boutiques. The store makes an effort to carry
local designers, including Christy Lea Payne
and Hippo Kiss Creations. Other designers
stocked by the store include Allen Allen,
Brady Ann Designs, Ayala Barr and more.
Starlet
3450 W. 32nd Ave, Denver, 80211
303-433-7827; www.shopstarlet.com
Owner Kristi Walstra opened Starlet in
Denver’s Highlands Square in 2004 and
opened another location in the historic
Baker District in 2009. This trendy boutique
sells apparel, bags, jewelry and accessories
reflective of the owner’s desire to make
fashion and beauty affordable for every
customer. Starlet’s offerings change each
season. The owner doesn’t buy anything that
she personally wouldn’t wear.
Wordshop
3180 Meade St., Denver, 80211
303-477-WORD; www.wordshopdenver.com
Wordshop offers the best of quirky and
artisan-made cards, and invitations made
from organic bamboo and pesticide-free
veggie ink made in a wind-powered studio.
Wordshop’s hope is to “revive the written
word.” The store favors independent, small
studio, paper printers. Whether it’s custom
letterpress wedding invitations, personalized stationery for that hand written note, or
business cards to expand your network, they
will help.
NEIGHBORHOOD SHOPPING
Denver has a number of distinct neighborhoods, each with their own particular
combination of sights, sounds, and sense of
place. Don’t confine yourself to shopping in
just one part of town. Take advantage of the
unique offerings found in Denver’s varied
parts of town, to find the chic, unusual,
cutting-edge, casual, high-quality or exotic,
depending on your mood.
Art District on Santa Fe
Got art? The Santa Fe Art District has the
largest concentration of art galleries in all
of Colorado, with more than 40 galleries
calling the area home. The First Friday Art
Walk each month draws huge crowds, who
come to browse the art as well as pop into
area bars, restaurants, and shops. Galleries
range from traditional to contemporary,
displaying works of paint, sculpture,
photography, mixed media, graphic art,
and textiles.
Capitol Hill
Located southeast of the central business
district, Capitol Hill is a densely populated
residential neighborhood with a healthy
mix of vibrant small businesses, restaurants, entertainment options, and bars. More
than 70 night spots dot this neighborhood,
drawing locals and visitors from other parts
of Denver and outside of the city. Stop by
Pablo’s Coffee on Pennsylvania to get your
caffeine fix, pick up a used book at Capitol
Hill Books on Colfax, and buy some funky
jewelry at Pandora on the Hill boutique on
13th Avenue. Enjoy vegetarian vittles and
drinks at City O’ City next door, before
continuing up the hill. Spend the afternoon at the Denver Botanic Gardens or the
Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative
Arts, two of Denver’s most interesting and
calming attractions.
Cherry Creek
Just five minutes from downtown, Denver’s
premier shopping destination has an unbe-
lievable 320 independent shops, restaurants
and galleries, as well as 160 brand name
stores in Cherry Creek Shopping Center.
The high-powered combination of Cherry
Creek North and the Cherry Creek Shop-
ping Center makes this neighborhood one
of the largest and most varied shopping
destinations between San Francisco and St.
Louis. Cherry Creek North brims with 320
independently owned boutiques, galleries,
restaurants, spas and shops that span 16
blocks. Cherry Creek Shopping Center,
with its 160 shops, is a regional attraction.
Forty of the mall’s shops are exclusive to
the area, including Tiffany & Co., Burb-
erry, Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus and
Ralph Lauren. The mall also provides
guest services and valet parking, as well as
an indoor play area for kids. The tree-lined
streets of Cherry Creek’s neighborhoods are
also filled with coffee shops, bakeries, and
a range of locally owned restaurants and
cafes. The neighborhood is also steps from
the 22-mile Cherry Creek Bike Path, one of
Denver’s most popular recreational areas for
biking, jogging, and walking.
Five Points
Denver’s historic African American neighborhood is chock full of barbeque spots, jazz
and Black American History. This culturally rich area known as the “Harlem of
the West” hosted jazz greats such as Billie
Holiday, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington.
Music still plays a large role in the many
clubs nestled throughout the area. Victorian
homes mingle with luxury lofts and new
apartment complexes. Many of the older
homes have been renovated in recent years,
and new businesses have moved in. Take in
the Black American West Museum, and visit
the Denver Brass or the Crossroads Theater
for a night of music. Try local eateries
that offer the best in Caribbean, Barbeque,
Catfish and Soul Food found anywhere.
Restaurants worth checking out include
Yazoo Barbeque Company, Tom’s Home
Cookin’ and CoraFaye’s Café.
The Golden Triangle
One of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods, the
Golden Triangle has more than 50 Galleries,
fine-art studios, specialty stores, condos, hip
restaurants, nightclubs, bistros and cafes.
Know as Golden Triangle Museum District,
eight of Denver’s Museums dot the area,
including the Denver Art Museum, the
History Colorado Center, the Byers-Evans
House, the Kirkland Museum of Fine and
Decorative Art, the Molly Brown House,
the Denver Firefighters Museum, and the
Clyfford Still Museum. The Curious Theatre
Company is also located in the neighborhood. On the first Friday of each month, area
galleries and museums host free art shows.
Watch out for the “Art Bus” that provides
free transportation between galleries on first
Fridays. The Golden Triangle is best explored
on foot. This allows visitors to follow Denver
Story Trek, which lets visitors learn about
the neighborhood’s history using a map and
a cell phone. The multi-media tour guides
visitors to Denver’s historic sites (see www.
DenverStoryTrek.com).
