Colorado’s iconic products have often been experiences: the ski weekend, Red Rocks show or craft-brewery fest that draws people from every corner of the state and beyond.
Since March, Colorado artists, craftspeople, retailers and others have been forced to re-think their products as coronavirus chaos keeps them in perpetual survival mode. Even holiday markets are offering online versions. (See the Fetch-produced Cherry Creek Holiday Market’s “Home for the Holidays” campaign, which launched last week at cherrycreekholidaymarket.com.)
Meanwhile, arts boosters are offering deals, subscriptions and Colorado gift-buying ideas through Gifts of Art from the Heart (artsthroughitall.org). The campaign, which also launched last week, collects hundreds of links from SCFD organizations, individual artists, local businesses and even museum gift shops. For a roundup of commercial retailers, visit the shop-local guide from the Colorado Small Business Development Network at coloradosbdc.org/shop-local, which features an interactive, statewide map.
Clearly, with the range of online options, curating your gift list is more important than ever. But buying Colorado products isn’t just about nurturing an ecosystem on the brink of collapse. It’s also about recognizing the rare experiences — however necessarily deferred, or virtual — that we want to stick around for brighter days, and appreciating what’s here already.
With that in mind, here are five quick hits on Colorado originals for holiday gift-giving, with a side of context.
Colorado-style
Colorado’s tourism-friendly brand — healthy, outdoorsy and passionate about craft pursuits (drink, food and cannabis in particular) — sells well during the holidays. In holidays past, you’ve likely received a bottle of Denver-based Stranahan’s whiskey, a brightly decorated 12-pack of Longmont’s Oskar Blues Brewery, or a gift certificate to a meal at Boulder’s Frasca Food and Wine.
But given the range of Colorado classics, it wouldn’t hurt to look outside the cardboard box (sorry) or table this season. There are outdoorsy splurges, such as custom skis from Wagner Skis in Telluride, or Denver’s Meier Skis (theirs are made from beetle kill pine), as well as upscale Western clothiers like Kemo Sabe (their fedora is a hot item this year). There are high-country safety classes and pre-purchased hot springs getaways. You can even rent out Silverton Ski Area for a cool $10,000.
But you can also buy affordable shots of Colorado culture to enjoy at home this season — not just gift baskets of local consumables from a single company, but collections that support more than one entrepreneur at a time as well.
Our pick: Colorado Crafted, while already popular and well-known, really does draw from across the state with its gift baskets, totes and merchandise. You can give pre-made, themed boxes, individual items, or make your own from available goods. This year, Dry Land Distillers products are also available for the Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins delivery markets. Self-care, apres-ski, and local-snack products await you (we’re fans of the Colorado Gold Box; pure comfort food). $30-$100, coloradocraftedbox.com
Books
Local booksellers such as the Tattered Cover, Boulder Book Store, Capitol Hill Books, BookBar and Mutiny Information Cafe are offering discounted shipping, audio-book subscriptions, branded merchandise and gift cards that look great next to that graphic novel or paperback you’re ordering.
In terms of local titles, there’s more than just fiction and outdoor guides: Denver folkie Nathaniel Rateliff and his Night Sweats band published a cookbook, with proceeds benefiting food-justice organizations, called “Meet Me at the Table” that features recipes from 35 musicians next to profiles of food-justice nonprofits. $40, nathanielrateliff.com
Also in the music realm: Former Denver Post music critic G. Brown’s gorgeous, three-volume “On Record” series contains hundreds of rare images and interviews with music legends spanning 1978-1998, with proceeds benefiting the Colorado Music Experience. $100 for the set, $40 per volume; colomusic.org/on-record-book-series
Our pick: ”A Nomadic Art Museum: Black Cube 2015-2020.” Published on Dec. 3, the 320-page, linen-bound monograph taps Black Cube museum founder Laura Merage, chief curator Cortney Lane Stell and others in exploring the Denver-based art group’s groundbreaking successes over the last five years. With bold, eye-catching photography and design, it’s like having an exhibition on your coffee table. $65, blackcube.art
Music
Besides brushing up on mainstream albums from Colorado folkies such as Wesley Schultz (The Lumineers), there are plenty of releases (many on vinyl!) from Colorado musicians in 2020 that deserve your attention, along with plenty of merch for that super-fan in your life. You’d do well to visit cpr.org/indie, the home of Indie 102.3-FM, which offers an encyclopedia of local, worthy music videos and recommendations from this year.
But instead of wading into that pleasantly crowded pool, we’d rather turn your attention to one of Colorado’s many music organizations that could use your help right now. Think of your favorite venue, record shop or practice studio, and they likely have a gift card available. Corporate promoters such as AEG Presents and Live Nation (and their favored venues) will likely make it through to 2021, whereas independent venues such as the Hi-Dive, Oriental Theater and Dazzle Jazz need your help now more than ever.#newsletter_ad {float: right;width: 40%;padding: 0.5em;border-left: 2px solid #EDB207;margin-bottom: .2em;margin-left: .5em;}@media (max-width:416px){#newsletter_ad {width:100%;}
Our pick: Levitt Pavilion’s “Gift of Music” raffle. It’s a gamble, sure, but for a great cause (and with the number of gifts, your odds aren’t bad). The nonprofit amphitheater, which typically presents dozens of free, high-quality shows from locals and nationals each year, is selling chances at gift packages for fans of Rateliff, The Supersuckers, Mipso, Authority Zero and Tommy Emannuel (think signed guitars, vinyl and more). There’s also the VIP-for-life package, which includes premium seats and a pair of drink tickets for every future concert. $5 for three chances; $10 for 10. go.rallyup.com/levittgiftofmusic
The Arts and you
Subscriptions to future performing arts seasons, museum memberships and donations to metro-area arts nonprofits are the focus of Gifts of Arts from the Heart campaign. But Colorado’s artistic scene, vast and wide as it is, also includes fashion, film festivals and more. Local, original paintings, sculptures, prints, gift cards, clothing and accessories await holiday shoppers at artsthroughitall.org.
Narrowing down what to support is daunting, but I recommend visiting 303magazine.com for an excellent roundup of local designers and fashion products. Nonprofit donations — whether to the City Park Jazz series or the Denver Actors Fund — can be looked at as investments in a performing-arts scene that we hope will return soon.
Products are nice, too. Denver creative Brian Corrigan is putting together gift baskets to bolster his With My Gnomies window-display project, including at-home baking supplies and access to interactive content (produced by Linda Klein & Matthew Taylor) that brings their playful theme to life in the kitchen. $59, farmtospaceship.com
Our pick: Annual membership to Denver Film. It was especially devastating this year to watch the pandemic force the Denver Film Festival online for the first time in its four-decade history. Denver Film responded nimbly at every turn, offering drive-in shows via its socially distanced Film on the Rocks series, and otherwise curating the best of independent and international cinema virtually from its Sie FilmCenter. Membership includes discounted tickets year-round, food and drink specials, first access to festival sales, and more in various tiers. $65-$550, denverfilm.org
Cannabis
This unexpectedly strong year for Colorado weed sales ($200 million in September alone, according to the latest data) means Colorado growers and retailers are geared up for the holidays.
Colorado chains such as The Green Solution, Native Roots and Lightshade offer curated in-store purchases, but home-delivery subscriptions and gift packages abound in the form of CBD wellness products (see Longmont’s Blue Forest Farms for the latter; bffhemp.com) and lifestyle gifts (oils, skin-care products, dog treats, etc.).
Our pick: Coda Signature chocolate bar, Coffee & Donuts flavor (100mg THC). This creamy Colorado original — Coda was started in Denver in 2015 – leads with hints of Mexican coffee, toasted milk and cinnamon, and tastes great with a cuppa any time of day (provided you’re staying at home). Compared to most chalky cannabis chocolates, the wide, 10-miligram pieces are easy to snap off as a snack or dessert. $20, codasignature.com
