All Photos by Byron Graham

While Sixth Avenue may be less celebrated than other Denver streets, the lineup of unique shops between Grant and Downing streets definitely make this strip one of the city's most convenient shopping areas. One of its most charming, too: The quirky specialty stores in historic brick bungalows and storefronts from every era are almost impossible to resist. Where else can you get an old-school barber shave, stock up on medical cannabis, shop for fly-fishing gear and get your dog groomed during a short walk? Unlike Broadway, its perpendicular cousin where seemingly half the storefronts are occupied by self-consciously kitschy antique stores, or parallel Colfax, with its long stretches of nothingness, Sixth Avenue has plenty to offer in a small stretch of space. Here, in no particular order, are the ten best shops on Sixth Avenue.

See also:
- The ten best stores on Tennyson Street
- The ten best stores on Broadway
- Ten places you and your dog will love this summer

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Emilie Johnson

On the corner of 11th and Pearl, where two pay phones used to be.

They can't fit in your pocket and they are not considered "smart," which is why pay phones no longer have a home on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall.

Is this just another sign of the changing times? The phones disappeared when new information kiosks came in, according to Boulder Downtown and University Hill Management. "It's kind of like a cash register. There are just certain things where technology has just moved on," says Molly Winter, director of Downtown and University Hill Management and Parking Services for Boulder. "Everyone has a cell phone."

See also:
- A love letter to Boulder's Pearl Street Mall
- Smoking tickets on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall
- Talking on a cell phone in a restaurant is as dirty as a diaper change

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Dive into the truffles at the Colorado Chocolate Festival.

You really don't have to celebrate Mother's Day like everyone else. Modern moms are an independent bunch, and they may not want to spend their big day knitting by the hearth or enjoying whatever stereotypical pastime they're supposed to prefer. Moms just aren't like that anymore. Following are five places where you can take your fierce, witty, sassy, life-loving mom -- or just shop for her.

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- Think Mommy Dearest was tough? Consider these divas of the animal world
- In honor of Mother's Day, a list of the music world's top five hottest mamas
- The thoughtful Motherhood Out Loud is hilariously quotable

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Tenn Street Coffee and Books

It's ironic that nearly all the businesses mentioned when we named Tennyson Street the best neighborhood shopping district in 2011 have left the block or closed their doors (see the link below), including some that were strangled by prolonged street construction in the heart of the district. But now that the street's been put back together, the new Tennyson is blossoming with both new and renewed businesses. Healthy commerce is returning to Tennyson, and here are ten reasons why.

See also:
- Best Neighborhood Shopping District - 2011: Tennyson Street, Berkeley
- The Bookery Nook, an independent bookstore and ice cream parlor, is closing
- Tennyson Street businesses creating promotions to offset disruptive construction

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At this year's Frock Shop Spring Sample Sale, savvy shoppers will get to browse though pieces by both established and up-and-coming designers in Colorado. Now in its second year, Frock Shop -- the brainchild of Colorado State University apparel and merchandising graduate Katie Gartner -- brings together items from a handful of boutiques and independent designers, then prices them 50 to 80 percent off retail prices for a seasonal, two-day sale.

See also:
- Photos: Behind the scenes at Denver Fashion Week
- Brandi Shigley closes Fashion Denver boutique, opens new chapter
- Swap the old and shop the new with Fast Geek Boutique and the Frock Shop Sample Sale

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A galvanizing figure of the new craft movement, Ohio fabric and pattern designer Amy Butler is in Colorado for a Makerie Sewing Retreat at Chautauqua in Boulder. But she's kicking off her visit with a meet-and-greet tonight at Fancy Tiger Crafts, the craft palace on Broadway run by Jaime Jennings and Amber Corcoran, which carries Butler's beautiful, modern fabrics, patterns and books.

See also:
- The ten best stores on Broadway
- Paul Michel will unleash The Fanciest Tiger at Fancy Tiger's Civilized Living tomorrow
- Best Holiday Market, 2011: Holiday Handmade, Fancy Tiger

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Jesse Dawson

Lowbrow's Tymla Welch and Lauren Seip.

We gave the Broadway/Baker retail strip the award for Denver's Best Neighborhood Shopping District two years in a row -- in 2012 and 2013 -- for so many good reasons: The area is spilling over with hip, modern creative ventures. But some of that contemporary spark flares further south, too, along Antique Row. Here are ten of our favorite local retailers on Broadway: Some are old, some are new, but every one of them rocks.

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- Best of Denver: The ten best local drag queen names
- Best of Denver: Denver's ten best comedy nights
- Best New Public Art: Our picks for the past decade

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Scribe's lowbrow poker dogs are seeking a new home.

When Dea Webb and Dave Wendt opened Plastic Chapel eight years ago in a literal hole in the wall in Baker, the designer toy emporium was not only a pioneer business in the neighborhood, but it also owned a retail niche that hadn't been explored much in Denver. They opened the chapel doors to make public the collectible vinyl toys they loved (and that Kidrobot popularized on the coasts), and even though the space was closet-sized, they also began to host gallery shows for lowbrow and graffiti artists.

See also:
- Best Toys for Grownups -- Living Room, 2006: Plastic Chapel
- Slide show: DIY Designer Toy Show at Plastic Chapel
- Task One creates designer toys based on television favorites for "As Seen On TV"

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Active Junky's homepage.

Active Junky's rapid ascent of the retail mountain has changed the game for consumers and retailers alike.

The outdoor gear cash-back aggregator shopping site drives traffic to its retail partners and gives rewards to its members, benefiting everyone on the outdoor gear and lifestyle shopping mountain. With more than 250 retail partners including Sports Authority, Athleta and Backcountry.com, Active Junky expects to have five times its current membership by the end of 2013.

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- Galvanize is fueling tech startups with community, capital, curriculum and coffee
- Photos: Ski and snowboard creations on display at Art of Winter
- Reader: Caleb Moore's tragic death doesn't mean changes need to be made in X-Games

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Erika Righter had thought about opening a store for years, a place that would combine shopping with philanthropy. So when she lost her job as a social worker, she saw it as the right time to create Hope Tank on Santa Fe. The concept of the shop is simple: Local artists sell their work -- clothing, jewelery, children's accessories, fine art -- at the shop, and a portion of the sales benefits a charity chosen by the artist. "One of my missions with the shop is also to educate people about all kinds of issues that are going on in the community," Righter says.

See also:
- Shop Local: Rakun's got high style for the 99%
- Photos: Cupid's Undie Run pulls off chilly benefit for kids charity
- All Grown Up - At eighteen, these foster kids aged out of a system that denied them a childhood.

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