Shopping in Commerce City

Precious art and memorabilia find security in Mission Trace Framing's selection of more than 3,500 frames, as well as owners Sharon Saville and Karen Irving's 30 combined years of archival experience. The owners’ commitment to matching every piece with an aesthetically pleasing home is backed up by a personal guarantee on their services, which include conservation framing and memorabilia displays. They craft elegant shadow boxes from photos, insignia, and artifacts that showcase the virtues of an accomplished relative or seasoned coat rack, and augment their services with contemporary artwork available for purchase.

Sean Gilligan is no stranger to the world of cycling. He's indulged a passion for biking his entire life, riding both recreationally and competitively and passing many an afternoon in local bike shops. It was in these shops that Sean first grew dissatisfied with a pattern of cookie-cutter-like service and cluttered storefronts that felt impersonal, like an attic full of someone else's stuff. To rectify this, Sean opened Estelle Bicycles, an intimate shop that stocks high-end bikes from BMC, BH, and Marin and offers friendly, personalized service.

Instead of immediately whisking away mangled bikes to the service department, technicians examine roadsters with their owners and rattle off options for repairs. Clients can modify the service level, resting assured that they won't return to a behemoth bill at pickup. The mechanics administer similar care to patrons shopping for a new ride by using the 3-D Retul fitting system. During fittings, the experts affix LEDs to pedaling customers, which transmit signals to a computer that maps out the rider's activity in 3-D. Staffers then pore over the movement patterns before guiding visitors to the ideal cycle.

At Urban Mattress, patrons can sprawl out on comfy, soporific mattresses from brands such as Sherwood, Tempur-Pedic, Lumina, and Urban Organics in search of firm billows. The owner-operated stores also offer sustainable options that leave little to no carbon footprint and are biodegradable, making future archaeologists' jobs easier when they go to uncover the cans of peas hidden under our beds. Two percent of all proceeds finds its way to local nonprofits, ensuring that customers can sleep better at night in more ways than one.

Twice As Nice Kids transitions children from one stage of childhood to the next with a 2,500-square-foot arsenal of kids' apparel, books, puzzles, and toys. Shoes up to kids' size 4 and boys' and girls' clothing up to size 16 accommodate growing children. New mothers can take home highchairs to teach infants the value of table manners and bouncers to teach them the fundamentals of physics.

For almost 20 years, Colorado Sports Rental has helped visitors and locals alike get their adrenaline pumping in any season with gear in affordable rental packages. In the summer, they lend out recently purchased jet skis, fishing boats, and dirt bikes; the winter months bring new models of skis and snowboards from brands such as Burton, Neversummer, and Salomon, which patrons can rent for a day or all season. To accommodate resort hoppers, the staff can also supply ski racks and Thule boxes for the tops of cars.

At age 19, Kendra Rostvedt set out to sell snowboard gear out of a storage closet. She opened her first bona fide retail shop in 1998, operating under the ethos that boardsports should remain accessible to anybody who wants to try them. Today, the walls of Thrifty Stick Boardshop are lined with longboards, snowboards, and skateboard decks. Skaters can peruse seasonal apparel from more than 50 brands—including Gnu, Volcom, and DC—or bring in equipment to the repair shop, where technicians tune up skis with hot wax and fasten wheels to busted hoverboards so they won't be completely useless.