Best Vintage Pickin' 2018 | Goldmine Vintage | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
Navigation
Courtesy Goldmine Vintage Facebook page

Goldmine, once beloved by Boulder treasure hunters, made the move to Denver last summer, setting up shop in a Broadway storefront in the Baker neighborhood. If you're a Denver-based vintage hound, congratulate yourself on your excellent luck, put on your headlight and grab your pick, because digging through this store is a vintage-miner's dream come true, full of wearable loot from multiple eras hand-selected by Goldmine's traveling buyers. Head to Broadway and stake your claims.

Courtesy The Ten Penny Store Facebook page

Small is better at the Ten Penny Store, where the vibe is upbeat and, yes, eclectic as all get out. It's not out of order to say that you never know what you'll see there at any given time, but some of it falls in the realms of vintage sports tees, caps and memorabilia; matchbooks from long-gone Denver eateries; pearl-buttoned cowboy shirts; vinyl records and '50s frocks for the ladies. It's that place around the corner that keeps calling you back.

Courtesy Ninni & Foffa's Facebook page

Think of Ninni & Foffa's, named after the owner's Swedish grandparents, as the sweeter side of its neighbor, the Room of Lost Things. Though stuff here sometimes gets a little weird, it's mostly charming: handsome, hand-painted and upcycled furniture pieces; unusual jewelry; vintage nude photography; snarky embroidered samplers and pure, hand-picked and unadulterated treasures from another time. Looking for an unusual gift for your eccentric friend? Hit Ninni & Foffa's, and you'll be in that zone.

Courtesy True

Denver retail entrepreneur Shana Colbin Dunn opened her first store, the accessory-heavy Kismet, in 2006 in Highlands Square, and it grew over the years into a three-store Denver metro empire based on good management and impeccable merchandise. But when she moved into Stanley Marketplace last year, it was with a different concept and a new name. True is all about de-stressing and simplifying life, offering clean, beautiful clothing and Colbin Dunn's greatest proven strength — well-curated accessories and jewelry — while also addressing women's wellness through pampering products, books and workshops. It's a cutting-edge business for tough emotional times, and stay tuned: A second True is opening its doors this spring in the LoHi Marketplace in Highland, with more of the same.

From the Hip Photo

Husband-and-wife retail team Stephanie Shearer and Chris Bacorn have years of retail experience between them as the Uptown proprietors of Pandora on the Hill and Soul Haus (big news: Those two stores have merged into one big Soul Haus, with cute dresses, handmade jewelry, haha-funny cards and something for everyone). But it was still a gamble for the couple when they decided to pioneer Stanley Marketplace with a new concept, Trunk Nouveau. They took their marketing know-how and applied it to the shop, tailoring it to a different clientele and the Aurora venue's people-first manifesto, with a wider range of price points and an ever-changing trunk-show theme. But don't worry: The playfulness of Pandora and Soul Haus still runs through the new store's veins.

Courtesy Velvet Wolf Facebook page

Molly Hakes first opened Velvet Wolf on Main Street in downtown Littleton, where the boutique gained a reputation for stocking good-looking (but not run-of-the-mill), affordable styles, all topping off at $100, if that, as well as accessories and a house-brand skin-care line. Hakes had no idea what would happen when she committed to moving the boutique to Stanley Marketplace last year, but the location — which impressed her enough to also open Little Wolf, a separate children's store with similar price points and smart curation — has proven good for her brand, good for Stanley and good for the mixed Stapleton/Aurora neighborhood it serves.

Courtesy Conservatrice Facebook page

As boutiques go, Conservatrice is one of those girly-girl pampering places where a gentleman might buy a gift for his lady love — or the lady herself might go for a moment's respite from the spinning world, among lace and linen, fancy perfume bottles, tinctures and lotions and, to top it all off, redolent floral arrangements perfect for prettying up a boudoir or a wedding reception. Need an all-purpose revitalizing sanctuary in your life? Head to downtown Littleton and shop till you drop.

Best Boutique for Millennials (and Their Mothers)

Jewelius

Courtesy Jewelius Facebook page

Deep in the heart of Highland, Jewelius goes both ways, offering millennial favorites like off-the-shoulder tops, graphic tees and holey-kneed distressed jeans, alongside smart wraps and bags for the older set. And both generations see eye to eye when it comes to the store's namesake: elegant yet affordable jewelry, from fun stacking bracelets to opulent bling-studded rings and bangles. It's the perfect place to take mom for a mother-daughter shopping spree this May.

Courtesy David Bywater

Fashion can be as high-end as couture or so low-end that it scrapes the pavement of the city streets. Station, the streetwear boutique in Five Points with a colorful culture and a playful take on street fashion and art, strikes the perfect balance in the fashion spectrum. The shop produces its own signature pieces, like sweatshirts and hats, and the resale rack is full of vintage relics by Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren as well as modern brands like Supreme and A Bathing Ape, all carefully curated by the staff.

Courtesy Sub Rosa Mercantile Facebook page

Sub Rosa brightens the Sunnyside neighborhood with an all-handcrafted inventory of jewelry, fashion and items for home and body showcasing makers from Colorado. What you'll find there might be as small as an enamel coyote pin by Eradura or a glass vial of flower water from Birchrose + Co., or as large as a handsome Mexican blanket by Gunn & Swain. It's all homey and good.

Best Of Denver®

Best Of