Once upon a time, there was Nest — a children's clothing store that opened in 2010 along the busy Sixth Avenue retail strip near Cherry Creek — and it was good. Owner Caroline Evascu not only has a flair for picking out ultra-cute, sturdy kids' wear, but she plies her trade with a helping of community spirit, accepting in-store donations of gently used baby clothing for WeeCycle and offering weekly giveaways from the store's popular and exclusive Tea Collection. Last year, Evascu took her empire up a level with a move down the street to a larger space, where she also opened a tween-sized counterpart to Nest in an adjacent building just around the corner; more recently, she put the finishing touches on Firebird, a Montessori-flavored toy and book shop a block away that offers classes for the little ones in your life. Inside Firebird, there's even a micro-business called Elevated Scraps that makes fabric mobiles, soft sculpture and banners perfect for kids' rooms and parties. Word is Evascu has yet another concept up her sleeve for the original Nest space — more on that in the future — and, pssst: The original Nest also has a store in Boulder.
2940 E. 6th Ave.nestchildrensboutique.com
585 Milwaukee St.
hatchedbynest.com
2800 E. 6th Ave.
firebirdbooksandtoys.com