Best Place to Buy Cheap Tools 2003 | Charlie's Second Hand | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Place to Buy Cheap Tools

Charlie's Second Hand

With two rooms packed to the gills with new and used power compressors, ladders, safety harnesses, masonry tools, brad nailers, hand tools and dry-wall benches, you're sure to find just what you're looking for at Charlie's Second Hand -- and it'll be at least 50 percent less than retail. The place has been in business for fifty years and is a long-held contractors' secret; they know when they really, really, really need a basin wrench, they can get it there for three bucks instead of $25. Almost makes you want to go install your own sink, doesn't it?

Best Restaurant-Supply Store Open to the Public

Platte Restaurant Equipment Co.

Farewell Williams-Sonoma; hello stainless-steel heaven. There's just something intriguing about a ladle the size of a basketball, a whisk as tall as your oldest child, or a wall of giant frying machines. But there's plenty you can use at home. How about a set of those ketchup and mustard squeeze bottles, or a diner-style napkin holder? And at pro rates, order up!

Best Selection of Quirky Fridge Magnets

All American Vogue

Everyone knows this person -- the one who covers every square inch of her fridge with cheesy magnets: Disneyland souvenirs, maps of the United States, "I'm not fat, I'm fluffy!" Screw that. True hipsters want magnets that titillate, mock or just make a point. Why not adorn the icebox with beefy, leotard-clad men whose identities are obscured by Mexican wrestling masks, '50s kitsch pastiche and, everyone's favorite, magnets that make fun of Dubya? Anyone can make a statement with cute vintage clothes, but it takes a special talent to let your fridge do the talking. Fortunately, All American Vogue can help on both fronts.

Best China-Painting Supplies

Kathy Peterson's The Good Stuff

If you've got CPS (china-painting syndrome), you know the quality of your finished product depends entirely on the quality of the materials you use. That's why Kathy Peterson, a recognized china- and glass-painting expert, offers only "the good stuff" -- porcelain blanks from Limoges and Arzberg, natural-hair brushes, paints in every color for any surface, gold paste, banding wheels, books. And you don't have to dig to China to get ideas. Her Web site features an online store, tips from Kathy herself, a list of upcoming seminars and useful links to the wide, wonderful world of this dazzling art form. Break in.

Best Craft Store for the Lighthearted

Blu Zebra

Pat and Jeff Garcia's recently relocated downtown emporium is like sunshine on a cloudy day. When you step inside Blu Zebra, you're guaranteed a smile. The crafty couple's outdone themselves with whimsical and outrageous handmades that can't be found every craft store in town. From Priscilla Draper's hilarious papier-mâché fat-lady scales to Janice Katz's Critters From the Hood -- fantastical creatures die-cut from rusting car hoods -- this is the stuff of a happy life.

Best Place to Start a Ceramic Zoo

Curiosidades de Mexico

Lions and tigers and bears! Giant fish, monkeys and hares! A stable full of crafted clay and ceramic animals greets curious shoppers at Curiosidades de Mexico, a northwest Denver coffer of crafts, housewares, religious objects, rugs, furniture and art from south of the border. Fancy a trout planter or a donkey chimenea? Head upstairs, where the merchandise ranges from the small -- say, some sculpted grapes from Guadalajara -- to the very large -- as in a Mexico City-style casita bar, complete with stools and built-in tequila racks. Bright, friendly and reasonably priced, Curiosidades is a wonder.

Best Fix for the Addicted Knitter

A Knitted Peace

Yarnies of all skill levels would do well to make the drive to Peggy Anderson's heaven on earth for textile artists. A Knitted Peace offers a wide selection of imports -- from soft Irish merinos to scratchy Japanese wools -- as well as cute novelty bits and fluffy cashmere skeins you'll want to fondle until you notice the staff giving you the stinkeye. Aching to kip (knit in public), but not ready to fully out yourself? Take advantage of the comfy chairs or cozy worktables to bang out that sweater in sympathetic company. The KP ladies will gladly help you select a pattern and the right yarn for the job, and you can even hire them to finish those trickier projects in time for Christmas.

Best Place to Buy a Sewing Machine

AAA Creative Sewing Centers

AAA offers the best in Pfaff, Viking, Husqvarna and Brother machines at excellent prices. But what could be more frustrating than investing in a sophisticated contraption and discovering later that you have no idea how to work it? Thankfully, AAA sends you out the door armed with an arsenal of sewing-machine knowledge. And when that wears off, you're invited back to the store for free classes. You'll never sew alone.

Best Fabric Store

Denver Fabric Annex

Textile addicts, gather up your spare change and prepare to enter paradise. While Denver Fabric is known for its vast selection of high-end decorator and dressmaker fabrics, the Annex next door is loved for selling the same thing -- cheap. Bolts of discontinued treasures stretch to the ceiling, many at pennies per yard. Naturally, a Filene's Basement-like atmosphere pervades, but it's worth the fight.

Best Quilting Store

Quilting Up a Storm

Quilters are made, not born, and it usually happens when they encounter a place like Quilting Up a Storm, where the air is thick with color and inspiration. Crammed with books, classes and bolts of bright, contemporary fabrics, including a brilliant selection of batiks, the store focuses less on country kitsch and more on absolutely stunning modern quilts.

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