Best Hope for Small Businesses 2019 | The Hope Slinger's Guide to Denver | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Hope for Small Businesses

The Hope Slinger's Guide to Denver

Erika Righter's Hope Tank, a retail store with a conscience, has been giving back to the community since day one by putting aside a percentage of all sales for a nonprofit of the maker's choice. But Righter's interest in the public good and shop-local movement doesn't end there. She recently created the Hope Slinger's Guide to Denver, a branch of her charitable Hope Slinger Fund. It's an online directory not only to other businesses with giving-back programs similar to that of Hope Tank, but to local small businesses run by women, people of color and/or members of the LGBTQ community. Let Righter steer you in the right direction.

Best Religious Podcast

Mile High Theology With Broderick Greer

Reverend Canon Broderick Greer invites legislators, academics, faith leaders and community activists — past guests have included Representative Leslie Herod and Dr. Jennifer S. Leath of the Iliff School of Theology — to join him in the library of St. John's Cathedral for intimate conversations about their lives and work. Weaving theology into personal discussions about social justice, ethics and LGBTQ life, Greer takes a warm and welcoming approach to complex issues. Denver is lucky to have a progressive and fearlessly honest theologian like Greer, who has also written for the Huffington Post, Teen Vogue and the Washington Post on topics ranging from Aretha Franklin's legacy to his own experience being a pro-choice priest.

sjcathedral.org/milehightheology

Best Podcast

Nomad Ramblings: Conversations From the Road

At first blush, a podcast about communing with nature seems contradictory — plugging in to hear about people unplugging. But the folks at Colorado Backcountry Adventures, led by Brian Galyon, Barron Link and Craig Coleman, manage to make this unusual concept work beautifully. Since the podcast's launch in August 2018, this trio and plenty of other contributors have gathered regularly to discuss aspects of the outdoors life that go beyond the ordinary: loneliness when on solitary excursions, for instance, as well as dealing with aggressive dogs, and even psychedelic therapy involving peyote and more. The tone is friendly and relaxed, and the structure broad enough to encompass current events and locations that go beyond state lines into other accessible glories of the West.

coloradobackcountryadventures.com/podcast

Readers' Choice: ProCO360

Best Podcast Network

Mutiny Information Cafe

Courtesy Mutiny Information Cafe

No matter where you are, it only takes a few clicks and a pair of headphones to tap into the mindspace of the Mutiny Information Cafe. A favorite haven for collectors and creatives, the venue is now home to Mutiny Transmissions, a podcast network comprising shows covering a wide range of interests, including nerd culture (Motherf**ker in a Cape), local politics (Hello? Denver? Are You Still There?) literature (Mutiny Book Club) and performance and storytelling (Queen City Companion). While listeners can access the archives on a variety of platforms, we recommend joining the hosts at their live, in-bookstore recordings for the freshest experience.

Best Sign That DIA Has a Sense of Humor

DENFiles.com

Yes, Denver International Airport is a mess, now that the renovation of the Jeppesen Terminal is under way; finding your way through the barriers is more frightening than the look in Blucifer's red-laser eyes. But at least airport officials have a sense of humor about the traffic snarl they've created, explaining it with signs placed around the suddenly blocked spaces that play off all the conspiracies about the airport. "Are we creating the world's greatest airport? Or preparing for the end of the world?" asks one. "Learn the truth at DENFiles.com." The answer is out there....

Best Digital Messages

Colorado Department of Transportation

"Get your head out of your apps." When we spotted that sign on a digital message board above a Colorado highway, we almost crashed our car...which was certainly not the goal of that one-liner created by Sam Cole, communications manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation. Instead, he's on a mission to reduce traffic fatalities by using witty messages to remind drivers to stay alert...and obey the rules of the road. As Cole would say: "Buckle up, Buttercup."

codot.gov

Best Radio Programming Upgrade

Colorado Public Radio

For decades, Colorado Public Radio was overseen by Max Wycisk, who turned the operation into a state-spanning behemoth. When Wycisk announced that he would retire at the end of June 2018, CPR hired Stewart Vanderwilt, previously the general manager of legendary Austin, Texas, signal KUT, as his successor — and the change in approach has been notable. Rather than sticking with the tried and true, the station began airing seventeen new shows in January, supplementing its lineup with the impressive likes of The Daily (a podcast by the New York Times), The Takeaway, 1A, Latino USA, The Moth and more. No older programs were cut to make room for these offerings; instead, repeats were reduced. These moves, coupled with the operation's bold acquisition of the online news website Denverite, suggest that Colorado Public Radio is entering a new and vital stage. The local media scene, and CPR listeners, will be the better for it.

cpr.org

Best Co-Working Alternative

Flight Suites at Taxi

The minuscule offices, thin walls and common-area focus of most co-working spaces don't work for many types of businesses, and even those entrepreneurs who can accommodate that model might find themselves longing for more traditional office amenities — like private conference rooms and, well, actual privacy — as they establish themselves and grow. The Flight Suites, which opened at Taxi last year, offer a middle ground between co-working and signing a five-year triple-net lease: plug-and-play offices that house up to twelve people, leased on a one- or two-year basis. Each suite is equipped with furniture, Internet and its own small conference room, with access to phone booths, kitchens, the Taxi gym and pool, and larger shared conference rooms across the campus. You don't get the free kegs, coffee or social activities of many co-working facilities, but you might actually get more work done.

Best Co-Working Space

Shift Workspaces

All co-working concepts ply would-be members with an array of individual and group space options, office necessities and amenities like free coffee and beer. Shift is no different, but it stands apart for its versatility and comfort. Versatility: You can join Shift for a mere $59 a month, which gets you basic office offerings like mail and package services and access to meeting rooms. Memberships scale up from there and include more classic common co-working areas, dedicated desks and actual office space, making it appealing for both newly hatched startups and freelancers looking for something more formal than a coffee shop. As for comfort, in addition to relatively airy digs, an eco-minded ethos and cozy design touches, Shift offers community activities to ease the stress of your work day, from on-site yoga and meditation to field trips.

Best Co-Working Upgrade

Industry

Yes, you could rent a single desk at either of the two RiNo locations of Industry, but these co-working spaces are really designed for growing group efforts looking for something more akin to actual office space with a few amenities. Industry workspace options range from three-person boxes to more traditional (and occasionally sequestered) arrangements, which you're invited to brand and furnish yourself. (This is why you'll find law firms, design shops and fitness-empire headquarters on campus that could have long ago moved to another space.) With your comparatively short-term lease, you still get slightly upgraded versions of all the amenities that make co-working appealing: free beer, free coffee, free Internet and use of recreational and common spaces far nicer than what you'd likely be able to afford if you secured a dedicated suite in an office park somewhere. Plus, there's the added promise of community, with outdoor seating and activities aimed at bringing together people from disparate industries.

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