yourself to shell out the big bucks to a private investigator for a background check? Log onto www.backgroundcheckgateway.com, a 300-page do-it-yourself Web site that provides anyone with Internet access an exhaustive directory of public-information databases and ways to search them completely free of charge. If the database you need is not online, or requires the services of an “information professional” to access it, there are helpful tips on how to work around the restrictions or how to hire the company to work for you. And why stop at rooting around in other people’s lives? With a few clicks, you can also learn how to locate missing persons and/or hidden assets, as well as how to protect yourself from identity theft…except by those who follow the helpful tips on the site.

If the travel-and-tourism industry comes back, students at Arapahoe Community College will be ready to help customers book trips with the experience they’ve amassed as interns at ACC Travel, which is run by the school’s travel-and-tourism department. They don’t get paid, but they work like pros, booking real travel for real customers of the agency, a satellite office of DTR Travel. If you’re finally ready to get away, you can book that vacation at ACC and help a struggling college student learn valuable lessons.

Any dedicated bus rider will tell you that trying to figure out a printed bus schedule is a literal pain in the neck: By the time you’ve added the estimated minutes between your stop and the timed stop notated on the schedule, you’ve already missed the bus you needed to catch minutes ago. Or something like that. But RTD’s new service takes the guesswork out of getting there on time: It’s a real-time voice-recognition phone service that traces your requested information to the exact stop and scheduled run you need. RTD says Denver’s system is a national first, and word is it actually works.

Summer vacation is a couple of months away, but many parents are already thinking about transportation arrangements for the coming school year. (They get that way.) If you’re thinking of carpooling, the Denver Regional Council of Governments’ RideArrangers SchoolPool program can put you in touch with other parents in the same frame of mind. If your child’s school participates in the program, let the coordinator know you’d be interested in sharing driving duties. You’ll have the whole summer to get to know the other families who want to carpool, thanks to the contact information provided by RideArrangers, so by the time that bell rings at summer’s end, you’ll be ready to get the kids there — even if they aren’t ready to go back.

Think globally, shop locally, and save some green with the Boulder Independent Business Alliance’s Community Benefit Card. Started as a way to help local businesses compete with big-box and national chain retailers, the Community Card costs $15 a year and offers discounts at more than eighty Boulder businesses on items ranging from CDs to legal fees. Get yours online (www.boulder-iba.org/bibacard.php) or through one of the local nonprofit groups that get to keep a share of the proceeds, listed on the BIBA Web site.

With the taste of Girl Scout cookies still fresh, it’s hard to think about the school fundraising season ahead. If you’re lucky, this year the co-workers’ kids will be hawking something useful like shampoo or conditioner rather than gift wrap or yogurt-covered pretzels. Beautycares, the brainchild of Danny Mostajo, president and CEO of Spectrum Salon Consultants, offers a beauty-products catalogue for schools and other organizations to sell for fun and profit: Thirty percent of the sales plus a donation of 5 percent of the profits from manufacturers go into a foundation to help participating schools.

Parents, you know how it is with kids and toys: The contraptions your tykes beg you for unmercifully for weeks on end usually land under the bed, oh, about two minutes after they finally get them. But there is a remedy: Rather than selling your soul to Toys R Us in order to keep up with juvenile whims, come to the toy library, which features over 400 toys and games for kids up to age eight. Believe it or not, this volunteer-run basement adjunct of the Smiley Library has been around for twenty years, dispensing toys you can check out, three at a time, using your regular library card. Toy library hours are 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to noon Thursdays and Saturdays (the Thursday hours coincide with the library’s weekly story time), but call ahead before coming. And don’t forget to dig your borrowed treasures out from under the sofa cushions and return them on time, or they’ll rack up ten-cent-a-day late fees, just like library books.

Blinky’s Fun Club, the long-running children’s variety program that once found a home on Channel 2, has been off the air since 1998. But the show’s star, Blinky the Clown (aka Russ Scott), hasn’t been pulled out of syndication. Six days a week, Scott can be found in the very cramped environs of Blinky’s Antiques and Collectibles, the itty-bitty shopette he owns and operates on South Broadway. Along with a claustrophobia-inducing assortment of vintage instruments, sporting goods, jewelry, watches, dolls and figurines, photos of Scott in clown mode are also on display, reminding us of the Blinky we used to know and love. Fortunately, there’s plenty to embrace about Scott’s current endeavor. Just don’t expect him to sing “Happy Birf-day” to you. For a clown, he can be rather cranky.

Although time is an illusion, the best way we’ve found to keep track of it is the Travel Zen Alarm Clock from Boulder-based Now & Zen. “The ultimate lifestyle clock” is a yoga and meditation countdown timer, progressive chiming alarm clock, travel clock and musical instrument all in one. The long-resonating Tibetan bell-like acoustic chime also gently awakens you to the moment with a gradually increasing chime, wherever or however you use it. Weighing just under a pound and costing just under $100, the Travel Zen Alarm Clock goes anywhere and comes with a 32-page booklet describing its many uses and harmonic design. Available on the Web at www.now-zen.com and in retail stores nationwide.

Before you have children, sleep deprivation is something you try to make up for on the weekends. Once you have a baby, you realize that they don’t know about weekends, and you suddenly find yourself running about a quart low on essential z‘s. Will it ever end? Dr. Barton Schmitt, a professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital, has been teaching parents how to help their children sleep through the night for more than 25 years, and he insists that 99 percent of children can be good sleepers. Dr. Schmitt has written a series of handouts on the topic and shares his expertise in free seminars offered through the hospital.

One thing Montessori-trained proprietress Emelia Metzger knows for certain is babies. And one thing she learned during her former career in early-childhood care and instruction is that our everyday retail world is pathetically lacking in good old-fashioned, quality educational toys in natural materials. So this new cubbyhole on South Broadway, as wet behind the ears as the clientele it’s meant to serve, was designed to rectify the situation, one baby step at a time. Metzger’s growing inventory at Red Carpet Baby! includes sturdy three-dimensional wooden puzzles and other hard-to-find imported wooden toys, tiny silverware and bake sets and imaginative graphic mobiles for over the crib, as well as such boutique items as bath soaps for tender skin, cloud-soft fringed fleece blankets and simple, toddler-scaled furniture. In time, she also hopes to roll out the red carpet for neighborhood play groups conducive to parental networking. What a way to grow.

Though the Sakura Square supermarket has long wowed LoDo dwellers with its array of exotic miso pastes, fresh fish and Asian spices, Pacific Mercantile also has plenty to please the little doll in your life. Japanese toys and candy, as well as beautiful pint-sized silk kimonos and slippers, are available in the housewares portion of the store (where you can also find good deals on grown-up stuff like sake sets or sushi plates). Pacific Mercantile is an international sensation.

In the best of all worlds, babyhood should be like a little slice of heaven. This downtown Littleton shop — heavenly itself with its faux-cloud murals as a backdrop — is the place to furnish the right nursery for the job. Among its treasures: Heirloom-quality, hand-painted, child-sized furniture, cuddly pastel chenille toys and pillows, hand-knit veggie sweater-hat combos, fancy rattles and bath soaps, teddy bears, rocking horses and sets of matching crib bedding. Next stop, paradise: On-site custom nursery design services are now available, making it possible to create an Elysian environment for baby from the floorboards up. Rock on.

Many people shy away from using cloth diapers for fear of leaks, accidents and irritated, wet babies. But Rhonda and Gary Wiebe, owners and founders of Wee Bees, assert that having a dry baby in cloth diapers is entirely possible. Although their Web site offers a wide variety of baby products, they specialize in anything having to do with diapering. Their pitch: Cloth diapers are better for the environment and your pocketbook.

You may recall Snuglis, those front-slung baby carriers created in the 1970s by Mike and Ann Moore of Evergreen, who modeled them after an idea they picked up in the Peace Corps in Africa. After their grandkids came along, the Moores saw a need for new, improved Snuglis. The new carriers can hold children in many positions and — bonus! — can be adjusted to fit children as they grow. Also, Weego now manufactures Weego for Preemies, currently the only baby carrier around for premature babies. Here Weego!

Women heavy with child or parents wrestling with strollers aren’t handicapped in the traditional sense, but neither is it very easy for them to shlep a mile or two before reaching a store. Recognizing that, FlatIron Crossing has designated two spaces near handicapped spots at every major entrance to the shopping center for “new and expectant parent parking.” Talk about a special delivery.

In this hectic day and age, we can’t all spend our days cruising the mall for deals; even the most dedicated shopper could pop an artery (or at least twist an ankle) trying to keep up with every store. But in the last year, retail foraging got a little quicker and a little easier for Cherry Creek shoppers: Log on to the center’s Web site, and you can register to receive these handy e-bulletins every Thursday, filled with personalized information on featured and sale items at your favorite stores. You’ll never have to shop without an agenda again. Buy-buy, now.

There’s no better rite of summer than spending a blistering-hot Saturday or Sunday casing garage sales looking for toys, trinkets and good buys. But, darn it if garage-sale-hopping wouldn’t be even better with something to cool you off — something like ice cream. At least that’s what Dalene Walker and Myron Peterson were thinking when they decided to let people hold garage sales in the parking lot of their northwest Denver Dairy Queen franchise. They got the idea after holding their own garage sale in the lot, which faces the high-traffic 38th Avenue, Peterson says, adding, “I don’t know of any other Dairy Queen that does this.” Holding a sale in the lot is free, and although not a lot of people took them up on the offer last year, the couple hopes to have a blizzard of activity this summer.

Market founder Leslie Lee of the Cherry Creek North shop Willow Antiques says last year’s early-September cold snap put a damper on this event’s debut, but face it: It’s an opportunity just begging to happen, a classy array of local and out-of-town dealers offering high-end jewelry, pieces of eight and gold doubloons, cabin furniture, shabby chic furnishings, lacy christening gowns, quilts and camp blankets, prints, and a little of everything under the sun in outdoor booths at a convenient and central location. So, Lee notes, the market will go on, bigger and better, expanding to two sessions this year — one at the end of May and the other in early September.

What could be better on a sunny Saturday morning than this stroll through a wonderland of hand-picked junk and one-of-a-kind treasures? Spearheaded by the folks who run Details, a downtown Littleton bath and body shop, the market debuted last summer to delighted crowds, and this year expands from four to five shopping opportunities, offered on the first Saturday of the month, from May through September. And it’s a small but classic market, with a little bit of everything — from the perfect sturdy covered cake platter to a hand-sewn cotton girl’s pinafore in aqua, festooned with purple flowers, for only four bucks. What else? The usual what-have-you, including garden ornaments, cheerful salt-and-peppers in the shape of a family of robins, rustic handcrafts, old and new jewelry and vintage linens are only a few of the things that await patient shoppers. Wear a sun hat, as it can get warm on a summer day, but if you start to fade, you can always duck into Details or truck down Main to Olde Town Antiques for indoor browsing.

All thrift stores are not created equal. The merchandise at the Salvation Army’s Northglenn location, just off 1-25, ranges from practical to playful, with prices that always remain within a safe zone. And though the store stocks a respectable selection of staples like furniture, clothing and housewares, its signature item is the church-style organ. The Army’s south wall is lined with reasonably priced congregational castoffs, shellacked contraptions with delightful names like the Wurlitzer Wonder and Swinger 2000. Most of the store’s organs have working pedals and programmed features, like the ubiquitous “rock beat” tempo control, which you are free to test. On a good day, one of the store’s employees may even offer to deliver your new instrument to your home (for a fee). Better still, there’s no waiting list.

First of all, seed-beading, like many kinds of needlework, is no easy craft. Not only is it impossibly tiny work, but it also requires a near-maniacal attention for detail. In the sage words of somebody’s grandmother, you could go blind. So figuring out how Louisville beader Hermann fashions her three-dimensional, six-inch beaded Christmas trees is simply confounding. Don’t even try. Just know that they’re as sweet as can be. Hermann also makes hair ornaments and jewelry and gilded bouquets that look perky poking out of a small glass bottle. (We found some last winter at the Denver Botanic Gardens’ annual holiday sale.)

Have yourself a merry little Christmas: Judy, Judy, Judy makes it easy with the re-gifting barrel it sets out every holiday season. Go ahead and help yourself to someone’s white elephant — but be sure to leave that awful reindeer sweater your Aunt Sue made for you for the next lucky customer who comes along. This is the gift that keeps on giving.

More garden sculpture than birdhouse, each creation by Dianna Giese is a found-object tour de force, weathered-wood creations with architectural details fashioned out of rusted metal hinges, old bits of trellis, bent kitchen utensils, cast-off bolts and screws, cast-iron finials and the like. Like any dedicated garbage collector worth her salt, Giese just happened upon her birdhouse-building vocation by chance: She found a few neat things in the hills and put them together in an interesting way; before long, everyone who saw the results wanted one of their own. What a tweet.

Much to the delight of teachers, scout leaders, artists and community groups throughout the metro area, Creative Exchange has found a new home at Buckingham Square. This nonprofit agency is dedicated to redirecting items discarded by area businesses into the hands of crafters, especially youngsters, and out of the landfill. Creative Exchange has provided materials and willing helpers to create items for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Capitol Hill People’s Fair and other civic events, and regularly hosts school field trips, birthday parties and creative classes and workshops. Earth Week is almost like Christmas here. Educators and community groups can join the Exchange, and the rest of us can always throw a party, volunteer or shop on special days. Don’t miss the enormous bins of, well, odd stuff that can put the perfect finishing touch on a project or start you thinking about a whole new one. Call or visit the Web site (www.creative-exchange.org) for details on how to donate.

It’s not easy finding a job if you have little work history and no skills, which is why Work Options for Women is such a great program. It teaches women coming off welfare how to work in restaurants, training them in everything from proper kitchen hygiene to baking and cooking. And what cooking! Jane Berryman, a renowned chef, is the teacher — and people working at the Denver Department of Human Services office on Federal get to enjoy the benefits, since preparing food for the cafeteria there is part of WOW’s homework.

Just when you thought nobody had a couple of million bucks to risk on your hot new techno-idea, here comes Mobius Venture Capital Hotbank, just a microchip’s throw from Boulder. Formerly Soft Bank Venture Capital, this fund’s Web site claims $2.5 billion under management, with hundreds of the leading technology companies in its portfolio. The Hotbank incubator has been nurturing infant companies with facilities and advice from experienced entrepreneurs and other business experts since November 2000, for a fraction of the cost of now-defunct for-profit operations. If you want to pitch for funding, don’t spend a dime on printing your business plan: Mobius accepts applications online only.

Last summer, it seemed like the biggest threat to personal privacy was the surreptitious use of cookies and Web bugs by data aggregators to track our unsuspecting travels through the Internet. To give consumers a fighting chance by revealing exactly when we were being “bugged,” the technical team at the Privacy Foundation, based at the University of Denver, released the free Bugnosis program. Installed on your PC, Bugnosis warns you whenever it detects a Web bug that could be sending personal information about you, your computer and/or your surfing habits to a third party, who could be doing who-knows-what with it. Although the software is available online, it isn’t Mac compatible yet — but don’t bug them about it.

Obsolescence is a genetic computer disease. It often costs more to fix or upgrade an old computer than to just buy a new one, which is the reason computer monitors have been piling up in landfills across the nation. These days, you must dispose of your monitor properly; you can’t just kick it to the curb anymore. PC Brokers in Littleton accepts most monitors and other computer components at no charge, allowing you to upgrade without degrading the environment.

Spending two grand on a PC that needs an upgrade before you even get it out of the box just doesn’t compute. Visiting the Surplus Computer Store in Littleton, home to an army of discounted new, used, and off-lease computers and accessories, is a better use of gigabytes. It would take a giant Palm Pilot to keep

track of all the CD-writer drives, DVD players, digital cameras, flat-screen and extra-large monitors here. And don’t worry about repair: The company has a standard surplus warranty of ninety days, and many of the new products still have their factory warranties. Maybe it’s time to cache in.

There are a lot of places around town that offer scratch ‘n’ dent appliances at a discount, but the Sears Outlet Store has a consistent selection that never seems to dwindle. And even if the front of that stainless-steel fridge has a wee scratch on it, the warranty still applies. Some of the appliances aren’t even marred; they just happen to be last year’s floor sample or demo. Let’s move that fridge.

For the busy traveler, there is nothing more irritating than cheap luggage, the junk with wheels that fall off. Now you can buy durable, expensive luggage at cheap-luggage prices. The Samsonite Company Store unloads high-quality luggage for up to 50 percent off retail prices. They stock luggage that is barely blemished, merchandise that has been discontinued, and stuff that didn’t sell from last year. With all the money you save, you can splurge on additional discounted wares such as CD cases, shaving kits, daytimers and wallets.

B-D Company, a venerable upholstery supply shop, has a number of solutions for restoring old vinyl, cloth, plastic and even leather furniture to something like new — magic sprays, dyes and cleaners that are hard to find, accompanied by expert advice. Don’t give up on that ottoman; put it in your auto, man, and give it Last Hope rather than last rites.

Anna Woneis, owner of the American Fabric Upholstery Goods Company, is happy to give visitors a tour of her place, which involves room after room of vintage fabric, much of it from the still-trendy 1970s. Although some the patterns should have been impeached with Nixon, many of the old-timey fabrics are, well, timeless. The store has large selections of vinyls, tweeds, tapestries, cottons, and velvety fabrics, all reasonably priced, as well as a substantial inventory of upholstering equipment. Sofa, so good.

Those who despise discordance would be wise to stick to Guitar Center’s acoustic room, where the quiet people dwell among the mandolins. Out on the main floor, a dizzying number of guitars and amplifiers are available for the strumming, squealing and soloing pleasures of aspiring wankers from all walks of life. Go on, grab that Gibson and plug away. Instruments are for playing, and no one’s going to stop you from trying out whatever ax strikes your fancy. Just remember some simple etiquette — speed metal is okay, but “Stairway” is verboten — and you and the Guitar Center staff will get along just fine. As George Harrison once said, “Don’t want no wah-wah.”

Though larger than most independents, Twist & Shout is a community-spirited music retailer. Owner Paul Epstein is an active member of the Colorado Music Association and even occasionally appears on cable-access television to talk about his favorite bands. No surprise, then, that Epstein’s store would reflect his support of local music. Many of the CDs that are distributed through Twist are placed in the Local Listening Post, where customers can strap on a pair of headphones, click around a digital menu and hear tracks from as many as ten artists. With a roster that changes monthly, the Listening Post is a smart way to keep up with the music being made by the people in your neighborhood.

This store’s name says it all. Here you’ll find everything from geeky school-band instruments (and a host of instructors expert in their use) to pro gear that would do Van Halen proud. What you won’t find is superstore attitude. According to Gary Patterson, who owns the business with four of his family members, “90 percent of our customers walk in and say, ‘Man, I went over to such-and-such and couldn’t get one person to help me. And when they did, they just wanted to sell me something more expensive than I needed because they work on commission.'” By contrast, Universal focuses on selling what its customers need and sticking to their budgets.

The economy has taken a bite out of Wax Trax: At the end of February, the vinyl store was closed, with its stock being moved into the used store across the street. But the three Wax Trax branches that remain — a new store, a video store and the aforementioned used store — are still Denver treasures that need and deserve your support. Even if you don’t want an album, rush down there and buy one anyhow. It’s the right thing to do, and that’s no spin.

Chain stores generally have enormous stacks of DVDs, but they’re often short on personalized service or employees who know the difference between The Sorrow and the Pity and The Sound and the Fury. Theatre Video, for its part, has a much better selection than most independent outlets, with tons of animation and music-oriented packages, and staffers will gladly special-order even the most obscure flick. As an added bonus, they know and love movies every bit as much as their customers do. Give yourself plenty of time here, because you won’t want to leave.

The best-stocked video store in the Western states, Boulder’s Video Station carries some 60,000 titles in VHS and DVD format, including the rarest and most exotic items extant. Want to see Larry Clark’s seething Bully (rated NC-17 and thus unavailable at the chains) or revisit the collected works of Ingmar Bergman, Orson Welles, Satyajit Ray or Werner Herzog? This is your source. Need to watch Johnny Got His Gun and The Fencing Master for your film-history class? The Station has the tapes. There are discount weekend rental rates for out-of-towners to ease the pain of that Boulder drive, and the store’s film-crazy staff will enthusiastically guide you through any cinematic thicket.

These days, gratuitous sex scenes, foul language and violent extravaganzas are a given in the world of movies. Understandably, most parents are concerned with the effect such raw stuff has on their children. That’s where www.cleanflicks.com, a video-editing company, and its rental outlets, CleanFlicks, come in. CleanFlicks stores rent hundreds of videos that have been edited to make films more “family-friendly.” Jason Smith, manager of the Englewood store, likens the finished product to edited network-TV flicks: not much nudity or cussing, maybe a little violence. The stores, which are adding edited DVDs to their rental stock, receive about 25 new titles every month. Move over, Disney.

The sight of a brawny outdoorsman in fishnets may not turn you on, but it makes sense. Wiggy’s Inc., a Grand Junction outdoor-outfitting company, has been making traditional supplies since 1986, and it sells some of the best long underwear in the world. The black or white nylon fishnet material is the best for wicking away moisture and keeping wearers warm. And if you buy these undies at their Grand Junction store, you can get 40 percent off. That’s underwear, nearly half off.

Frostline Kits in Grand Junction manufactures high-quality, unassembled, winter gear kits. These kits include an instruction manual, cut-to-size fabric, down or other fill materials, and all the thread and finishing items needed to create a top-notch jacket. The only thing you have to do is provide the sewing machine and some time and labor. Because they do not sew your outdoor gear themselves, the savings trickle down to you. You can purchase a ladies’ polar fleece jacket kit for $38 or a tundra jacket kit (a down-filled coat that is unbelievably warm) for $115. So sew.

If you don’t mind being a walking advertisement for a ski resort, the Ouray Sportswear Factory Outlet is the place to find a fleece jacket or vest that won’t set you back the price of a lift ticket. The South Broadway store gets all of the surplus merchandise that its parent company, SCI (Ski Country Imports) produces for resorts all over the country, as well as carrying its own Ouray brand sportswear for those willing to spend a little more to avoid feeling like a billboard. The fleeces are thinner than the big-name brands, but since dressing in layers is the key to outdoor comfort, who cares? You’ll also find good deals on shirts, pants and baseball caps, which are embroidered with corporate or recreation-area logos. But whatever you go there for, don’t miss the dollar bin, which often contains must-have gear like neck gaiters, face masks and gloves. After outfitting here, you might actually be able to afford to go skiing.

Simple and elegant. Who wouldn’t want to slip their tootsies into Denver-based Lula Maxine’s handmade slippers? Square-toed, with a seam down their silk dupioni or woven plaid-and-houndstooth middles, they absolutely scream comfort. And they look great, too. The retail price tag can be a bit steep — they range from around $50 to $100 a pair — but this is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of footwear, the kind you never want to take off. They’re available online at www.lulamaxine.com, where you can also get a list of stores in the area that carry them. Lula Maxine, where have you been all our lives?

We’re not talking ten-gallons here. This is the place to find a fine fedora, a happenin’ homburg or a bitchin’ beret, in felt, straw and the occasional canvas golf number — anything that tops off your masculine attire. More than half of Duncan’s business in the historic Five Points location (there’s another at DIA) comes from men’s hats, a particular passion of owner Curtis Washington and his legions of customers. Duncan’s will help you get ahead.

Eleven months of the year, Flossy McGrew’s blends right into a commercial stretch of South Broadway, another vintage-clothing shop among the funky fringe of Antique Row. But each October, the massive warehouse-like store becomes a must-stop destination for costume-happy shoppers who range from inspired and awestruck to panicked and overwhelmed, depending on the date and its proximity to Halloween. From sailor suits and authentic Victorian gowns to monkey masks and huge cowboy hats, Flossy’s seems to have at least one of every kind of clothing article ever made. If you’re not in a hurry, the place is a gas, whether you’re just browsing or scouting the perfect outfit for the club, the concert or the PTA meeting.

What a treasure trove of costumes, toys and other accessories for let’s-pretend play! And what a great place for kids to explore the creative side of dressing up themselves and their doll friends, with workshops, classes, playtime fun for tots and birthday-party packages. Dolls and Kids Closet also rents historical costumes for the little ones, as well as selling dolls, doll clothes, accessories, furniture, and everything you need for a full-fledged tea party for some of your favorite friends, stuffed or imaginary. Kids who make purchases with their own money, hard-earned or saved up, receive a 10 percent discount. Let’s go!

Plan to make a dramatic yet affordable entrance at your next Halloween party with a little help from the Theatre Department at Red Rocks Community College. For $150 plus security deposit for the weekend, you can dress from head to toe in Renaissance splendor, and for about $5 more, you can find the ultimate accessory. The school rents stage props, too. Rentals are available to schools, theatre companies, church groups, businesses and other organizations — as well as zany individuals.

The King may be dead, but his style lives on. The Bent Lens now sells a fabulous pair of the King’s sunshades by Neostyle, the original maker of Mr. Presley’s infamous specs. These rock-n-roll replicas are every bit as decadent as the original: Plated in 14K gold with star-making rose-brown gradient lenses, the “Nautic” sells for the King-size price of $425. But, hey, they might just turn you into a hunka hunka burnin’ love.

For almost ten years, Lynn Pastore has been selling retro clothing out of her 13th Avenue storefront, but her latest line is a stretch — sometimes literally. The Five & Dime’s suddenly doing a booming business in old rock-and-roll T-shirts, the forerunners of all those souvenirs that would soon become a mandatory part of the concert experience. Although Pastore puts the best ones on her Web site, www.510vintage.com, the store always has a good selection of merchandise from the great and near-great of the arena-rock era. Pastore’s catalogue is as big as a Styx fan’s hair, and if you are one of those who said yes to Yes, you’re sure to find some threads here to keep your band’s memory alive and kicking out the jams.

The real Lilly, who retired in 1984, first stuck her foot in the door of Camelot in the early ’60s, when her hand-sewn signature shifts in breezy tropical prints caught on in Palm Beach, soon to be embraced by Jackie Kennedy and a whole generation or two of East Coast preppies. To her credit, Pulitzer’s ultra-simple invention has never gone completely out of style since, particularly among beachfront society, but it’s now back with a vengeance. Limeade’s time is here, and we’ve snagged one of ten stores opening nationally this year, in — where else? — wildly appropriate Cherry Creek North. Ready for your close-up?

Yee-haw! For years, Rockmount Ranchwear Co. was only a wholesale operation, shipping Western wear around the world from its headquarters in a LoDo warehouse. But this spring, Rockmount decided to share the wealth — of history, of fashion, of fun — by allowing visitors to buy Rockmount products out of the office’s charming little showroom and on the Web at www.rockmount.com. Lined with vintage Rockmount items salvaged at thrift stores and purchased over eBay, the place is a veritable museum of how the West was worn; you won’t be able to leave without a bolo tie, one of those cool new silk scarves, or a Western shirt that’s a new take on a classic. (Rockmount invented the snap button, after all.)

Far outside the city lights lies the Savage-West, a Western memorabilia store. Owner Kris Hurley deems her diverse inventory “ranch and farm junk.” But whether you desire the sun-bleached skulls of long-dead longhorn cattle, brightly colored Mexican blankets or just Western antiques, Savage-West probably has it. Hurley and her partner, Gina Cox, opened the store last November and plan to diversify with some seasonal and new products, including Western-themed Christmas ornaments and bucking-bronco placemats. For you greenhorns, Keenesburg is about an hour east of the city on I-76.

Prince Philip’s Pipes and Tobacco treats you like royalty, with a marvelous selection of all-legal imports and an extremely knowledgeable and customer-oriented proprietor, Jon Cacherat, to help guide you in your selections. Celebs and working stiffs fire up stogies and trade tips on pipe tobacco in the shop’s thoroughly democratic (and pungent) atmosphere.

Aficionados maintain that African art tells stories. That’s African Experiences owner Miles Forsyth’s story, and he’s sticking to it. Originally from South Africa, he returns to his home continent every year to visit and to hunt down merchandise, and he’s been wildly successful. The walls of his shop are lined with fantastic tribal masks, as well as vibrant patterned rugs and weavings, and the exotic Zulu baskets woven in geometric earth tones are sublime. Tribe it — you’ll like it.

Small and unassuming, Hijos de Sol is a good deed in every way, from the stunning Leo Tanguma mural that dresses up the neighborhood and announces the little store’s existence around the corner, to its humanitarian intent to ensure that profits from coffees and handcrafts go to the Latin American villagers who package or create them. But as the mural’s shimmering presence outside implies, Hijos also supports art, offering striking black-and-white Diego Rivera prints, postcards of works by contemporary Mexican artists and a specialized selection of art books, including particularly beautiful bilingual or Spanish-language children’s picture books, such as Matthew Gollub’s Oaxacan folk tales with illustrations by painter and muralist Leovigildo Martínez and the autobiographical Family Pictures, by illustrator Carmen Garza. ¡Ándele!

The Colorado Talking Book Library (CTBL) was created to give disabled book-lovers more options. The government-funded program offers Braille books, taped books and playback machines. You must apply and meet certain requirements to use the facility, but once you do, it’s completely free, including usage and shipping of the books and machines. Adding to the convenience, books may be ordered by phone.

Admit it: You have plenty of time to read, but not enough time to browse the local library. At the Highlands Ranch Library, adult patrons can have librarians select titles that match their tastes simply by filling out an application including information on favorite authors and books read in the past. They’ll call you when your books are ready for pickup; it’s that simple. Make that one John Grisham with a side of Stephen King to go.

The DPL’s impressive effort to post thousands of images from its photography archives – images of Colorado and the West stretching over a century and a half, with extensive collections dealing with everything from the Ludlow Massacre to the changing face of Denver’s downtown–is a cyber surfer’s delight. Browse, search or wallow, if you prefer, but click on over and travel back in time.

The Emily Griffith Opportunity School (EGOS) has been an educational resource for over 85 years, but even Miss Emily herself would be amazed to see its 21st-century outreach. Folks seeking careers in everything from aviation to manicuring can click on the school’s site and start flying. Visitors also can see photos of recent grads, hints on finances and other good things. And if you don’t like the school’s Web site, sign up for EGOS Web design classes — maybe you can be its next creator.

You’re dressed up in your best Soup-and-Fish or evening gown, just about to trip the light fantastic on New Year’s Eve, when you detect a murky puddle oozing up from the basement drain. Who ya gonna call? Try Colorado Sewer. While they can’t work miracles, they do work that evening. And with a little luck, you can have whatever ails your house snaked out so that you can still sneak out before the stroke of midnight.

You’re taking the last plane out of Clarksville, and you forgot your book. And your gum, your bottled water and your earplugs. Not to worry: W. H. Smith keeps one of its six airport shops open all night, and it’s conveniently located in the main terminal, right outside the security checkpoint that’s the last to shut down for the night. In keeping with its 24/7 status, the shop stocks a wider variety of items than you’ll find at its concourse outlets, including reading materials, snacks and travel necessities. Those landing at DIA in the wee hours, after their planes have been socked in by the weather in Omaha, might want to stop by and stock up on aspirin: They’ll need some after they realize that the shuttles have quit running.

It used to be that if you got to the airport early, you’d head up to the official U.S. Post Office in the main terminal to pay your bills (on the theory that the best flight insurance is making sure your survivors won’t find any embarrassing past-due notices), then do some banking, enjoy a couple of brews and take a look at the latest exhibit on the walkway heading toward Concourse A. But that was then, this is now. And in the post-9/11 world, no one dawdles on the way to security — not because getting felt up by DIA’s enthusiastic friskers is such a treat, but because you can’t risk getting stuck in a slow-moving line. Which means, of course, that when you get through security quickly, your entertainment options are limited to the concourses. That’s when it’s time to head to Que Bueno! on Concourse B, where the burritos are so tasty, so big and so fat that it might take you a couple of hours to digest one. But fair warning: Que Bueno! is a lot more crowded than it used to be, which means you could waste many, many minutes waiting to order — and then still more arguing that, yes, you really want that sauce fuego.

So you begged for a window seat, but now you’re just staring aimlessly down on windswept plains, unknown deserts or the canyons below. What could possibly make your long flight more interesting? A little help from the Durango-based Spin Map company, which manufactures passenger flight maps for journeys stretching between Denver and several major cities, including L.A., Las Vegas, Dallas, San Francisco, Phoenix and Chicago. The maps, which are available at many local bookstores, are laminated and “spinable,” so no matter which side of the plane you’re seated on, your handy map will provide a detailed geographic tour of the topography unfolding below. Now buckle your seat belt, grab your Spin Map, and get ready to learn geography from way up high. Happy landings.

When queried, most boat-shop owners said they sent their broken propellers to Jim’s Prop Shop, and who are we to swim against the tide? Owner Jim McCune charges between $45 and $150 to fix maimed props, depending on what sort of sea damage you’ve done. And although Jim’s specialty is fixing them, you can buy new and used propellers here, too. Sail on, sailors.

Speed is relative, the universe is expanding, so why does your vintage ’57 Chevy’s speedometer say you’re traveling at 5 mph? Better chug on over to the dean of those devices, Russell Rullo, at Deluxe Speedometer & Radio Service. With more than fifty years of experience, Rullo (along with his son, John) will bring a truckload of experience to bear on whatever ails your ride. Number, please!

While America is fighting a new kind of war, with Russia as an ally, it’s important not to forget the past. Now you can actually own a piece of the past, thanks to Cold War Remarketing, a local auto dealership that sells Unimogs, Pinzgauers and other vehicles from the Red Scare days. The Littleton business also encourages “Pinzie” enthusiasts to accessorize with custom hub steps to help them get into their trucks. True Cold War buffs can even buy tanks, which are “shown by appointment to serious purchasers only,” according to the company’s Web site, www.coldwarremarketing.com. Still, this is a great way to travel back in time to the Cold War era of the 1950s. Who knows? Maybe the Unimog will replace the stars and stripes as the next symbol of patriotism. Ike likes this!

Oldies But Goodies should be the first stop for any classic-car aficionado. Despite its small lot, this South Broadway dealership has an impressive collection of vintage automobiles, ranging from those without engines to those that have been lovingly restored to their previous grandeur. From the 1949 Buick Super to the 1984 Ford Thunderbird, this place has something for everyone. There’s the 1964 Mercury Montclair with rear windows that roll up and down; the 1965 lavender-colored Chevy SS, complete with fuzzy dice dangling from the rearview mirror; the 1957 Lincoln Premier with red-and-white leather seats that bring back soda-shop memories; and the 1977 Ford Maverick in that shade of olive green that didn’t last beyond the decade. But the real honey, on one particular visit, was the cherry-red 1950 Ford convertible with whitewall tires and pristine red-and-black leather seats. Ladies and gents, start your engines.

Sure, they rent ‘Vettes — for $299 a day. They also offer Porsche Boxsters and Mercedes CLK roadsters for the same price. Dodge Vipers and 911s are $100 more; new Ford Thunderbirds are $249 per day; and BMW Z3 convertibles are a bargain at $199. Note: Mileage is limited to 100 miles per day. Call to check on the frequent weekday specials, and always mention BreezeNet (www.bnm.com) for a 10 percent discount, which is, conveniently, about the same price as full-coverage insurance. Go ahead and get the insurance, then snatch up the keys, lean over the rental counter, and with a frenzied look in your eyes, exclaim, “I feel the need, the need for speed !” They like that.

Owning a motorcycle in this state doesn’t have to be a two-season experience: Many people ride with pride all year long. But on those brisk February days, it’s nice to have something warming your face as you speed along. Hoodlums Gear, manufactured in Colorado, was created for just that purpose. There’s the Helmet Hoodlum or the Headless Hoodlum, face masks made of soft, warm fleece and neoprene to keep you toasty. Hoodlums usually come in black, but are available in other colors upon request. Non-cyclists, take note: Hoodlums are great for skiing and snowboarding, too.

She’s cute, she’s cuddly, she’s friendly — and she’s everywhere. Ever since the Japanese toy company Sanrio unveiled Hello Kitty in the ’70s, little girls the universe over have been snapping up pens, packs, umbrellas and underwear bearing her image. And although Miss Kitty is now available in major retail outlets, fans will worship Min Min Chinese Restaurant’s small shrine to the feline. The selection is exhaustive, so block some time to look around after your meal. Fortune cookie says: If you have a young daughter, or just like Japanese kitsch, Hello Kitty World is in your future.

Dog may be man’s best friend, but not necessarily yours. If you have vistors bringing along their four-legged companions, put them up at the Loews Denver Hotel. Like the city of Denver, Loews touts itself as “pet friendly” — and then some. The hotel offers pet room service, with vet-approved food (vegetarian entrees are available for picky pets); special bedding to ensure the animal gets a good night’s sleep; a personalized note from hotel management welcoming the critter and listing local vets, groomers and pet stores; pet-walking and -sitting services; and, of course, treats and toys. Loews doesn’t discriminate, either: Along with the usual dogs and cats, past guests have included lizards and monkeys.

What’s Fido thinking, anyway? If you have the slightest interest in figuring that out, A Pet’s Paradise offers periodic psychic reading sessions for pets with expert Pattie Koop, who also uses her powers to locate lost pets at no charge. In addition, the new-age pet supply, which carries a large selection of holistic pet foods, supplements and Flower Essences, as well as toys, beds, collars and treats, offers workshops on Tellington Touch — a technique said to be related to horse whispering that’s guaranteed to improve your pet’s general health and well-being — with certified practitioner Rita Anderson.

Angela Gazzara started her Canine Cab business last August because her busy schedule was often in conflict with her dog’s needs: visits to the vet, grooming appointments and, of course, doggie daycare. While her goal was a dog-transportation service for busy pet owners, Gazzara also realized there were many disabled and non-driving pet owners who could benefit from it. An initial visit with pets and and an interview with their owners is required, and because of allergies, Gazzara ferries only dogs. Her other drivers, though, can tote your non-canine friends.

Coloradans love their dogs and like to take them everywhere. Robyn Peters, publisher of Doggone (The Newsletter About Fun Places to Go and Cool Things to Do With Your Dog), understands this. Peters, who bases her business out of Boulder, personally checks out many of the dog-friendly places across the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Caribbean with the help of her cocker spaniel, Jenny. And if the newsletters haven’t covered an area in this country that a customer wants to travel to, Peters will research states on an individual basis. So get your dog gone: Annual subscriptions to the bi-monthly are $25.

When you leave town, it’s only fair that your cat get a little vacation, too. And since you want to be sure your four-legged friend is well cared for, the best place to take him or her is to the Cat Cradle Cattery, a little house tucked away in a wooded area off busy Kipling. A delightful couple who are crazy about cats own the kennel. Two of their own felines wander the place freely, greeting the new arrivals. Rather than cramped cages, all cats are boarded in spacious wooden kennels built by the owner; three levels give the cats ample room to move around. And once a day, the cats are taken out for exercise. The owners provide all food and keep note of which kind your cat prefers. The only thing you’ll have to worry about is getting your cat to go home with you when you return. Purrfect.

“Lying at our feet, curled up at the foot of our beds, are beings capable of teaching us everything we are seeking. We have only to learn how to listen,” writes Boulderite Kate Solisti-Mattelon in her book Conversations With Dog. Solisti-Mattelon, who has written or co-written several other books, including Conversations With Cat, is an animal communicator who claims to use telepathy to find out what our domesticated companions are thinking. Solisti-Mattelon says she was born with the gift of animal communication; it was not something she tried to acquire. But it is for the rest of us, who may not be as expert in the “generous language” of dogs or the “brutally honest” language of cats, that Solisti-Mattelon writes her books.

People do it, so why shouldn’t horses? That was the question on Dr. Gayle Trotter’s mind after the equine surgeon at CSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital observed firsthand the benefits of acupuncture treatment for his own lower-back pain. Trotter went the extra mile to learn more about the practice of alternative therapies; as a result, CSU is now one of the few veterinary hospitals in the nation offering integrated medical programs for hurtin’ horses that combine such treatment components as exercise, massage and acupuncture. Giddyap!

For the past dozen years, the Colorado Jewish Social Network has been playing matchmaker for Denver singles looking for a soulmate. Members of the network, who pay annual dues of $90, can peruse binders full of questionnaires and pictures of other Jewish singles in search of Mr. or Ms. Right. Under the direction of Roslyn Rudnick, CJSN brings the couples together in a non-threatening way; the rest is up to them. The network also sponsors social events and workshops throughout the year. Hey, it couldn’t hurt.

Incredibly, the folks who create Thangkas — generally Buddhist monks who live with their heads in the clouds at the top of the world — don’t consider them works of art. Rather, each intricately complex banner, colorfully depicting mandalas, Buddhas or bodhisattvas, is intended as a kind of spiritual lesson, prayer or charm for their Himalayan constituents. But damn if they aren’t beautiful to look at, too. Melissa and Dinesh Shakya, the young owners of Nepali Bazaar, hand-pick theirs from the streets of Kathmandu, and their taste and care are evident in the selections they offer. And did we mention the reasonable prices? That excellent selling point spreads to the rest of the not-to-miss exotic merchandise, which includes brass Buddhas, bright ceremonial masks, gorgeous pressed-wool handbags, raw-silk wrap skirts with an elegant drape, fringed hand-knit cardigans and an unexpected trove of things for children, such as carved-wood rocking horses, tiny embroidered overalls, ethnic dolls and shiny brocade jackets. Enough to make you say Namaste!

Members of the flock and vampire hunters alike will delight in selecting a cruciform to suit their individual taste, budget and wall space from among the treasure trove of icons for sale in this warehouse-sized religious-supplies store in the heart of the historic Baker district. Though Gerken’s boasts fine selections of communion-wafer plates and ceramic statues of the Archangel Michael slaying various demons, it’s the hundreds of crucifixes hanging on the walls that will make the shopper feel truly blessed. The artifacts range in price from $7.95 (a tiny plastic Christ on a six-inch cross) to $3,000 (a four-foot bronze Christ on a six-foot oak cross) and come in all models: head up or down; crown of thorns or bare coiffure; full robe or loincloth. At Gerken’s, the cross marks the spot.

Cargo’s merchandise appeals to browsers who share an affinity for far-off lands: East Indian and Tibetan artifacts are among the most popular items. And even if you adhere to a monk-like budget, you needn’t leave the store empty-handed. Because Cargo’s owners know that a spiritual quest doesn’t have to break the bank, inexpensive items abound in their new Highland location, from handmade stationery and calendars to prayer flags. Our favorite cheapo option? The baskets full of small, square prayer stones, each engraved with an image of the Buddha. They’re so reasonably priced, you may want to pick up a couple of handfuls. Just remember that desire leads to suffering

Offering up to three massage chairs and occasional live music, the Feature Park Entrance almost makes FlatIron’s “retail resort” designation believable. “The massage has been really popular,” says mall marketing director Chris Stallman. So has an aqua-massage kiosk (located near the food court), which layers patrons with plastic before spraying them down with soothing water. “People are getting more interested in taking care of themselves, and it’s kind of a quick fix that they can do really easily,” Stallman says. If only our bank accounts were so easily restored.

We guarantee that Indulgences won’t rub you the wrong way. Unlike those hoity-toity spas that make you feel like you should shower before you enter, Indulgences is down-to-earth, even boisterous. The owner is friendly, the employees are friendly, the other customers are friendly. And one of the friendliest amenities here is a couples’ massage. Usually a very private, personal activity, a massage is a completely different experience when your beloved is lying right alongside, getting pummeled, rubbed and stroked at the same time. Double your pleasure, double your fun.

Peace of Mind, Body & Soul owner Mary Beal calls her place a “self-improvement and self-care boutique.” And such improvement and care comes easy with the offerings at Peace of Mind. In addition to on-premises massages and psychic readings, you’ll find incense, candles, aromatic oils, crystals, wind chimes and fairy figurines. An assortment of knowing tomes on the subjects of astrology, feng shui, reiki, chakra healing and contemporary Christianity round out the inventory. Walk out a new, improved you.

Change is good. While Apothecary Tinctura has already earned a reputation for having an ocean of potions (just kidding about those lizard lips), the shop’s move from its Congress Park location to a new 6th Avenue spot added some zing to its yang. But you’ll still find the necessary ingredients to make yourown holistic remedies or face masks, and the folks there, as always, are eager to share their knowledge of mixology. Come bask in this sunny space as you save a little face.

Chinese medicine has become increasingly popular the last few years, and the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine is your one-stop shop for alternatives to Western health care. When the acupuncturist upstairs prescribes Chinese herbs, you’ll be able to find them at the school’s pharmacy, an alternate universe of remedies and potions that have been used in China for centuries. The names alone will transport you to the back streets of Hong Kong: Heavenly Emperor’s Formula, Two Immortals Blend and Bluegreen Dragon Formula are just a handful of the hundreds of different kinds of herbs in stock. With every variety of ginseng imaginable and things you never imagined you’d need (Tiger Balm for sore muscles and “bone tonic” for aching joints), this is the best place in town to get your qi gong goin’ on.

The 16th Street Mall is a shopper’s paradise — that is, if you’re in the market for some overpriced, faux-Native American souvenirs or maybe a nice wig. For those who actually live and work downtown, there’s no beating Walgreens for sheer practicality, economy and reliability, not to mention great people-watching. Housed in a vintage building in the heart of downtown, the store — which has been there for fifty years — draws a cross-strata of humanity united by a shared drugstore dependence. Where else can you fill a prescription, develop film, catch up on some magazine reading and buy actual groceries, as well as the latest near-the-register novelties, all during your lunch break? Walgreens hawks the stuff of life in a lively part of town.

Diamond Lil’s is a porn shop and proud of it — as evidenced by the enthusiastic lighted sign that invites the curious and carnal-minded alike inside. Located in a historic building that began as Kopper’s Hotel and Saloon in 1899, Diamond Lil’s happens to be the only remaining porn shop downtown — but it’s gone above and beyond the call of duty with its excellent restoration work. And while the merchandise is of the traditional sex-toys-and-videos variety, the store’s live-performance gallery sets Diamond Lil’s apart as a true rarity, as well as a throwback to the era of voyeuristic antiquity. Through the looking glass, you can openly gawk as Lil’s adult “dancers” writhe and wriggle for your viewing pleasure. Some might say Lil’s itself is a historic treasure.

It’s fun trying to stump the sales staff in Peppercorn’s kitchen department, but no matter what you ask for — a kitchen scale, grilling equipment for summer, pastry bags, woks, an ice-cream maker, pots and pans, toasters, KitchenAids or shells for your coquilles St. Jacques, chances are they’ll have it. They also have shelves and shelves of prepared foods that make for great gift baskets, including English teas and marmalades, German marzipan, Italian olive oils, Belgian chocolates and gourmet coffees. There’s lots of bright everyday crockery, as well as a long wall filled with every current cookbook you’ve heard of — and loads that you haven’t. And that’s just on the ground floor. Upstairs you’ll find exquisite modern china, linens and gorgeous crystal glasses.

Antique Row is charming, as are many of the eclectic boutiques and specialty stores that line commercial stretches along South Broadway. But the thrill of pawing through miscellaneous merchandise is often tempered by the reality of sticker shock — something that convinces many of us to browse rather than buy. Not so at ARC, where the price is always right and the goods are always pleasantly unpredictable. With weekly specials and perennial bargains on used clothing, housewares, books and furniture, the large store is a haven for those who appreciate a good deal, as well as a fun alternative for frugal treasure hounds. Thrift is a virtue — and so are community-spirited stores like ARC.

Did you know that Queen Victoria had quite an impressive collection of Chinese snuff boxes? The friendly and resourceful owners of Decorables do, and they’ll be happy to tell you all about it as you browse the elegant and eclectic aisles of this airy antiques gallery, which makes its home in a former East Colfax bank. And while Decorables’ own display of snuff stuff doesn’t quite rival that of the British Empire, the shop’s cross-cultural collections — from marble Buddha statues to Hummel figurines — are regal in their own right. Unpretentious and accessible, Decorables is a find.

Fancy a shag (rug)? How about a ’50s dinette set, an authentic lava lamp or a vintage flapper dress? Mod Living crams all of the above, and much more, into its understated space on East Colfax; it’s a veritable museum of affordable art and furnishings for the nostalgia-minded decorator. Ranging from classic to kitschy, the tastefully cluttered store’s wares are both practical and just plain fun.

The room decor inside Mon Chalet comes from the Hollywood Porno Playground school of interior design. Neon accents, water-column lights, mirrored ceilings and walls, and giant whirlpool baths are standard features in Mon Chalet’s ten deluxe and semi-deluxe suites, as are king-sized beds, whether standard or octagon-shaped, firm mattress or waterbed. Optional room features include climate-control chambers (programmable sun, steam, warm breeze and rain), and specialty furnishings, including the “Love Machine,” which the motel’s Web site (www.mon-chalet.com) describes as “a sturdy furniture masterpiece designed for the more athletic expression of the sensual arts.” Suspended over the beds in several rooms are models of “The Swing,” also known as “Mon Chalet’s version of the Taiwan Basket.” Room rates for deluxe suites are $110 on weeknights, $145 on weekends. Semi-deluxe rooms go for $100/$125. Mon Chalet also offers four-hour quickie “matinee rates,” from noon to four p.m., for $40 to $60, depending on the room. Get on up.

Most of the customers who frequent the Diamond Cabaret have one thing on their mind — and it isn’t shopping. The palatial skin palace boasts some of the most beautiful topless dancers in town, a quality that attracts a largely male clientele. But the club also offers a diversion for female patrons who don’t fancy a lap dance: Its clothing boutique is filled with high-end women’s lingerie, clothing and accessories, with a stylistic emphasis on fashions most suited to the boudoir…or the stage. Let the Diamond Cabaret help you get in touch with your inner showgirl.

Now you can wear your heart on your sleeve and your flag on your biceps — and have something more than a permanent blemish to show for it. Last October, in the wake of September 11, the epidermis etchers at Dark Millennia Studios instigated this offer, though word from the Millennial staff is that there wasn’t much of a response. The offer still stands, just like the good old American spirit: Declare your love for your nation in permanent ink, and 10 percent of the fee will go to the Red Cross or United Way in your name.

You can get reasonably priced cases of whippits (around $20) and sensibly priced whips ($30, more or less) at the Crypt. There’s a bigger selection of novelties next door, but the pickin’s are pretty good here, too. The rest, as they say, is up to you. Just whippit good.

Got gas? It’s not just for dental patients anymore. Quasi-legal and relatively harmless, recreational doses of nitrous oxide are widely available hereabouts in the form of “whippits.” Small aluminum cylinders of pressurized gas, whippits are sold in head shops and adult bookstores under the guise of chargers for homemade whipped-cream makers. But the price of nitrous in Denver is no laughing matter. Capitalizing on the underground nature of the product, most outlets charge an outrageous $28 to $35 for a case of 24. There are exceptions: Thankfully, the Joker has the best deal in town, at $15.99. At those prices, just say N20.

Since it opened in February, Art-N-Soul has become like a Star Wars‘ Mos Eisley Spaceport for Denver-area graffiti artists who appreciate the difference between a fully conceptualized work of street art and a hastily thrown-up “tag” that’s all autograph and no picture. Open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Mondays, Art-N-Soul is where you will find local graffiti writers showing off their sketch books and talking craft while local hip-hop maven Fly Jedi mixes beats and rings up sales behind the counter. Dominated by eye-popping wall murals by Denver writers Chase and Jehr, the shop carries a full line of graffiti-culture accoutrements. These include canvases and black books (both priced at just 50 percent over wholesale), T-shirts, underground hip-hop CDs, graffiti magazines While You Were Sleeping and Scribble, and custom-designed spray-paint caps used to adjust the width and rate of paint flow. Art-N-Soul is also one of the few retail outlets in the country to carry Belton Molotow Premium spray paint, the celebrated but hard-to-come-by German line designed by and for graffiti artists. “That’s the butter stuff, right there,” says Jehr. And the motto on the cans says it all: “Use for art, not vandalism.”

Denver’s jailhouse certainly doesn’t rock, but those bright-orange jumpsuits sure are purty. If committing a crime, getting arrested and doing time in the pokey isn’t worth it for you, though, why not just pretend? Where the Buffalo Roam, a novelty shop on the 16th Street Mall, sells orange jumpsuits, T-shirts, button-up shirts and a variety of hats with the words “Property of Denver County Jail” stenciled across them. While the city’s corrections director, Fred Oliva, didn’t have much of a sense of humor about the grim garments, that hasn’t stopped people from snatching them up (after paying, of course), says a store employee. And why not? After all, the clothes look criminally cool.