Best Farmers' Market Vendor 2013 | Red Wagon Organic Farm | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Farmers' Market Vendor

Red Wagon Organic Farm

Midsummer: At the Red Wagon Organic Farm stand at the Boulder County Farmers' Market, someone is handing out slices of sweet melon, and several varieties of cucumber — smooth and warty, long or stubby as a big toe — are carefully arrayed on counters, along with bunches of slender, multi-colored carrots. Everything gleams under a gentle misting of water. You can try, but you won't find a blemish on any of the tomatoes or a speck of grit in a bunch of chard. You might think the zucchinis have been polished by hand, one by one, and here's the thing: They have. Wyatt Barnes and Amy Tisdale have been running this farm for nine years on thirty acres leased from the county, and they are both perfectionists. They select their produce, whether heirloom or mainstream, for taste, and sell it in pristine condition at the Boulder and Longmont markets and at their own farm stand. Their dedication to an organic and sustainable lifestyle extends to paying workers a fair wage and helping and supporting other growers — which means their CSA (details of which can be found on the website) includes pork, beef, mushrooms and fruit as well as their own vegetables.

Best Fashion Swap Shop

Birds & Belles Boutique

Kyla DeTienne has a good thing going at Birds & Belles. Her concept of buying and trading better used garments is a modern take on the resale model: Bring in your still-stylish, in-season, stain-free trade-ins for cash on the table, or take store credit — at a rate of 50 percent above the straight buyout price. It keeps the clothing moving in and out, making for new surprises every time you shop. DeTienne also supports local artists by carrying some new merchandise, including hand-painted bags and upcycled assemblage jewelry, further lending a funky vibe to the neighborhood boutique.

Best Fixie Fix

CoCo Bikes

CoCo Bikes was started by a few friends in a Denver garage in 2011 and has since become the go-to shop for customized fixies. CoCo builds its own line of frames bearing the company logo, but it also rebuilds and refurbishes older bikes, providing the best of both worlds for customers, especially when it comes to practicality and price.

Best Flea Market

Horseshoe Market

The Horseshoe's become our perennial winner, and somehow, it just keeps getting better. A good part of its charm lies in its versatility: Not precisely a flea market, though quality vintage goods are in abundance, the Horseshoe combines the best of two worlds — quality handmades and curated curiosities — and mixes them up under its cheerful rows of tents. And husband-and-wife team Doug and Amy Yetman do a bang-up job filling and running the market, picking and choosing a talented cross-section of vendors to sell wares in a sunny atmosphere that includes food-truck eats and other niceties. This year's first market is on May 11; the others follow on July 13 and October 5.

Best Free Service

Colorado Cruisers

Parking during any professional sporting event in Denver can be a challenge. Whether you’re paying inflated prices at a nearby lot or looking for a free spot so far away that walking to and from the game is a workout in itself, the experience is far from relaxing. Last year, the Colorado Cruisers set out to remedy the problem with a new — and mostly free (the drivers work solely on tips) — service. The company manages a fleet of tricked-out hybrid golf carts, equipped with all-terrain tires, stereo systems and LED lights, that are available in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods with a reservation. The golf-cart taxis also work private events, like bachelor parties and weddings. And they travel at low speeds, which is good if you find yourself hanging drunkenly off the side.

Best Hair on a TV Personality — Female

Anastasiya Bolton

In a review of the largely forgotten 1985 movie The Year of the Dragon, starring Mickey Rourke, critic Elvis Mitchell coined the term "mood hair," suggesting that Rourke's 'do adapted to the demands of any particular scene like a mood ring reflecting the emotions of the person wearing it. Anastasiya Bolton's hair is something like that — a blend of multi-hued locks that look deadly serious when the topic is grim, fun and sporty when the subject matter is lighter. How does she do it? Hell if we know. But we're still impressed by the way the brainy Bolton's cut seems to have a mind of its own.

See also: Photos: Best Hair female Denver TV personalities -- the 2013 top ten

Best Hair on a TV Personality — Male

Don Champion

Far too many TV types style their hair with a studied blandness in mind, not realizing that a clichéd coiffure makes them seem considerably cheesier than if they'd allow a little individuality to take root. No such danger with Don Champion: Rather than tame his hair into the usual undifferentiated follicle helmet, he lets his strands reach for the sky, figuratively speaking. The look is cool, bold and definitely not boring.

See also: Photos: Best Hair male Denver TV personalities -- the 2013 top ten

Best Hole-in-the-Wall Gift Shop

Bella Luna

For years, Crystal Heille O'Brien has been the governing face behind the scenes at Denver's Chicano Humanities and Arts Council. And if you've ever been in CHAC's in-house tiendita, you'll have an idea of what you'll now find at O'Brien's gift shop, Bella Luna. Along with her own Frida Kahlo-centric embellished boxes and wall plaques, the boutique carries works by 25 local artists, from Michael Penny's sandblasted stone sculptures and affordable art prints from Stevon Lucero to a wide variety of original jewelry and hand-carved santos; there's also a selection of Latino-themed books, hand-crocheted baby blankets, mosaic items, soaps, charms, and journals made from repurposed book covers.

Best Homework Concierge Service

Student Appointment Services

Designed for middle-school, high-school or adult students, the Denver Public Library's one-on-one aid is the way to go when you can no longer fake it with quick Google or Wikipedia searches. Students book appointments in advance online, then meet with a librarian for up to an hour to learn about specialized databases and other resources that will help them meet their particular research needs. No, the staff won't write your paper for you, but they will give you the tools to impress the heck out of your teacher.

Best Improvisational Office Space

The Desk

The new economy has many of us working for something other than traditional brick-and-mortar enterprises, but no matter how promising your latest start-up, you can't do it all out of your house — or worse, your car. The Desk has taken the idea of a co-workspace several steps further, offering everything from desks to isolation booths to conference rooms for inexpensive hourly rates, along with wine, beer, Ink! coffee and free fax, printing and wi-fi services. For those on the go, this is the place to stop.

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