Best Chocolate With a Message 2007 | Original Hip Hop Chocolates | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Chocolate With a Message

Original Hip Hop Chocolates

Box-cutters were the beginning of Original Hip Hop Chocolates. Marcus, the artist and creative genius behind the concept, was pondering their significance after 9/11, contemplating how something so commonplace could be a weapon. So he made box-cutter chocolates in an attempt to face and conquer the new, frightening connotations of the item. He's since expanded his reflections to include a communion of hip-hop, with his company selling shell-toed shoes, boomboxes, turntables and brass knuckles all made from chocolate. Eat something sweet, consider the meaning behind the medium, and consume a way of life. It's esoteric, it's philosophical, and above all, it's tasty.

Best Coffee Brewed in an Oversized iPod

NOVO Coffee

NOVO Coffee doesn't actually brew your cup of joe in giant iPods, but its stylized metallic coffee machines, called Clovers, resemble them. They have the same modish aura, as if they, too, promise to change the way we do things. You can find the Clovers in action at the residential complex next door to the Denver Art Museum's Hamilton Building. NOVO's methodology is to treat coffee like wine, serving it by varietals and preparing one cup at a time, never letting the elixirs spoil in a carafe. The operation is so cool you'll want a Clover for yourself, but considering that the machine costs more than a small car, you may want to stick with the $3 coffee.

Best Place to Battle Over Cappuccino

Mile High Buzz

Denver's wired caffeine addicts rejoice over the Mile High Buzz blog. The site features a growing rundown of local coffee shops, describing the decor, menu and perks like WiFi. Plus there's a handy interactive map for finding the closest latte, and a somber graveyard that lists beloved cafes like Monkey Bean that have gone the way of day-old grounds. The best stuff on the site, however, can often be found in the "comments" section, which sometimes devolves into battles royale among spastic coffee geeks over the best java drinks in the city (we've spotted a few coffee-shop owners in there, hawking their own concoctions). It's hot, steamy and energizing -- just like a great cup of joe.

Best Candles

Ambiance de Provence

Frenchman Stephan Poullier's charming store is buoyant with all things Provencal, including the Mediterranean region's distinctive sun-washed pottery, oilcloth and table linens, as well as fine French soaps and stunning glass pieces. But don't miss the candles, which are both fun and functional. Poullier not only stocks an entire spectrum of reasonably priced colored tapers and scented oil candles, but he's also got an amusing surplus of novelty candles, from sprightly floating poppies and delicious-looking petit fours to cute peas. Ambiance Provence really knows how to light your fire.

Best Dish Towels

Max & Me

This swell little Tennyson Street boutique is piled high with lots of cozy T-shirts, jeans and designer-wear for grownups, plus adorable gifts for babes (the little kind), from teensy tees printed with jeweled-navel Buddhas and pirate ships to ultra-snuggly animal-hooded towels and Kthe Kruse puppet theaters. But the standout find is catstudio's Geography Collection: nostalgic retro tea towels, tumblers and throw pillows emblazoned or embroidered with tourist attractions from pretty much every state in the union. Picking your favorite is the hardest part of making a purchase, so be prepared to relive your travel memories while fingering the merchandise. Route 66 is back.

Best Knitting Shop

LambShoppe

Knitters are a unique bunch, and they stick together like a herd of, well, sheep. LambShoppe is a smartly appointed meadow where those noble knitters can network, learn, and replenish supplies from the handsome rows of rich, dark floor-to-ceiling wood shelves. Whether you're ready for a good long stitch-and-bitch, need help crocheting some bunny slippers, want to pick up an armload of skeins or just need to fuel up on a quick latte from the Latte Baa coffee bar, LambShoppe is the place.

Best Do-It-Yourself Jewelry

Desert Gems

Since its move from way-north Broadway to Lakewood, this gem of a store has become a prime gathering place for bead artists, metalsmiths, rock hounds and others interested in designing their own necklaces, earrings and whatnots. From clasps to cabochons to an astonishing variety of beads, all the jewelry-making fixings are here -- along with classes, books, a helpful staff, kitschy stone carvings, selenite wands and more. Learn the peyote stitch and go to town.

Best Do-It-for-You Jeweler -- Metal

Anesha Jewelry by Amy Kahn

Amy Kahn delivers one helluva Big O. The rest of her "O" collection of jewelry is pretty fine, too, but that giant silver (or gold) circle floating in the middle of your chest attracts mad attention. It's simple and sleek and perfect for all occasions. Locally, Kahn is every independent shop's favorite jewelry gal, and retailers across the country have recently made her one of this city's best exports. Thanks to Kahn, you're looking good, Denver.

Best Do-It-for-You Jeweler -- Gems

Lee Alexander Jewelery

If fashion makes a statement, then Lee Alexander Jewelery is the exclamation point at the end. Designer Christa Rost is known for her larger-than-life gem creations, featuring everything from quartz to carnelian. Her piece de resistance, however, is the crystal quartz necklace that showcases one giant, faceted Austrian crystal pendant surrounded by crystal quartz petals. You'll never want to take it off.

Best Crafts Shop

Willow

Helen Rice's Willow is one of those hidden finds, a showcase for local artisans. Small and friendly, it's pleasantly filled with bright Fimo clay makeup brushes and quilted fish mobiles, handpainted furniture and pottery plates etched with leafy fossil patterns, not to mention a candy-colored army of glass wind chimes and sun-catchers. Fall head over heels for Nina Sampsel's collection of knit and boiled-wool Sweet Cakes chapeaus, heart pillows, bags and pins, as well as the exquisite beaded jewelry of Jane Albright, whose rustic woven-sunflower necklace will break your heart with its beauty.

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