Shopping in Greeley

In true family style, brothers Nick and Kirby Kuklenski own and operate two “sister” Ace Hardware stores in Colorado Springs, keeping local homes beautiful with name-brand products and services. Lawns grow thick and colorful with Scotts fertilizers, plants, and seeds from the shops’ lawn departments, whereas computerized color matching in the paint aisles keeps outsides as vibrantly hued as flowers in a garden or a house fly strolling across an artist’s palette. Collections of DeWalt and Craftsman hand and power tools help homeowners assemble Webster grills, with staffers standing at the ready to build any piece bought at the store. Even autos can get in on Ace Hardware’s helpful services: keys are cut onsite, with Sidewinder keys including built-in chips that interact with car computers to ensure proper starts without feeding vehicles buckets of floppy disks.

With thousands of frame and mat combinations, The Great Frame Up can satisfy any and all framing fantasies. The expert framespeople can make diplomas radiate (diploma framing starts at around $100), personalized jerseys glisten (starting around $300), and dorm-room movie posters sparkle (many 24"x36" pieces are under $125). The design wizards can also find a home for any prized possession, such as shoebox photos, baby booties, ticket stubs, medals, and really good pot roasts. The Great Frame Up’s no-hassle guarantee and assurance that all work is done on-site means your frameables won't be subject to mistreatment at underground commercial framing facilities.

Though the aroma of fresh-cut flowers has drifted from its doors for more than 60 years, Earles Loveland Floral & Gifts has not been quite the same since 1993, when United Floral Industry School graduate Elizabeth Parker took charge of operations. The time-honored flower and gift shop has blossomed under her guidance, experiencing a meteoric rise in popularity that recently culminated in its winning the Reporter-Herald’s Reader's Choice award for best local florist in 2011.

Parker went to school for floral wedding design, and it’s no secret that her field of study has become one of the shop’s strong suits. Along with her dedicated team of florists, she can turn any wedding venue into a lush garden of bridal bouquets, corsages, and elegant reception centerpieces. The shop's everyday bouquets hardly suffer from comparison, bundling together natural, seasonal flowers in arrangements available for pickup or delivery by a well-trained swarm of bees. Before whisking away a bouquet of grab 'n' go flowers, peruse Earles's eclectic selection of gifts and household accouterments, which includes flower-print tote bags, beaded jewelry, and gel candles.

An orb of mauve tulips bursts from a tall, slender glass vase. A pink and green polka dot bow complements a spray of pale pink lilies and myrtle. Elegant and eye-catching, these sweet-smelling arrangements from Forever Flowers aim to enhance every conceivable occasion, from weddings to court arraignments. Once customers hone in on their ideal bouquet, the shop’s savvy florists can accent the seasonal blooms with balloons, stuffed animals, or chocolates. They also happily design custom arrangements according to your upcoming occasion or personal vision.

For over 30 years, 3 Day Blinds' technicians have sift through samples and unreel measuring tapes during in-home consultations, custom-fitting abodes with blinds, shutters, and shades. They handcraft and cut treatments such as faux wood blinds, vertical blinds, and flexcell honeycomb blinds that reduce light and are energy efficient. As they tailor-make each order, the staffers dress windows of all shapes and sizes, from an arch above a doorway to a misshapen wormhole in the attic. All of 3 Day Blinds’ products come with a limited lifetime warranty. After clients have made a selection, the team shows up just two days later to install the new window dressings or let customers do it themselves.

Since its 1963 debut, Lee's Cyclery has aided athletes in their quests for comfortable bikes and high-quality cycling accessories. Before customers pick out a bike, employees conduct fittings that could affect the customer’s bicycle selection and help evaluate a person's ability to warn fellow cyclists of wormholes lurking ahead. Riders then choose from a variety of brand-name cycles from companies such as Trek, which created the two-wheeler that made Lance Armstrong a champion, and Electra, which crafts stylish and comfortable commuter bikes. Patrons can take roadsters for test drives before committing to a purchase, and all bike purchases include a free tune-up and a lifetime's worth of adjustments.

The shop also carries biking accessories and gear, including high-performance racing apparel from Pearl Izumi. Lee’s Cyclery lets customers practice wheelies in Riding 101, a two-part bike-safety class that combines classroom learning with on-the-road practice. Meanwhile, the service department happily performs 26-point inspections and routine tune-ups to keep axles spinning more smoothly than the spindles of Rumpelstiltskin's BMX bike.