Shopping & Services

Club Workshop is like a gym for tinkerers: For a monthly fee, handymen, hackers and high-school robotics teams can use the 16,000-square-foot facility's computer lab, metal shop and auto bays to carry out their do-it-yourself projects using machinery and technology far too big and expensive for the average basement. Club Workshop also has a woodworking shop equipped with table saws and belt sanders, and a laser engraver capable of emblazoning beer mugs, jewelry and picture frames with custom designs. So craft on, crafty crafters — without the worry of where to assemble and store your stuff.

For local musician Martina Grbac, there is life after Matson Jones: Although she still works on musical projects, Grbac's newest vision is eyeLAB, a sliding-scale optical service that provides eyeglasses to artists and other uninsured people who typically can't afford a nice pair. By nature a labor of love, eyeLAB is a one-woman deal, and the sliding-scale concept is unique, but Grbac hopes to pair with charitable organizations in the future so she can dispense free eyewear to the most indigent customers. Give her a visit, whether or not you can afford the smart new frames.

Public bikes and public art ought to go hand in hand, and at this stylin' RiNo B-cycle station, one of fifty in the city, they do. Colorado sculptor Christopher Hecker's untitled urban-art assemblage, built from recycled car hoods and emblazoned with the word "Bike," is the perfect advertisement for B-cycle, especially in an arts district: Not only does it repurpose a dinosaur automobile, but it encourages B-cycle patrons to trade in their metal for pedals.

As sugar addicts and cheapskates already know, it's a scientific fact that candy canes and butterscotch pillows taste exactly the same whether they're intact or broken into pieces. The only difference? The price. In the Oops Room at the Hammond's Candies factory, thrifty five-year-olds (and grown-ass men who love caramel marshmallows and saving money) can get their candy fix for less by buying the factory's fractured goods. At Hammond's, Denver's 91-year-old candy company, even the mistakes are delicious.

The Queen Anne has everything you'd expect from a good downtown Denver B&B. Within reasonable walking distance of the 16th Street Mall and other urban attractions, its side-by-side Victorian houses open up to reveal old-style hospitality, served in lovely old rooms, some of which sport vaulted ceilings or city views. But it also runs on a streak of modernism: Proprietor Milan Doshi, a trained chef, dishes out lovely breakfasts based on locavore principles (there's a big garden in back in the summer, where guests can dine outdoors), and green and eco-friendly standards are observed throughout the inn, right down to the organic linens and low-flow toilets. To top it off, the Queen Anne also features a series of super-urban rooms decorated by an edgy stable of local artists and designers. For visitors hoping for a real city experience, it's an excellent launching pad.

Will he start? Won't he start? It doesn't matter. Denver Broncos (backup?) quarterback, underwear salesman and clean-living phenomenon Tim Tebow has sold a lot of No. 15 jerseys since the team drafted him in April 2010; in fact, his jersey has consistently been one of the NFL's top sellers. But jerseys are expensive, which gave Daniella Grieve, of Lombardi's Embroidery in Arvada, an idea: Bring her your old Brandon Marshall (remember him?) No. 15 jersey, and she'll replace the former Broncos wide receiver's name with Tebow's for $25. It's a bargain for Denver fans and a good way to make sure that Tebow groupies keep their shirts on.

Little-known fact: Thanks to Colorado's complicated and unusual taxi laws, our cab companies can charge different meter rates, something that's impossible in most U.S. locales. Here's how those different rates stack up in Denver: Metro Taxi and Yellow Cab charge an estimated $2.25 a mile, while Union Cab clocks in at $2. Freedom Cabs, however, prides itself as being the cheapest of the bunch, at $1.80 per mile. So call Freedom the next time you need a ride: Those purple cabs could save you some green.

If you haven't been to Mile High Flea Market — or the Flea at Mile High Marketplace, as it calls itself — lately, then you're missing out on some prime people-watching, headed up by guys with cut-off T-shirts and ponytails guzzling beers alongside Rascal-riding grandmas hunting for deals. But the next-best reason to go might be the piles of electronics available for purchase on the market's far west side. A vintage 1970s Kenwood receiver for $20? A pair of waist-high Technics speakers for $40? These deals are hot. Just don't forget to ask the "salesman" to plug in your pick to make sure it works.

The lines at the Truffle, especially during the holidays, can be downright maddening, to the point where you seriously want to "cut the cheese," in hopes that everyone will scatter to the sidewalk, leaving you and your scent alone in the petite confines of the shop. Of course, most of us are too polite to do that, and truth be told, it would take a lot more than a little wind for customers of this deservedly ballyhooed cheese shop to lose their place in line. That's because owners Karin and Rob Lawler sell some of the best European, American and local artisan cheeses in the country, including hard-to-procure varieties from France, Austria and Switzerland. The shop emphasizes unparalleled customer service, too, allowing customers to taste, taste and taste some more, never rushing anyone through the process. And they wrap their cheeses the right way — in waxed paper — before packaging them up in sturdy brown paper bags emblazoned with a pig.

Here's a store that celebrates the Rubenesque, the zaftig, the pleasantly plump and brick-house ladies of our fair city in a way that few others do — by offering clothes big enough yet beautiful enough to make a large gal feel good about herself. The sizes at Buxom (which says it all in a word) begin at twelve and are styled as much for women who are especially curvy as they are for women who are heavy. Be proud — and go buy yourself something nice to wear.

Behind local screen printer Adam Sikorski's take on the Colorado flag, one can grok the mountain skyline we enjoy every day in Denver, the city's sunny bike paths and greenways, the food-truck parties and the freewheeling downtown life. It's all there in one simple emblem — and that's Coloradical!

Those "Native" bumper stickers are so last-century. So how can Denver natives and Colorado-loving transplants rep their city today? With ink, baby. From 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. last March 3 (3/03), the artists at Th'ink Tank offered one-inch tattoos featuring the Mile High City's mighty area code for the discounted rate of $30 each. And while you can make your allegiance permanent on any day — Th'ink Tank came up with 33 designs to choose from — the studio plans to make the event an annual one.

The bride looked ravishing in white — even if it was really green. The average wedding produces over 400 pounds of trash — but there's no reason your big day has to have a big carbon footprint. The Green Bride specializes in conscientious wedding wear, with bridal gowns — many of them high-end or couture — bridesmaid dresses and tuxes all in stock, with many of them "pre-loved" and sold on consignment. You can even save some green by going green: Both the environment and your future mate will love you for it.

Tucked away a block from the main drag in downtown Golden, Kerry Swanson's Rewind has a little of this and little of that, from better women's clothing and jewelry to furniture and other household items. Cozy, with the merchandise displayed in a number of small themed rooms, Rewind is a fun place to wander through, and your chances of finding a flamboyant tutu-and-jean-jacket duo or a swell pair of cowgirl boots are better than average. When in Golden, do as the Goldenites do: Veer away from Washington Street and keep your eyes peeled for treasures like this one.

There are plenty of chefs who rise to the top by graduating from the school of hard knocks, forgoing culinary school to hone their skills in real-world kitchens. But culinary schools aren't just for aspiring chefs; they're also for consumers, and at Cook Street School of Culinary Arts, the curriculum caters to both, offering a full-fledged professional program for aspiring toques and hands-on recreational classes for those who want to sharpen their knife skills, learn the fundamentals of deboning a leg of lamb or plan a romantic dinner for two with more know-how than Rachael "Thirty Minute Mistakes" Ray. Cook Street also has a fleet of instructors — former Z Cuisine chef de cuisine Pete Ryan and Mark "Meathead" DeNittis, the owner of Il Mondo Vecchio, among them — who are some of the best in the industry, and with new courses on the horizon, including butchery and cheese, the school keeps up with the food movements that shape the way we eat.

Denver-based Omerica Organic is all about the O's. And at least among the growing circle of body-art-inclined folks who cultivate stretched holes in their earlobes, it's becoming the go-to place online to buy the jewelry needed to do it. Made from beautiful hand-finished hardwoods decorated with inlays, jewels or cutouts and finished with beeswax or, for vegans, jojoba oil, Omerica's ear plugs all benefit from a human touch, as do the company's newer forays: wooden belt buckles and dog tag pendants. This company, led by entrepreneurial war veteran Ryan Lorenz, cares.

Humans spend an ever-increasing amount of time poking at their phones, something that might not be good for their health in the long run — unless they have the iTriage app. Healthagen, the Lakewood developer that created the app, claims that iTriage helps answer these two pressing questions: "What's wrong with me?" and "What do I need to do, or where do I need to go for treatment?" The app lets users look up symptoms and causes, as well as locate appropriate medical care. It can also fill out forms before you arrive at the hospital and locate emergency rooms with the shortest wait time. It's not 911, but it might be smarter.

Forget all the pious exhortations to eat local, organic, seasonal. They're all real enough, but they're not the reason we eagerly anticipate the opening of the Boulder County Farmers' Market in early April and visit faithfully, week after week, as the offerings change from tender lettuce and spinach to the corn, eggplants and tomatoes of full summer, and then the September apples, pears and hard-shelled squashes that push us into an orgy of freezing, canning and storage. Produce isn't the whole story: The market also offers beef, chicken, duck, cheeses, eggs, honey and a variety of prepared foods, from tortillas to chocolates, all of it — and this is a strict and crucial rule — locally sourced. We go for all of that, to be sure, but we go primarily because the market represents an important coming together of the community, where farmers offer growing tips, buyers commiserate with farmers about the weather and exchange recipes with each other, friends connect, and everyone remembers just how vibrant and important a role food plays in our lives.

Brandi Shigley of Fashion Denver is all about shining a spotlight on her favorite local designers in her Golden Triangle retail store and encouraging them to follow her own credo as a style entrepreneur: "Do what you love and love what you do." One way she gives her stable a push is by hosting quarterly seasonal markets with a fashion show — most recently at the elegant Grant-Humphreys Mansion — where designers, jewelry makers, milliners and the like can sell wares directly to the public in a festive setting. Expect the unexpected: Shigley's next market is May 15.

Although Von's Violin Shop sells violins, it's made particularly beautiful music as a repair shop. Musicians from around the country swear by Von's, bringing their fiddles of all sizes in for diagnoses and repairs — all at reasonable prices. Have an instrument that needs help? Von's won't string you along.

Margo Cheroute and Rose Whitlock are lovers of all things vintage and the art of shopping for the good stuff; lucky for us, they've done the work, and all we have to do is buy it from them. The trick is in finding them: We did last summer, during First Friday on Santa Fe Drive, when their Airstream trailers dropped out of the sky like little UFOs from another era into a lot at Eighth Avenue and Inca Street to sell their wares as Cha Cha Muchacha. Cheroute explained then that Cha Cha Muchacha is meant to be a flash venue, which is apparently even more ephemeral than a pop-up shop, so there's no telling if we'll see them there again, but a girl can hope. If you love Bakelite and circle skirts and other anachronistic goodies, keep your eyes peeled.

Promoter Amy Yetman, who test-ran the concept of the Horseshoe Market — a classic flea market crossed with a quality craft fair — on a sunny day last October, couldn't have hoped for better results. Called "horseshoe" because of the object's lucky connotations, the market offered nearly 100 booths of sheer serendipity: s, handmades, jewelry, clothing, plush toys and just about anything else one could imagine. It rocked the Berkeley 'hood like nobody's business. With that under her belt, Yetman's opted to bring it back for three Saturdays in 2011, beginning with a spring market on May 7. Be there or be square.

At the beginning of the year, the Federal Reserve Bank opened a 7,000-square-foot museum showcasing — you guessed it — money. The museum is free and open to the public on weekdays, and visitors can learn how to spot counterfeit money or take a peek at $30 million in cash stored in a box. But you don't have to settle for just looking at the green stuff; you can leave with a bag of straight cash, homie. Granted, it's $165 in shredded bills, but that doesn't mean you can't hit the local strip club and make it rain.

Whether you're a regular at the Crypt or just dropping in to buy a gift for that special horndog in your life, you can indulge your passion for porn while shopping, thanks to the good-sized screen flashing videos behind the checkout counter. While a sign in the store's back room, which is lined with rentals, asks that patrons keep their perusing to a chaste twenty minutes, there's no such limit up front.

The City of Denver only has 26 street sweepers — which is amazing considering the fact that parking-enforcement officers dole out twenty bazillion tickets every year to the scofflaws who forget to move their cars on street-sweeping days. Wanna beat the odds? Sign up for the city's free Street Sweeping E-minders, which will alert you via e-mail (April through November) the day before your street is swept. It's dirt cheap.

A lot of local mom Jennifer Carabetta's inspiration for her unique, handmade clothing comes from daughter Izzie: Girls need tutus, lounge pants and reversible skirts (for a messy spaghetti night); moms need reasonably priced durability; and nobody wants boring clothes. These are made-in-USA items, sewn in limited quantities from hard-to-find fabrics that are whimsical and practical at the same time. Available online or at several local retailers.

It's time to stop living in a throwaway world: That's the whole premise of Gone for Good, a local business determined to keep your usable junk from ending up in a landfill. This is how it works: Gone for Good picks up your unwanted stuff, and then one or all of three things will happen to it: They'll sell it online and give you 30 percent of any proceeds, or, if it hasn't sold after thirty days, they'll give it to charity or break it down for recycling. Win, win. You lose your junk, somebody else gets it. The ecologically correct, sustainable junkman is here.

In his seminal book, The Complete Joy of Home Brewing, Charlie Papazian, the godfather of modern home brewing, tells his followers that the key to making their own beer is to "relax. Don't worry. Have a home brew." But he doesn't mention what you should do when you're shopping for home-brewing supplies, a task that can be equally daunting. Not surprisingly, the answer is the same: At the Brew Hut, which is attached to, and owned by, the founders of Aurora's Dry Dock Brewing Company, you can order a pint in the brewery's tasting room, carry it a few feet to the store and then sip while you shop. And even though you might not be able to make a beer as good as Dry Dock's, at least you'll be inspired to try.

The best hats aren't just smart, they're brilliant — and what could be more brilliant than a classic hat handcrafted by a company that's been in business for more than 100 years? At Goorin Brothers Denver, you can not only get a fedora to die for, but one that's been cleanly updated for the 21st century club-hopping guy or gal. Other updates at the tony hat shop include beanies, baseball caps, porkpies and duckbills. Throw your Goorin into the ring!

It might seem like a long way to go just to shop for used clothes, but there's something special about Nancy Cooley's neatly kept basement gem, Found Underground, in downtown Louisville. The clothes, attractively arranged by color, are in great shape and sport reputable brand names you can trust. And the delightful Cooley seems to love what she does; she'll tell you what she thinks and guide you toward your own best look. Warning: This is not a thrift store; it is high end. That said, the prices might be higher than those at your local Goodwill, but considering the merchandise, they're more than fair. It's kind of like shopping the whole mall in one sweet little store.

Cooking can be a chore. It requires all that chopping and stirring and boiling and waiting. But there are several ways to make it better — namely, drinking a bottle of wine and wearing a super-cute apron while doing it. MargoBelle, a local company that also makes skirts, belts and handbags, hand-sews some of the cutest aprons around. By matching bold floral prints with polka dots and gingham, they make even the tipsiest chef look the part.

My, how Fancy Tiger's annual holiday market has grown! What started out a few years ago as a seasonal craft sale in the confines of the DIY supply shop's own digs (before moving on each year to bigger and bigger venues) truly spread out and sparkled last December in its spectacular new home: the Sherman Street Event Center, with its wooden-floored ballroom and ornate balconies. The quality of the work has also stepped up incrementally over the years, to the point where it represents a balanced, unique and very talented mix of vendors, selling rag dolls and jewelry and bike bags and cards and more. We could have spent the whole day wandering through.

You can rent a tuxedo — why not a dress? Dollhouse Cilhouette goes one step further and even offers date-night makeovers with their new and used party duds, available to buy or to rent. Geared toward bridesmaids and other women finding themselves in the situation of needing a glitzy dress that they might never wear again, this Berkeley District shop takes the nail-biting over an unnecessary expense out of the shopping process. And the looks? Think Bebe, Guess, Nicole Miller, BCBG Max Azria and the like: short, sizzling and sexy. Dollhouse Cilhouette will also host makeover parties for prom night or a wedding entourage, by appointment. Go ahead, play a little.

Denver's most notorious swingers' club is roomy and loud and full of sweaty sexual "explorers," as its website says, dancing, drinking (their own liquor), lounging on couches and, well, doing it — either in semi-private cubbies outfitted with curtains and beds, in the hot tub or in the exhibitionist shower. But don't worry: The friendly Scarlet Ranch staff changes the sheets and replenishes the condom supply on a frequent basis.

Indoor or outdoor, your typical mall is practically interchangeable with the rest: the same stores and the same layouts in slightly differing combinations, ho hum. But the redeveloped town-center-style SouthGlenn is bucking the trend by welcoming independent boutiques and shops to its fold, many of them successful transplants from regional neighborhood shopping districts like Highlands Square and downtown Littleton, as well as lesser-known specialty chains. If names like Kismet, Sous le Lit, the Blues Jean Bar and Rejuvanest sound familiar, that's because you've known and loved them elsewhere. Even in the suburbs, it's cool to be unique.

As the medical marijuana industry matures in Colorado, dispensary names are moving away from the ubiquitous titles with some combination of "green," "herb," "chronic," "wellness," "health," "high" and "care" and toward more creative monikers to describe the place you go to get your pot. BurnzWell stands out among them. For starters, they're no pansies when it comes to describing what they do: You will purchase their medical products and you will burn them. End of story. Be sure check out the company's logo: a red snake wrapped around a smoking joint, a play on the medical industry's caduceus.

College students or people who partied with Charlie Sheen and the goddesses for an evening now have a way to bypass one of the worst parts of partying: the morning after. Hangover Helpers, a business started by two University of Colorado graduates, can't un-drink all that booze or erase the three-way proposal you texted to your girlfriend's roommate, but it will clean your house and bring food and drink. As students, Alex Vere-Nicoll and Marc Simons realized that they liked partying but hated cleaning up afterward. Assuming other undergrads had the same sensibilities, they started charging $15 per roommate to clean houses after parties. They also bring Gatorade and a panini press to prepare freshly grilled breakfast burritos for their customers. Sure beats a handful of Advil.

City Plantscaping specializes in decorating the insides of homes and businesses with plants — even the edible kind. The company will install moveable walls called TerraScreens, made of wire brackets and filled to the top with potted herbs and vegetables. Part decoration and part garden, you can find green walls at a variety of businesses like Total Longterm Care, which uses one to grow tropical plants on one side for visual appeal and parsley, rosemary, thyme, cherry tomatoes, lettuce and bell peppers on the other side for gastronomical satiation. In fact, employees at Total Longterm Care pick herbs and veggies off the wall to complement their lunches. And that, we're sure, is better than something from the vending machine.

You're not supposed to think about shopping when you visit an art museum — and at most of the museums in the metro area, that's easy. But the Denver Art Museum put as much care into its new shop as it did its exhibit galleries, installing a veritable department store of books, cards, jewelry, glass and pottery on the first floor of the Hamilton Building. Not only are the selections in every category superb, but the shop emphatically cured the doldrums of the formerly dead space that had been a badly conceived lobby.

All of the best shopping districts reflect the neighborhoods they serve, and on that merit alone, Tennyson Street really shines: It's neighborly, funky, friendly, semi-gentrified and built on a solid foundation of community values; each shop, gallery and restaurant seems to smile and wave "hey" when you walk in the door. A leisurely stroll down the stretch of Tennyson between 38th and 44th avenues will lead you from handmade glass demonstrations at Shackman Glass to a scratch-made pay-what-you-can meal at the Comfort Cafe, books to the ceiling at the Bookery Nook, a cuppa joe at Tenn Street Coffee, bacon-doughnuts and beer at the Hole and mid-century kitsch at Mid, Mod and More. Welcome to the neighborhood.

Here's a little secret the tech geeks don't want you to know: Qwest and Comcast aren't the only Internet service providers in town. And one very able competitor is Forethought.net, a Denver company that's been providing stellar local phone and high-speed Internet service for years — at a price that's cheaper than that of its corporate competitors, all their flashy limited-time offers be damned. Even better, if you have any difficulties, you can call Forethought's downtown location and speak to a tech expert who will more often than not recognize you by name. In this day and age, that's a technological marvel.

Finally, parking makes sense again. No need to rummage around for errant nickels, dimes and quarters to feed that annoying meter; no need to wander off to some centralized parking kiosk that, after eons, spits out a ticket to put on your dash. Now most meters downtown, in Cherry Creek North and elsewhere take credit cards (as well as old-fashioned coins, if you're the sentimental type). We know, it's not as great as free downtown parking, but beggars can't be choosers.

What's four feet tall, bears a strong resemblance to Chris "Birdman" Andersen and is always smiling — even when his innards are being ripped out and his body cavity filled with Fun Size Snickers? Birdman the piñata! And Piñateria Yasmin makes one hell of a Birdman — not to mention striking renditions of other Denver Nuggets, as well as Dora the Explorer, Buzz Lightyear, and even, if you ask nicely enough and bring a photo, your mother-in-law...whose innards you'd probably love to rip out and replace with Snickers.

Pictures of Minister Louis Farrakhan adorn the walls, and a chorus of warm chatter greets each person who enters Supreme Styles Barber Shop. There are chess tables in the foyer area, where children are usually crowded around, and couches for those who are waiting. And in addition to books, oils and incense, the shop also sells bean pies — a specialty long associated with the Nation of Islam. The shop was founded by Herman Muhammad in 1996 as a means of developing a different barbering experience, one infused with culture and community. The barbers that maintain the space offer as much rhythm and flavor as the music that's often playing throughout the shop. Whether you're looking for a haircut, a book or a strong dose of community, Supreme Styles is a cut above the rest.

Step over the threshold from Park Avenue into Akente Express, and it's likely you'll be greeted by the warm and calming presence of Ron Springer, the longtime owner of what he calls the most "complete African experience" in Denver. Springer runs Akente with the fervor and understanding of someone who has clearly found the treasure in the magic of ancient traditions. There are African masks whose refined, hand-sculpted faces speak of long-ago times amid throngs of other materials. Hair and skin-care products, especially those for African-Americans, adorn the shelves in such variety that you'd be hard-pressed not to leave with an armload of things, while incense, rare jewelry, bangles and other artwork are tucked into the store's many corners. It's a business from another time and place.

Sentiment only goes so far...in this case, as far as William Crow, a jeweler that's been in business downtown since 1924. Other jewelers in town told us they couldn't repair an old coral necklace with a broken clasp without restringing the whole thing for several hundred dollars. William Crow's repair department, though, told us they could simply repair the clasp and add a chain guard — for less than fifty bucks. The shop has tackled other repair jobs just as helpfully...and reasonably.

The Wilson family has run a service station in Bonnie Brae since 1946 — and they've learned a thing or two during that time. Customer service, for example. After struggling to replace a flat with the spare, our operative dropped the errant tire off at Bonnie Brae Conoco, returning a few hours later to pick up a tire that had not only been repaired, but had the mag chloride sanded off the rim. And when the crew replaced the tire, they checked all the other ties for proper inflation, adding air where needed — and then fixed the balky trunk lock as they replaced the spare. Final price? Twelve bucks. That's the kind of service that makes the world go 'round.

Granted, Japanese pop fashion is an acquired taste and hard to pull off if you're not too young and bug-eyed cute beyond belief. But it's okay, too, to love it from afar, just as a phenomenon, which it is, if the phenomena in question happen to eat nothing but cupcakes and come bedecked in plastic hair ornaments, Hello Kitty paraphernalia, Victorian ruffles, hamster pajamas and samurai swords. It was all there when the Tokyo Extreme Fashion Show unfolded on a runway down the middle of Mod Livin' this winter, and if you were curious enough to have been there that night, you'll never be the same. Now, pass the cupcakes, please.

We can all thank Samuel Schimek, Brian Corrigan, the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs and, during the last year, Wendy Manning and the Denver Pavilions, for creating a shop that spoke "Denverish" in whole palettes of objects and media. The latest version of YesPleaseMore, which recently closed after an extended run at the Pavilions, changed the way we looked at downtown tourist gift shops by selling design-minded, hand-screened "Coloradical" T-shirts, laser-etched wooden dog tags by local manufacturer Omerica, repurposed clothing by Denver designers, wry Horndribbles plush toys, DVLP jeans and all manner of affordable art by Colorado artists. Falling on a rung somewhere between the Colorado Collection and the Denver Art Museum gift shop, YesPleaseMore invited shoppers to look into the city's soul, not something one usually does in a gift shop. Until it pops up again, YesPleaseMore is one beautiful memory.

OMG! During its short run earlier this year at Mod Livin', the Gimme Gimme Pillow Toast pop-up was so full to the rafters with things that were, well, so cute and ruffly and adorned with little SAD kittens and bunny ears, it was enough to make anyone who walked up the stairs into the shop-within-a-shop feel like they'd suddenly swallowed a hundred very sugary cupcakes in rapid succession. But the Japan pop emporium run by Andrew Novick and Janene Hurst had plenty of other stuff, too: non-sequitur tees and platform Mary Janes and other accoutrements of Japanese street fashion in all its many strict personae. Finally, they topped off the shop's run with an awe-inspiring fashion show that doubled as a primer of those myriad styles, and then it was over. Where will they pop up next?

The Polish Pottery Outlet offers an incredible array of colorful ceramics, all imported from Poland. The store has everything you could possibly want to outfit a kitchen counter, dress up a dinner table or even feed your dog; the pieces are all oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe. This is functional art at very fun prices: legalized pot we can all get behind!

Credit cards are useful for lots of things: paying for groceries; proving your identity; breaking and entering. But what do you do with the expired ones (besides using them for breaking and entering)? For the past few years, designer Kelly Campbell has been cutting up old credit cards and turning them into colorful jewelry: chunky bracelets, funky necklaces and dangly earrings made from circles punched out of an old MasterCard or long plastic strips sheared from a spent Starbucks gift card. The result is whimsical and stylish, not to mention earth-friendly. Go ahead, charge one.

The cat is more or less out of the bag that popular Swedish retailer H&M is sniffing around Denver for a good fit. Specializing in fresh and extremely affordable casual separates with a youngish skew, it's the secret dream store to which many fashion-forward Denverites crave local access. So, hey, H&M — we know of a big empty space in the state's hippest mall. Do you? We'd put our money on this match; they can't get in here quickly enough.

It's a common complaint among women shopping the thrift, vintage and resale stores around town: There's never much selection — if any at all — for full-figured women or those blessed with a little meat on their bones. Athena's Closet is the antidote, as it's the other way around there: Anorexic girls can just forget about saving a buck on secondhand styles here, but for big mamas, it's a dream come true.

There's probably not a huge market for gold reptile-print stilettos with faux fur that come in a men's size 14 — but if that's the sort of thing you're into, then you're not going to do any better than Studio Lites. Aside from having the market pretty much cornered on men who need really large heels for whatever reason, the store is like a modern cross-dresser's glamorous fantasy, full of sexy duds, faux jewelry, wigs (for both stagecraft and medical purposes) and makeovers — most notably, the male-to-female kind. Factor in the friendly, accommodating staff, the charmingly low-slung retro location and the surprisingly reasonable prices, and you've got a place where your average Joe can become a truly fabulous Jane.

What's a skateboard good for? Well, you can do tricks on one, and it's a known source of self-transport. You can even break your neck using one, if you so desire. Derek Keenan, a design major and Peace Corps veteran, was inspired by the resourcefulness of the Gambian people he worked with when it came to recycling. When he returned to the States, he came up with an unusual vision for what he could do with an old board: He made it into jewelry. The resulting distressed surfaces and geometric shapes of his earrings, pendants and belt buckles, carved from used skate decks, playfully and stylishly channel the street-savvy DIY-boarder milieu. Keenan even incorporates the Colorado flag into a number of his pieces. Any dude would be proud to wear MuKee.

Deep in the heart of the sprouting Boulder County burb of Louisville lies a breath of the old coal mining town it once was. In downtown Louisville, you're apt to be swept away, far from the creeping developments, into the town's former Italian-flavored self. Should you pull off the turnpike and mosey on into the old-fashioned business district, you'll find a few nice boutiques, some hands-on studio galleries, a great guitar store and lots of variety in eateries, from the Sweet Cow ice-creamery to the storied Blue Parrot spaghetti joint. An afternoon in Louisville is not only an easy getaway; it's also a great way to slow down and enjoy life.

There's nothing worse than showing up at your neighborhood B-cycle station, picnic basket in one hand, book of love poems in the other, and discovering that the romantic afternoon you had planned with the girl of your dreams is foiled because all of the bikes are rented and now you'll never get to second base. Luckily, B-cycle's app is designed to prevent just such a disaster. Using your phone's GPS, it tells you which B-cycle stations are closest and how many bikes are available. Score!

The view through the big windows of the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center would be worth the price of admission — but then, admission to both the park and this revamped facility, with its handy bathrooms, comfortable coffee and snack shop, and interesting geological/history exhibits, is already free. Still, we guarantee that you'll exit the place with a lighter wallet, because it contains not one, but two big gift shops, both of which emphasize Colorado-centric items. The first-floor shop is packed with an impressive array of books, jewelry, mugs, knickknacks and keepsakes, T-shirts and sweatshirts, all several steps above what you might find at a Denver International Airport souvenir shop, to pull a sorry example out of the air, and most actually made in Colorado. Even better is the downstairs children's shop, packed with fun, colorful items guaranteed to turn any kid into a junior geologist or anthropologist. If you're into Colorado kitsch, this place is fit for the gods.

Sure, most of the shoppers in Meininger's look very arty and serious. They've dropped by the giant art-supply store to pick up their framing material, or a few new brushes, or to find the tools that could help them work through that tricky drafting problem. But this is also a great stop for frivolous, last-second gifts -- which are conveniently set up right by the cash registers up front. Need an eraser shaped like a hamburger, a pirate shower curtain, a Hello Kitty purse, or just the coolest notebook ever? Meininger's has what you crave -- even if you didn't know you craved it until you spotted it in the impulse-buy bins.

Tucked into the corner of a shopping plaza a mile from Shotgun Willie's and the Penthouse Club, Ariana Exotic Wear sells all the stripping essentials: flashy bikinis, tight elastic-y dresses bedazzled with rhinestones, and clear heels so high they'd make Cinderella twist an ankle and bust her G-string-clad ass. Plus, the shop's floor-to-ceiling glass storefront makes for some fun strip-mall scenery (pun intended).

The only LEGO Store in Colorado, the outlet inside Colorado Mills is a brick-lover's dream. Not only does it stock an amazing array of LEGO sets, boxes, games and toys, but you (make that your kids, right?) can build your own custom mini-figs at the mini-fig buffet and fill up buckets of individual bricks in the pick-a-brick area. The store, which is chock-full of play areas and colorful displays, also hosts birthday parties and monthly Mini Model builds -- in which participants get to take home free models -- as well as other events. Santa has elves, but the LEGO Store has the magic.

We loved Rejuvanest, now a transplant to Southglenn from the Highlands Square neighborhood, giving it a Best of Denver nod in 2009. All we praised about it then -- the selection of women's pajamas both cozy and steamy, the too-cute sleepwear and robes for tots, and the bath and boudoir linens and incidentals -- still rings true. But we also have to hand it to owner Brenda Meyers for taking a chance on the suburbs and helping to bring a city feel to Southglenn's new mall. Bedtime never looked -- or smelled -- better.

Fancy Tiger, which comprises the pair of boutiques (one sells clothing, the other sells DIY crafts supplies) that helped revitalize the hip strip of Broadway where they're located, is now even fancier. In January, the clothing store, which peddles pants, shirts, jackets and accessories for both girls and guys, moved to a bigger spot next door to its old location. The result is an airier, more spacious place to find that cowboy shirt that fits like you were born to wear it or the handcrafted necklace that's unique yet goes with everything.

Over the years, record stores have come and gone — these days, mostly gone. But Twist & Shout just keeps on rocking. It had already been going for two decades as Underground Records when Paul and Jill Epstein, both high-school English teachers, bought it at a tax auction in 1988, on the very first day of spring break. They didn't have much time for teaching after that. They moved the store to one spot on Alameda, then another, and in 2007 made the big leap — a big leap of faith, given how the music industry was imploding — to the Lowenstein project on Colfax Avenue. And somehow, they managed to make a thriving business out of a dying business model. Paul was way out ahead of the vinyl revival, stocking records, turntables and cartridges; Twist & Shout also has big DVD and Blu-ray departments and an incredible selection of music. But Twist & Shout is much, much more than a record store. It's a mainstay of the music scene, bringing in big national acts for in-store appearances, championing local groups and serving as a community gathering place. (The cool toys and clothing also make it a great gift shop.) With the Tattered Cover and the Denver FilmCenter just a few feet away, Twist & Shout has fueled a cultural revolution on Colfax. Long may it rave.

Technically, yes, EZE-Mop, a short block of shops, and its companion coffee and teahouse, Grindhaus, located in an adjacent house, make up their own cozy little urban strip mall in the city. With an emphasis, that is, on urban. The work of inner-city booster couple Stephanie Shearer and Chris Bacorn, the row includes Peppermint boutique, which focuses on one-of-a-kind women's clothing, accessories and jewelry by local artists and designers, the hip men's boutique Soul Haus and the spectacular flower shop Babylon, forming a shoppers' oasis where your visit might happily end with a board game over a cuppa.

Trim, handsome and in her sixties, ravishing redhead Judith Boyd starts the day by picking a hat to wear, and from there she builds an outfit; it's her style credo, in a way, and to prove it, she keeps a room just for hats in her home. It's one thing that keeps her going, and by osmosis, it keeps us, her readers, going, too. And while Boyd's Style Crone musings aren't always just about style, they do offer a unique and serendipitous take on life. After reading them, don't be surprised if you find yourself setting aside a room in your house for hats, too.

Thinking of their beautiful home state while brainstorming their infectious designs, Danny Bristow and Dan Werling created a T-shirt that screams green. If rocking apparel made of organic cotton or recycled polyester doesn't do it for you, consider this: FLUIDIAM also donates 5 percent of its yearly profit to the Lynx Restoration Project, which works to re-establish the lynx population in Colorado. These shirts were designed to do more than just clothe the masses in edgy styles, so put one on and wear it proudly.

Rule: Pretty much everything is better if you add a monkey to the equation. And a fist is pretty much the most badass part of the monkey, so that only helps. Owner Ortavio Griego thought of the name when a friend told him his hand looks like a monkey's fist when he's tattooing. Monkey Fist is also a type of knot and a kung fu style that uses monkey-like movements, which conjures images of monkeys tying knots and doing kung fu. What's not to like?

Cajun's, named for a one-eyed orange tabby who originally roamed the place, has long been dealing used clothing and other merchandise in support of the Cat Care Society. But its incarnation of the last few years, since doubling the store's space in 2005, really shows what good management can do for a place: The current regime not only shows off an excellent eye for quality, but it's also done much to build up the shop's stature, with delightful seasonal displays, great deals and a veritable used book store set up for perusal in the back room. Discounts are offered for donations of canned cat food, and it doesn't hurt that the funds raised there go to help Cat Care Society denizens at the adjacent no-kill, cage-free shelter.

Tomboy Tools are pink, practical and, in the case of their signature magnetic hammer, designed so you don't smash your finger while building shelves or hanging photos or kicking ass and taking names. Started by two local women who hatched the idea over beers, Denver-based Tomboy Tools aims to empower ladies to do it themselves with their line of pink power tools, pink jumper cables, pink paintbrushes and pink garden shears. Don't know how to repair drywall? No sweat! Tomboy Tools will teach you fix-it basics at one of their Tool Parties, which are just like Tupperware parties, only way less lame.

Bus fares keep rising, but the Regional Transportation District offers various discounted annual passes through employers, neighborhood organizations, colleges — even a community-wide bus pass for residents of Lyons. An internal debate has brewed at RTD for years over whether these Eco Passes make economic sense for the agency, but they're definitely a bargain compared to individual annual passes — and good news for the region as more commuters tired of battling traffic and high gas prices climb aboard.

Lesley Temple makes tutus for little girls. But she makes them for big girls, too, and not necessarily for ballet dancers. Nope, Temple is totally egalitarian about her tutus: As far as she's concerned, anyone should feel free to walk through life in cloud of tulle, in any color of the rainbow. That said, you're as likely to find her fluffy skirts at Kazoo & Company as you are at Cali & Mo. Hey, baby — and we mean that in every sense of the word — get dressed!

Purikura, the ultra-cute Japanese take on the old-fashioned photo booth, was tailor-made for thirteen-year-old American kids, especially girls, and it's hard to understand why it hasn't swept the nation yet, in this age of the photo-booth renaissance. But in Denver, you can have your purikura at Q Club, a little bit of Tokyo located in a Colorado Boulevard strip mall. Just step inside the extra-large booths, which can accommodate a fairly large group of brace-faced giggling girls, and take your shots. But the fun really begins afterward: The photographed gaggle moves to a screen where they can embellish pictures with glittery backgrounds, clip art, drawings and other delightful nonsense. That done, the machine spits out pages of the sticker-backed photos, which come in sizes from ultra-teensy to wallet-fitting. Scissors and other cutters are provided, and the cutouts can be affixed to cell phones, in photo albums, on foreheads or wherever else a silly photo might be desired; if needed, copies are available for an additional price. Finish the experience with a round of candy-colored boba drinks and some foosball at Lollicup, which is just a few doors away.

Jil Cappuccio and her friend and colleague Kirsten Coplans, of Pearl Clothing, go together like a rather stylish Mutt and Jeff, creating two unique lines of clothing using vintage fabrics that are both very different and incredibly compatible. That the duo is showing up regularly now at gift and fashion markets around town is proof that some unions are just meant to be: Pearl's recut and embellished sweaters do look sweet over a swingy flowered Cappuccio shift, especially when tied all together by a solid pair of vintage Frye boots, which the pair also collects and sells. Visit the websites for news about where they'll turn up next.

Hotel Monaco is known for its pet-friendliness; the upscale spot offers all manner of four-legged comforts, including a doggy boutique, dog room service and in-room bowls and pet beds, among other things. But the hotel can also provide pets — of the fishy kind — for anyone who didn't bring a pet but would like a little company. The staff keeps a hundred-gallon tank full of goldfish in the basement, and they'll bring you a complimentary one upon request. Afraid it might end up in the toilet bowl? No worries: Hotel employees are trained to feed and care for your fish. Just keep your own paws off your new pet. "Some of them are in danger of being talked to death," a hotel spokeswoman says, "but no one has eaten one, to my knowledge."

Nicole Schaap loves vintage, but for her, it's got to be the real thing, not a knockoff. Schaap, who admits to having gotten teary-eyed once when she practically stole a Dior hat for five bucks at a yard sale, did time at Nordstrom and Neiman's, but is now turning a hobby into a business at her Englewood storefront, Crème de la Couture. The resale shop with a lot of personality exudes Schaap's true love for couture and antique garments, but there's more to Crème de la Couture than her favorite designers: You'll also find more affordable vintage and near-new high-style duds. "Let's all stop wearing jeans to the opera" is Schaap's credo. Crème de la Couture is the place to start heeding it.

When Wrangler opened its first-ever retail store here this past fall, executives gave several reasons why they picked Denver: the beautiful weather, the city's adventurous spirit, and because once a year, Denver turns into Cowboy Central for the National Western Stock Show. And if that's not reason enough to scoot your boots to Lone Tree, maybe seeing rodeo clowns and suburban moms shopping side by side is.

Why does it seem like finding a great wine shop is harder than getting a BOGO deal on a case of Silver Oak? It might be because wine lovers are a bit of an unsufferable bunch when it comes to procuring wine. We want a worldly glut of wines, wallet-friendly prices and helpful, educated salespeople who care about making sure we take home bottles we actually like. We want a fat selection of easy-drinking Tuesday-night wine candidates, right alongside bottles worthy of wedding gifts or years of cellaring. Well, that rare instance of wine-shop nirvana exists at Mondo Vino. Offerings from every corner of the globe are organized cleanly and explained with passion by a team of total wine geeks (and we mean that in a good way) who seem psychically aware of whether you truly need assistance or just want to be left to browse in peace. Free weekend tastings offer a chance to sample the edgier bottles in the store. Oh, that last critical ingredient we need? Love, plain and simple — and this shop's mondo love of vino is more than obvious.