"Known for hosting readingsby big stars in theliteraryfirmament,Tattered Cover Book Store originallyopened in 1971 in a mere950 square feet of space in the Cherry Creek North area. The enterprise has grown to include six additional outposts around the city(including three at Denver International Airport—one foreach of the three concourses), but it hasn't lost sight of the reader or the writer. The locations offer cozycouches and overstuffed chairs in whichto settleand get lost in a book, magazine, or even a newspaper; they also sponsor readings, discussions, and book signings involving over400 authors, illustrators, and speakers each year."

"Contrary to popular belief, most Denverites do not dress like cowboys. But those hipsters that do, do it right at Rockmount Ranch Wear. Some seriously cool fashion pieces have been flying off the racks here since 1946, when the shop opened in at this locationin what is now called LoDo. Elvis rocked a gingham shirt from here, Jack White wore red fringe well on the cover of Elephant , even debonair Cary Grant donned one of their red chambray shirts with pearl-snap pockets. The costume designer for Brokeback Mountain made the men look like men in classic denimfrom Rockmount. Giddyap."

"Show Your Denver Pride To get a sense of the serious city pride around here, stop by the I Heart Denver Store downtown, a gift shop run on a consignment model for locally produced crafts and souvenirs. Items range from Adam Sikorski’s Coloradical T-shirts—which have achieved near cult status in these parts—to glassware by Denver-based Vance Kirkland, who has his own museum in town. Seventy percent of sales go back to the artists, and 100 percent of the items stocked are Colorado-conceived and -made."

"The Source Market Located in Denver ’s trendy River North district, the Source is a collection of 25 vendors sharing space in the hip industrial interior of a former 1880s iron foundry, where artisans and retailers include a bakery, a butcher shop, florist, coffee roaster, barber, and even a food photography studio. Restaurants include Acorn, a locally acclaimed eatery serving wood-fired specialties (a meaty oak-roasted monkfish comes rubbed with a Moroccan blend of chermoula and saffron ; Comida, a Mexican taquería known for authentic and slow-cooked pork carnitas and fantastic margaritas; as well as a couple of breweries and a cocktail bar. The space also hosts pop-up events for other food vendors, as well as jewelry, home goods, clothing, accessories, and cosmetics, and a 100-room hotel that opened in summer 2018."

"Beautiful Furniture and Decor at Lulu's Owned by a mother-daughter team, Lulu's Furniture & Decor stocks a wide array of furniture, housewares, accessories, and art. The Lower Highlands shop will inspire just about any decorative taste. Each item in the store is carefully and thoughtfully chosen. Finding gifts is a cinch thanks to the cute selection of jewelry and kitchen supplies."

"The truth is, there's a chance that there won't be any bread to buy when you visit the Raleigh Street Bakery's operation (a garage behind the baker's house). That's because the bakery sells bread shares to locals that they use to score a fresh loaf or two of artisanal bread every week. But because there may be an extra loafof this extraordinary bread for sale, you should make a point of trying. Two pickup locations around town operate at different hours on different days. The Monday-late-afternoon bread-pickup spot, Call to Arms Brewing Company, offers the consolation of fine local craft beer if the bread's all gone. You can also trythe Union Station Farmers’ Market on Saturdays between 9 a.m.and 2 p.m."