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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.

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.

The Cherry Creek Shopping Center seamlessly blends tony and more plebeian elements, without smelling too much like the popcorn and razzmatazz of lesser malls. It's got the most popular playground in all of retail Denver (one of these days, they're going to have to start taking numbers) and was built to be a place where the shop-till-you-drop crowd can comfortably spend a day, starting with coffee at Starbucks and ending with a classy steak or a nightcap a few steps away, at Elway's. The Creek also offers a well-rounded variety of department stores, upscale boutiques and novelty stores, and wins points for housing an Apple Store, H&M, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Most important, it's the mall for city people, a place to rub elbows with the nice stuff, the trendiest merch, the best side trips and everything else.

The Harlem Shake video phenomenon came and went so quickly that most businesses never got the chance to capitalize on it. But there's no slipping a trend past the folks at Rocky's Autos. With lightning speed and absolutely no shame, the crew created a wordless, dubstep-biting spot in which Shagman, the dealership's ubiquitous spokesman, spends thirty seconds wiggling in either his standard work gear or an Uncle Sam outfit. Sure, it's stupid, but it's also an instant artifact — the kind of thing you'll watch on YouTube years from now with a goofy grin and a slackened jaw. Which is pretty much how people are watching it now.

Linda and Jerry Gonto thrive on the real thing when it comes to mid-century modern design: the pristine creative spawn of designers like Eames, Bertoia and Saarinen, preferably arranged in a classic MCM abode, like the one they bought when they moved here from Detroit a couple of years ago. The couple developed their taste in design during years of vintage retailing in the Midwest; in Denver, they're sharing their knowledge with the community at Retro House Love, a smartly appointed temple to mid-mod on the south end of Old South Pearl Street that opened last May. In the market for Mad Men barware or a really cool '50s-era lamp? Better get some Retro House Love.

The Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force, which has been charged with putting pot policies into effect in Colorado, has made many recommendations. And while some will still need to be hashed out, one of the things they got right was making it clear that out-of-state visitors should be able to purchase herb if/when recreational shops open. People come here from all over the world for craft beer, skiing and mountains. Why not help them make some other special memories, too?

The Capitol Hill King Soopers location — affectionately known as Queen Soopers — usually has random 1980s pop hits blasting away on the sound system, playing louder than they should. But one of the best perks of shopping here (aside from the positively dreamy whipped French cheesecake in the bakery) is hearing other shoppers singing their hearts out in the aisles. And more often than not, some of the employees and even an occasional manager will add their sweet melodies to the mix, belting out the lyrics to "Tainted Love" or a high-pitched Journey song ("Don't Stop Believin'" is definitely a store favorite). Queen Soopers: The Musical: It's the best thing since sliced bread.

Somewhere in the world, there exists an actual mop factory. We imagine it to be a place where industrious robots trim, color and braid long ribbons of fabric into perfectly swishy mops. Mop Factory Salon has taken that concept and cleverly replaced actual mops with your own unruly mane for a name that conjures up precision, efficiency and, most hipster of all, robots.

It's hard to go wrong with a medical marijuana dispensary with a name inspired by the Grateful Dead (as demonstrated by last year's winner, Nederland's Grateful Meds). And since it's located in the hippie haven of Boulder and has dreadlocked employees and organic cannabis, the name Terrapin Care Station is truly appropriate.

Getting a tattoo can be a spur-of-the-moment, I-just-dumped-my-boyfriend-and-I-need-to-cover-up-my-giant-neck-tattoo-of-his-name-inside-a-heart kind of decision. And when making such a choice, you don't have much to go on other than a shop's name. Would you trust a place called Uncle Crusty's Custom Tats to correct your monumental mistake? We didn't think so. You'd look for a shop whose name exudes creativity and class — a place like Denver's Th'Ink Tank Tattoo.

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