Shopping in Aurora

Since it planted roots in the community in 1959, Echter's Nursery & Garden Center has gradually expanded into a sprawling complex comprising lush greenhouses and a retail store dedicated to beautifying outdoor spaces. The shop’s display area encompasses a staggering 70,000 square feet, and includes a patio shop with benches and outdoor furniture, a wildlife department with birdhouses and sasquatch feeders, and a garden center with sustainable soils and fertilizers. Patrons can grab tips from one of the center's plant doctors, all of whom boast at least a decade’s worth of experience, or simply count the days until poinsettias and Christmas trees occupy the premises during the holiday season.

Onesies ($19–$20) at Rock the Cradle run the gamut, from boombox-enblazened lilac numbers to an aspirational librarian piece. Quirky plush playthings include mini puff dogs ($12), Kicky Pants soft toys ($11.50), and Stitch Kittens ($18). Parents-to-be, baby-sitters, or Lilliputians can also browse bibs ($13–$14), burp cloths ($12), and Rockabye Baby CDs. Stop by the DIY T-shirt bar where you can purchase a blank garment, pick out an iron-on patch, and adhere the pattern in-store.

Smoking Cave Outlet showcases an abundant selection of premium and hard-to-find cigars, tobacco products, corncob pipes, and smoking accessories, all making the perfect gift for Father's Day. Cigars, stacked from floor to ceiling in a humidity-controlled humidor, are sold individually or by the box, with tobacco-filled treats including the Acid Blonde ($5.29/single, $193.39/box) or a Cao Cuban sampler ($78.99). A La Flor Dominicana ($7.99+/single, $174.99+/box) can be puffed upon to evoke sweet memories of cigar-enhanced segway tours through Santo Domingo. Accessories include cigar cutters, lighters, ashtrays, pipe brushes, and elaborate hookahs.

During your chosen exam, one of Peeper's experienced ocular doctors will peer deep into your eyes for minutes at a time. For a basic eye exam, the doctor will check your general eye health, screen for any diseases, and discern your current prescription needs using modern diagnostic equipment and a series of giant letter E's. If you opt for the more comprehensive contact lens exam, your eyeballs will also be meticulously evaluated to ensure a proper peeper-covering fit. Contact lens exams include two follow-up appointments if needed, both of which must be scheduled within 60 days of your first visit.

For a decade, outdoor DIVAS has stocked women-only fitness items and apparel for just about any exercise class or outdoor activity, taking away the frustration of scouring numerous websites or department stores for individual pieces. Cofounder and President Kim Walker, an avid athlete and mother, found herself constantly frustrated when shopping for women's skiing equipment—either everything she found was made for larger male bodies or only had a few options to choose from. She decided to take matters into her own hands, opening a rare female-focused athletic shop. Since then, her company has launched outdoorDIVAS.com and a second brick-and-mortar store in Denver.

Runners, mountain climbers, skiers, and swimmers alike can find the equipment they need to partake in their favorite sport. Scarpa footwear and Black Diamond twist locks help climbers scurry up mountainsides safely. Patagonia board shorts, meanwhile, are made from all-recycled polyester and spandex, so aquatic athletes can sustain the oceans in which they swim simply by wearing pink spandex shorts—also the reason most environmentalists wear them at seminars.

The gardeners at Silver Sage Garden Centers tend to a 10-acre jungle of trees, shrubs, and seasonal flora, from spring perennials to Christmas trees. They carefully curate greenery handpicked to thrive in Colorado's sometimes harsh weather conditions. Hardy Prospector elm and bur oak shade trees, for instance, dip their roots into most any type of soil and weather winters with the stoicism of lobotomized statues.

Beyond the nursery, the green-thumbed staff cultivates flourishing flora in the yards of customers in the Denver area, planting about 1,000 trees each year. After securing plants in the soil, staffers dispatch essential advice on how to help the tree take root and thrive in its new habitat. They dispatch the same careful advice to all shoppers, whether they're seeking shrubs to border their yards or peonies and poppies to add color to berms. To entice customers to spend more time admiring their huge menagerie of blooms and foliage, they serve free cookies and cider, plus dishes of water for family chia pets.