Casting a Lure for Scandinavian Clothes and Fine Jewelry

Charming and upbeat Cherry Creek, Colo., deserves its reputation as the center of the good life.

Among the attractions are fine dining places, stylish salons and first-run cinemas. And as sophisticated Denverites know, Cherry Creek’s commercial district provides an exceptional shopping stroll.

Within a 14-block square centering around East 3rd Avenue are more than 250 fashionable boutiques, gift shops and galleries. The shops occupy charming single-story buildings on attractive, tree-lined, clean and rarely crowded streets. The informal, friendly atmosphere encourages leisurely browsing.

Cherry Creek’s excellent clothing stores include Mondi, Polo, Pendleton and other well-known fashion chains, but the area’s small boutiques reflect local good taste and offer unusual selections of wearables at reasonable prices.

Bik Bok (2628 East 3rd Ave.), America’s only outlet for Scandinavia’s trendy line of casual clothes, includes great cotton shirts ($40), slacks ($38) and jackets ($80) for men and women. Winwood’s (2839 East 3rd Ave.) sells Albert Nipon’s line--raw silk jackets ($80) and locally made hat boxes with flowered fabric coverings ($7 to $13).

Collectible Costume Jewelry

Panache en Plus (2827 East 3rd Ave.), with Givenchy, Judith Ann, Schrader Sport and other top labels in size 14 and up, has a “50% sale” rack with everything from sweat suits to beaded evening gowns. Masquerade (300 Fillmore St.) specializes in natural fiber contemporary business suits ($150 and up), casual outfits ($80 and up) and knitwear by local and international designers, as well as collectible costume jewelry.

Local jeweler Randi Lee’s Goldworks (303 Detroit St.) custom designs magnificent, gem-studded pieces for clients. The ready-made range includes stunning silver or gold bow pins ($125 and up), parrot pendants ($40) and ankle bracelets ($150 and up).

Vermeil (3000 East 3rd Ave.) updates vintage jewelry and makes unusual necklaces, rings and other pieces with silver, gold, Colorado gemstones and shells. Tapestry (2859 East 3rd Ave.) has unusual jewelry, including crystal pins ($20 and up), antique kimonos ($70 and up) and Oriental handicrafts.

Local artisans sell their crafts at the Artisan Center (2757 East 3rd Ave.). The delightful display includes finger puppets ($7), feathered hair ornaments ($5), children’s clothes and silly mobiles ($9), wooden spice racks ($25 and up) and ceramic mugs ($10).

Indian Crafts Showcased

Southwestern Indian ceramics, other crafts and artwork are carefully selected and tastefully shown at Canyon Road Gallery (278 Fillmore St.). Cherry Creek Gallery of Fine Art (221 Detroit St.) exhibits paintings, constructions and prints by Vasarely ($1,500 and up), Ed Pieters ($300 and up) and other contemporary artists.

Outdoorsmen head directly for The Flyfisher (315 Columbine St.), an outlet of the Orvis Co., a sporting goods mail-order firm established in 1856. The shop in a charming old house lures fishing enthusiasts from around the world to buy its extraordinary range of hand-tied flies (priced $1.50 and up), designed to catch all kinds of fish in all kinds of conditions.

The Complete Fly Collection with 79 classic flies in a convenient case costs $150; the Most Popular Fly Collection, with 36 flies in a case, costs $70. The shop also offers a full range of supplies for do-it-yourself fly making. The Flyfisher’s stock of rods, reels, baskets and other equipment is guaranteed to satisfy the most demanding fisherman.

Flyfisher has men’s and women’s waterproof overalls (about $60 and up) and boots (about $55 and up). The multipocketed vests and jackets ($20 to $80), chinos ($32), rain slickers ($41) and full wardrobe of casual and outdoors clothes would fit nicely into anyone’s closet. The shop also sells attractive waterproof folding wooden chairs ($75) and a selection of books, posters and original art dealing with fishing and other outdoors activities.

The Aspen Leaf (222 Detroit St.) is a large sporting goods store with magnificent tennis and ski shops and a complete line of men’s and women’s casual clothes, including slacks, skirts and sweaters suitable for a country club. The store’s vast selection of top-quality stock and excellent reputation makes a visit worthwhile, but prices are somewhat high. This is not the sports store in which to stalk bargains.

For Book Lovers

For those who enjoy sport of the mind, the Tattered Cover (2955 East 1st Ave.) is so large (40,000 square feet) and complete (more than 100,000 titles) that patrons need floor plans to find requested categories. All current releases and many out-of-print volumes about history, political science, architecture, interior design, business, computers, biography, music and women’s studies--to name a few--are neatly arranged over three floors.

Fiction, mystery, science fiction, humor and magazines from around the world are abundant; travel and sports sections are superb. The Tattered Cover has locally published books of poetry, historical subjects and art, and will take special orders for books published by obscure presses and other hard-to-find volumes to be mailed to your home.

A gigantic bargain area sells illustrated coffee table and art books discounted up to 50% off list price, as well as novels and nonfiction for about 40% off list.

Salespeople take time to recommend books to the undecided. Browsing is encouraged. Sofas and easy chairs invite you to sit down and read for a while. The delightful children’s section has a vast choice of books at child’s-eye level, plus some educational games and toys. This is one of the world’s best bookstores.

Collectors of antique volumes should visit The Hermitage Antiquarian Books (2817 East 3rd Ave.) for a fabulous selection of rare publications from the 16th Century to the present. The shop has an extensive collection of autographed first editions.

Toys Are Them

Two Cherry Creek toy stores are exceptionally entertaining and well-stocked for children of all ages. Kazoo & Company (2930 East 2nd Ave.) is a multistory emporium of “toys that play with the imagination,” including everything from crib mobiles ($5 to $60) and rattles to sophisticated chemistry sets ($30 and up). The emphasis is educational.

Kazoo offers books and building blocks, arts and crafts supplies, telescopes, jigsaw puzzles ($3 and up) that teach geography, anatomy and fine arts, and construction sets for little engineers. A menagerie of stuffed bears, bunnies and buffalo is displayed under a sign that reads “Friends.”

Nearby, The Wizard’s Chest (2900 East 2nd Ave.) specializes in fantasy and games.