Dedicated to independent shoppers and retailers

Holiday season shifts into high gear this week, with Hanukkah beginning on Friday night and almost too many special deals from independent local retailers and manufacturers to report.
So let’s dive in!

Angel Book Project, through Dec. 21, Kazoo & Company toy store, 2930 E. Second Ave., 303-322-0973, kazootoys.com.

A child who selects an angel star from the store’s Christmas tree will learn the name of a youngster selected by Denver Social Services who needs books. The child, with the help of a parent, then can select and purchase an age-appropriate book. Kazoo & Co. will make sure the designated child receives it and will donate an additional 10 percent of the total sum toward book purchases.

Birdsall & Co., 1540 S. Broadway, 303-722-2535, birdsallgarden.com.
Special purchase Bugon & Ball stainless steel digging tools, regularly $57 to $65, $43 to $50 while supplies last. Either print out this item or go to the Best Colorado Deals Website, bestcoloradodeals.com/index.php/coupons, to download a coupon for 20 percent off any one item through Dec. 24. To print coupon directly, go to bestcoloradodeals.com/images/banners/BirdsallCoupon.gif. Do not be dismayed by the construction in front of the store; there’s ample parking behind the store, and you can enter through the back door.

20% off coupon, good for everything in the shop. Beautiful ristras, pinon nuts, all varieties of frozen, fresh-roasted green chiles. See their decorator ristras at denvergreenchili.com/ristras.aspx

Crocs Warehouse Sale, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 through Sunday, Dec. 13, and Thursday, Dec. 17, through Sunday, Dec. 20, former J.C. Penney’s store, Twin Peaks Mall, 1250 S. Hover Road, (just north of the Diagonal Highway), Longmont, 1-866-3179, crocs.com.

Locals can buy samples, accessories, gear, bags, sandals, golf shoes and boots from this Niwot-based company for as little as $5 or $10.

Door-to-Door Organics Holiday Gift Boxes, through Dec. 24, 720-329-7327,
colorado.doortodoororganics.com/giftbox.
This Michigan-based delivery service recently put down roots in Colorado. Holiday Gift Boxes with themes such as Organic Buzz, Organic Sweetness, Organic Warmth, Organic Treats and Organic Love, are $29.99 each, with free shipping throughout the Front Range from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins and to Eagle and Steamboat Springs. Each box includes a $10 discount coupon for customers new to the Door-to-Door Organics service.

Headlines: The Washington Park Salon Holiday Open House and Guest Appreciation Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, 284 S. Downing St., Denver, 303-777-9251, headlinessalon.net.
Get a 10 percent discount on all Aveda products as you meet Aveda reps, enjoy holiday treats, check out the holiday gift sets, shop, mingle, and shop some more. Phone now to book a space-limited personal skin-care appointment with Aveda makeup artist Christel, who can educate you on the best choices for your skin tone. The consultation, including skin analysis, cleansing and makeup application, is $40 or free with a $40 skin care or makeup purchase. But wait. There’s more. Through Jan. 30, 2010, new customers get a free haircut with any color service.

Icelandic Design Annual Knitwear Sale, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, through Saturday, Dec. 12, 473 Main St., Longmont; 303-651-3334, icelandicdesign.com.

Icelandic Design founder and president Gerdur Kristjansdottir has been honored as a Woman’s Day Magazine Rising Star for providing health-care and other benefits to the Nepalese women who knit her gorgeous wool sweaters, coats, hats, gloves and purses. Although the rest of the world must be content to buy those items from a variety of prestigious retailers, Coloradans can buy them at the company’s Longmont headquarters. And, during Icelandic’s annual sale, these timeless Scandinavian styles and brilliant florals are 50 percent to 75 percent less than retail price.

Lakewood Cultural Center Annual Juried Sale and Show, through Dec. 23, 470 S. Allison Parkway (just west of South Wadsworth Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue), 303-987-7877, lakewood.org.
Find artwork in a variety of media from more than 50 artists, priced from $10 to $300.

Lights Out Lunch, noon to 1 p.m., Friday, Dec. 11; restaurants throughout Colorado; LightsOutLunch.com.

Show your support for energy conservation by dining in the dim. Offers include a free pancake of the day at Snooze, 700 Colorado Blvd., and a buy-one-get-one-free deal on lunch at the House of Windsor, 1050 South Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood.

Mile High on the Cheap 12 Days of Gifts Giveaway, Tuesday, Dec. 8, through Saturday, Dec. 19, milehighonthecheap.com.

Send an e-mail to this terrific Web site for local bargain hunters telling your “number one wish for the holidays” to be entered in a drawing for some really good stuff – including $50 restaurant gift cards for Maggiano’s Little Italy or Bloom, two lift tickets at Loveland Valley and a free haircut and half-price massage or facial at Antoine du Chez.

Old South Frame & Gallery Custom Wood Frame BOGO Sale, through Jan. 15, 2010, 1588 S. Pearl St., 303-715-3828, www.oldartgallery.com.

Bring a copy of this item or a printed copy of the coupon on the BestColoradoDeals.com web site at bestcoloradodeals.com/images/banners/OldSouthFramecouponxmas2009.gif to the gallery to purchase any custom wood frame and receive a second frame of equal or lesser value free. Mats, glass, mounting, fit and finish provided at the gallery’s standard, reasonable price.

The Printed Page Books for Food Drive, through Sunday, Dec. 20, 1416 South Broadway, 303-777-7653.
Printed Page Bookshop is giving away books – one for every non-perishable food item brought to the store before Dec. 20. The more food you bring in, the more books you can take home. Printed Page will give all food donations to East Denver FISH, a small, non-profit emergency food pantry that has operated continuously in the Washington Park area since 1974.

Scooter’s Bar and Grill Tennyson Center Challenge, through Saturday, Dec. 12, 13698 E Alameda Ave., Aurora, 303-366-0019, scooterssportsbarandgrill.com

Scooter’s Restaurant is challenging patrons to be the giving hands of Santa this holiday season benefitting Tennyson Center for Children. The patron who brings in the most donations (cash or gifts) will be matched dollar for dollar up to $500 with a tab at Scooter’s.

Silks of Cambodia Trunk Sale, 3 to 7 p.m. Fridays and 3 to 9 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 19, at the home of Robert and Catherine Bayne, 70 West Cedar Ave., 303-744-8810.

Buy a pashmina and help save the world. Everything but the price is extravagant at the Silks of Cambodia Trunk Sale, which offers beautiful scarves, bags, purses and pashminas hand-woven of the finest hand-grown, natural silk by Cambodian women using weaving and dying techniques passed down since the 7th century. All the pieces in this sale were purchased in Cambodian villages at fair-trade prices from the women who made them and hand carried to Denver. The proceeds help these artisans survive in a country that has endured decades of war and genocide.

Starr Antiques Holiday Celebration, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12, Starr Antiques, 2940 E. Sixth Ave., 303-399-4537, sally@starrantiques.com. Free, no RSVP required.

In appreciation of their cherished customers and Saturday Salon patrons, Sally Starr and John Cunningham ask you to join them for gourmet cheeses, chocolates and baked goods, champagne, mimosas, spring water and good company.

Ten Thousand Villages 15 percent Donation Days, 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8; Thursday, Dec. 10; Tuesday, Dec. 15; and Thursday, Dec. 17; 2626 E. Third Ave., 303-316-8773, tenthousandvillages.com.

On Dec. 8, 15 percent of sales between 5 and 8 p.m. will be donated to the Art Students League of Denver, a local school of arts; on Thursday, Dec. 10, to the Colfax Community Network, a local nonprofit that provides support and services to low income families and individuals residing in motels along the Colfax corridor; on Tuesday, Dec. 15, to Women's Global Empowerment Fund, a local nonprofit that provides women in northern Uganda access to microcredit loans, business development training, and educational opportunities; and on Thursday, Dec. 17 to Veterans of Hope, a multifaceted educational initiative on religion, culture and participatory democracy. In all cases, representatives of the featured organizations will be on hand to discuss their mission and involvement with the Denver community and light refreshments will be provided.

Trash to Trees, Tuesday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 13, Inverness Hotel, 200 Inverness Drive West, Englewood, trashtotrees.com.

Denver and Arapahoe County schoolchildren recycled trash into holiday ornaments to decorate fresh Christmas trees donated by Tagawa Gardens for this first annual one-of-a-kind tree art display founded by the Inverness Hotel and co-sponsored by Tree by Tree and Tagawa Gardens. Visitors to the hotel have the opportunity to vote for their favorite tree, then bid for it in a silent auction. Those with winning bids will be notified on Dec. 13. Funds go to local schools.

Urban Homesteading Indoor Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays, 200 Santa Fe Drive, www.denverurbanhomesteading.com.
High quality local foodstuffs from small local farmers and food purveyors dedicated to organic and sustainable practices.

Women’s Library Association of the University of Denver’s Penrose Library Bookstack Bookstore, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, closed Dec. 20 through Jan. 4. Mary Reed Building, 2199 S. University Blvd., University of Denver campus.

All coffee table books, $1 apiece through Saturday, Dec. 19. All proceeds benefit Penrose Library.