Top of the Town 2023: Shopping

Editor’s Choice

Top Local Men’s Boutique

Canoe Club

This Boulder shop’s sporty-meets-nerdy-meets-hip-hop-meets-vintage vibe (yes, all those things) is carefully curated by co-owners Timothy Grindle and Bob Lamey to ensure the ever-changing inventory is a gold mine for those in the know. However, the six-year-old Pearl Street outpost’s eclectic high-end threads may intimidate many Coloradans, whose fashion comfort zone falls somewhere between the North Face and Patagonia. So in early 2023, Grindle and staffer Chase Brown launched a twice-weekly podcast called Customer Service as an unpretentious way to ruminate on personal style, share hot takes on culture and trends, and banter with retail industry guests. “We’re making every effort to make [the store] feel more approachable,” Grindle says. That includes giving us a rundown on three of Canoe Club’s coolest brands.

Photo courtesy of Canoe Club

Kapital: To Grindle, the best fashion trends originate in Japan, and many of them are embodied in Kapital. Based in the country’s denim capital of Kurashiki, the label boasts a whimsical workwear energy, with its distressed denim patchwork, bright, luau-ready floral motifs, and Southwest-inspired fleeces. Put another way: These are clothes for the gentleman who’s not afraid to rock a yellow cartoon bunny on his oversize cotton blend sweater ($474).

Orslow: As its name suggests, this Japanese brand embodies what it means to eschew fast fashion in favor of investing in craftsmanship. An ode to classic denim and military design, OrSlow refuses to rush its olive fatigue jackets made of herringbone twill ($425), cotton, paint-splattered coveralls ($440), and 105 selvedge jeans ($335), a limited collaboration with Canoe Club that took more than two years to design to distressed perfection.

Story MFG.: Proof that tree-huggers can still look chic, England-based Story Mfg., new to Canoe Club this year, uses environment-friendly materials that are vegan and cruelty-free, a dyeing procedure that fertilizes a replanted forest, and renewable energy to power production. Sure, the brand is pricey—earthy, organic-cotton woven jumpers are $520—but no one ever said looking fly while saving the planet would be cheap.

Top Wedding Gowns

Runaway Bridal

Longtime friends Lindsay Lobb and Jessica Siron feel similarly about traditional wedding dress shopping, when the betrothed tries on the most important garments of her life in front of friends and family—and any other stranger who wanders into the boutique. “We’ve heard some brides compare [it] to jeans or swimsuit shopping,” Siron says, “and you never want to feel that way when you’re looking for your wedding dress.” So, in 2020, the pair dreamed up Runaway Bridal, a traveling bridal boutique that, for a fee starting at $289, brings the entire experience into your home (within a 25-mile radius of Denver). Accessories, a full-length mirror, and handpicked dresses based on your stated style are packed into a floral-painted truck and then moved into the room of your choosing, creating a personal miniboutique. In November 2022, after an extended pop-up at Littleton’s Aspen Grove outdoor mall, Lobb and Siron realized they could provide the same private, curated service in a brick-and-mortar location and opened a free, appointment-only studio in RiNo. The gals welcome the bride and her guests with complimentary glasses of wine while they settle into the glam/industrial/bohemian space, complete with extra services such as charcuterie boards, appointment photography, and even a Botox bar—more ways Runaway Bridal makes the bride feel like the only one in the world.

Top Jewelry

The Vault Denver

The Vault’s lobby. Photo courtesy of Fortem Media USA

Simply walking through the historical Equitable Building lobby on the way to the Vault’s downtown store—with its marble floors, intricate mosaic ceilings, and grand staircase—is enough to make you feel like a VIP. That perception isn’t likely to fade when a member of the staff greets you at the door, takes your drink order (Coffee, tea, Champagne, or Scotch?), and escorts you past the namesake two-ton vault to your own private showroom to begin your one-hour appointment. There, handpicked pieces selected to meet your specific tastes await—though the Vault’s jewelers are also happy to create something original just for you.

What makes the Vault truly special, however, is what happens next. Opened in fall 2022, the boutique is the brainchild of Morgan Powell, a Gemological Institute of America alum who has been in the jewelry sales business for more than a decade. Powell specializes in ethically sourced diamonds, both earth-mined and lab-grown, and uses her knowledge and experience to educate her customers on the pieces they are about to spend thousands to buy. “There was a need in Denver for something that was a little more intimate, curated, and educational than going into a traditional jewelry store, looking through the cases, and not having a lot of direction,” Powell says. “That’s when the Vault was born.”

Grab And Go

Need a special something for something special? Pop into one of these winners for a thoughtful token to brighten any occasion.

Top Gifts

Trunk Show (Wash Park)

Perfect For: Thinking-of-you moments; self-care treats; birthday gifts; holiday goodies for the kids
You’ll Find: A well-edited, ever-changing array of lovely sundries organized into easily navigable themed vignettes (think: bath and body, pets, kitchenware, coffee-table books, arts and crafts, kids, and gardening).
Beyond Retail: The country-cottage space, which opened in December 2022, is the latest Wash Park venture from Angela Pilloud, whose Devil’s Food bakery, and its delectable assortment of pastries and lattes, sits next door.

Curated products from Modern Nomad. Kelly Shroads/Courtesy of Modern Nomad

Top Home Accessories/Furniture

Modern Nomad Home (RiNo)

Perfect For: Dinner parties; housewarmings; visual inspiration
You’ll Find: A collection of globally inspired, artisan-crafted furnishings, including pottery and textiles; accent pieces that walk the line between modern and rustic; and one of Denver’s few showrooms for California-based Noir Furniture LA. (The showroom is based inside the Modern Nomad design collective, which includes eight more vendors to browse.)
Beyond Retail: In March, owner Becky Miller launched the Perfect Strangers dinner concept—an in-store dinner series hosted every other month for a lucky 20 or so guests—to showcase a particular world culture. The first one, a Japanese-inspired omakase dinner ($95), sold out quickly.

Top Place to Buy Houseplants

Dandy Lion Coffee Co. (Park Hill)

Perfect For: Teacher or co-worker gifts; sprucing up your space with minimal effort; caffeinating while you browse
You’ll Find: A legit greenhouse residing inside this coffeeshop—the reincarnation of a Zeppelin Station stall that was always punctuated with plants but shuttered during the pandemic—as well as tables and shelves overflowing with succulents, air plant containers, terrariums, and thoughtful extras like floral jewelry by Palisade-based Flora Petal Farm.
Beyond Retail: We can’t get enough of the giant swing chairs affixed to the ceiling with ropes. Claim a seat and sway in the lush surroundings while you sip an artfully crafted matcha.