Best Bargain on the 16th Street Mall 2003 | T J Maxx | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Bargain on the 16th Street Mall

T J Maxx

If you've got money to burn, the mall shuttle can drop you at your boutique of choice. But dedicated bargain shoppers make a beeline for T J Maxx, where the varied inventory is as much of a thrill as the gasp-inducing prices. Along with women's clothing, the astute buyer can find everything from designer cosmetics to chic, 100 percent cotton towels. Take it to the Maxx.

Best Trunk Shows

Gypsies Collection

Carolyn Fineran's Cherry Creek North boutique Tapestry went by the wayside a few years ago, but the charmingly eclectic spirit of the place hasn't faded: It's simply been reincarnated and given new life as Gypsies Collection. And so, Fineran is back, passing on her love of handcrafted, ethnic-

inspired textiles and jewelry to grateful and adventurous customers left bereft by Tapestry's closing. This time, Fineran's doing it like a gypsy, throwing occasional trunk shows that feature the wares of fellow travelers she's connected with during her many years as a retailer. From silk jackets appliquéd with vintage Chinese embroidery to stylish amulet-studded jewelry drenched in symbols as old as the world, the contents of her trunks run deep -- and definitely gorgeous. And you never know where Fineran will pop up next: Check her Web site for future dates, then saddle up your camel and go.

Best Hole-in-the-Wall Boutique

Frolik on 32nd

Young? Restless? Seeking style that's cool for the moment, yet as timeless as your grandma's wedding ring? Clatter up the steps of this store in an old Highland Square house, and you're home. In fact, you just might be tempted to hang up your coat in the entryway and stay forever, playing dress-up like you did as a kid. And what will you dress up in? A retro-style cocktail dress with silky flounces over slinky Cosabella lingerie? Flower-printed cotton socks? A feminine white-cotton-eyelet cowgirl shirt with snazzy pearl buttons? A bell-sleeved folk blouse in rich silks and velvet? Accessorized with a tooled-leather belt or a one-of-a-kind fabric bag by Best of Denver-winning local designer B. Shigley, or a geisha-girl button bracelet, or a pair of faux-jewel-encrusted bun-stabbers to keep your locks in place? For such a small place, the possibilities at Frolik are endless.

Best Exotic Curtains

Nepali Bazaar

Too shy to wrap yourself in a sari, but you still like the look of the thing? Hang one on your window and light some incense for an exotic effect: You can get both at Nepali Bazaar's new storefront location in the Platte Valley, where proprietress Melissa Shakya sells the most beautiful ready-made, jewel-colored sari-cloth curtains ever to waft in the breeze. When the sunshine hits the fabric just right, all you need to do is stand there and enjoy it.

Best Place to Buy Gifts for an Aspiring Geisha

Pacific Mercantile Co.

Sakura Square gets that Gion feeling in the gift-laden aisles at the back of Pacific Mercantile Co., where flirty fans, kimonos, Chinese shoes, hair ornaments and bamboo screens entice Japanophiles away from more conventional grocery shopping. The merchandise ranges from practical to playful: Sake and sushi sets, rice makers and workmanlike woks are shelved alongside framed art, lacquer Tokyo-style lunchboxes and elegant imports for dress-up time. For the essential element of the exotic that it injects into LoDo, we give Pacific Mercantile Co. a deep bow.

Best Dancing-Girl Togs

Tibet Imports

If Madonna wore it three years ago, it's the bomb today among the hoi polloi. That's the story with exotic ethnic-wear. So dot your forehead and head to Tibet Imports, the place in town to buy lengha cholis: three-piece East Indian ensembles made up of a midriff top, flowing skirt and shawl in breezy, diaphanous chiffons with beaded or embroidered embellishments. While you're there, you might pick up a few accessories, as well, including beaded headdresses, engraved singing bowls, shimmery fabric mini-lanterns and batik panels for your walls. Once you get home, be assured: You'll be the main attraction. Raga on!

Best Baby Tutus

Talulah Jones

What are little girls made of? These days, nobody knows for sure, but before your little one grows up, dyes her hair purple, gets tattooed and endures 98 piercings, dress her in tulle and chiffon. Just this once. You may never again see anything sweeter. At Talulah Jones, you can buy the goods: pearly, translucent puffs of marshmallowy fabric for miniature ballerinas (including sizes for those who can't even walk yet, let alone spin a pirouette) that are studded with pastel roses, slathered among the layers like pats of butter in a puff pastry. Finish the look with the matching angel wings, and at least for a while, she'll be sticking her little foot in the door of heaven.

Best T-Shirts for Little Rockers

Rupp's Drums

The joke goes something like this: Little Johnny proclaims that when he grows up, he wants to be a drummer. "But darling," his mummy says, "You can't do both!" Though he might not garner the approval of his mother, that aspiring tyke would find plenty to bang about at Rupp's Drums, where owner and legendary skinsman Bob Rupp sells tiny Ts for future masters of the snare, bass and kick. Bearing slogans such as "Will Drum for Food," the itty-bitty outfits are an early-childhood introduction to drummer pride; Rupp's also carries drum kits for kids who are ready to trade training wheels for tom-toms. It's a beat-iful thing.

Best Bargain Baby Shopping -- Used

Baby Buds

Yes, both Buds ventures are faith-based, but you don't have to subscribe to qualify for the excellent bargains available at both. (Belay Enterprises, the organization behind Baby Buds, also runs Buds Warehouse, a building-materials thrift emporium on Brighton Blvd.) And what bargains they are, displayed on orderly clothing racks, sporting tags that range from Cherokee to Ralph Lauren and neatly arranged by size on a spit-polished 6,000-square-foot floor. In addition, Baby Buds has lightly used toys, books and baby equipment in good condition, a play area for kids in tow. To top it off, it's all kept in shape by a staff of low-income single moms, who are receiving on-the-job career training toward turning their lives around. Buds is the old win-win situation.

Best Bargain Baby Shopping -- New

Children's Place Outlet Store
Colorado Mills

If you're a typical consumer/parent, you probably know the Children's Place, a fast-growing chain brightening up malls around town and across the nation with inexpensive, stylish kidswear that manages to look cute, colorful and completely with-it for the short time it actually fits. And when the stuff goes on sale, it really feels like a sale: You can grab up three pairs of leggings or jeans and tops to match without emptying your pocketbook for the rest of the year. Now, imagine one of those sales -- only bigger. And better: Meet the outlet store, where there's a ton of merchandise and breathtaking markdowns on the markdowns. Dive in; there's plenty of room in the pool.

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