We all love Colorado, and there are so many great Colorado gifts out there to give. That's why we created this ultimate shopping guide: whether you're looking for gear that features the Colorado Flag, local Artisan Markets you could visit in person, an easy online source for local gifts, and much more - our shopping guide should have you covered!
We also delve into the best places to shop for collegiate gear (CU Buffs & CSU Rams), brick and mortar gift shops, and a roundup of gift guides published by quintessential local magazines and newspapers.
Quintessential Gift Guides
Colorado is lucky to have so many local magazines that specialize in highlighting what makes us all love our state so much! Each one has a slightly different angle, but they're all full of great stuff, so we wanted to bring them together in one convenient location. Enjoy these Colorado Gift Guides from publications like 5280 Magazine, The Denver Post, and much more:
303 Magazine Best Local Gifts 2018
Denver Post 2018 Gift Ideas for Outdoorsy People
Colorado Homes Magazine A Gift Guide for the Host
Westword Holiday Gift Guide 2018
5280 Magazine 2018 Guide
Denver Dweller 2018 Holiday Gift Guide
The Gazette 2018 Colorado-Made Gifts for your Outdoorsy Type
Denver Eater 2018 Holiday Gift Guide for Denver
Co Biz Magazine 2017 Colorado-Made Holiday Gifts Under $20
Edible Aspen 2017 Food Lover's Gift Guide
Colorado Flag Gear
A perennial favorite for that Colorado themed gift, the Colorado Flag is simple and eye catching. Not many states even know what their state flag looks like...but not us! You'll find it on t-shirts, hats, mugs, stickers and...pretty much everything. You don't have to look far to find Colorado flag merchandise, but in our opinion these are some of the best places to look:
Colorado Limited
Colorado-flag apparel runs the gamut here, from trucker hats to baby onesies, bikinis to cozy hoodies—all with the Colorado flag design, and often in varying colors. I just tallied up the number of unique products available on their website, and it's over 100! In addition to their online shop, you can find their storefront on South Pearl in Denver, another in Vail, as well as shops in all three concourses at DIA.
Etsy
Did you know you can search Etsy for "Colorado Flag" and turn up over 3,000 handmade items? We personally think it's super cool to support local artists and makers, and Etsy is such a great way to do this. Tip: Try sorting by "Top Customer Reviews" or even "Most Recent" to turn up some interesting gems. The default search is by "Most Relevant" which is not bad, but it's fun to mix things up and see what you find.
The C-List: Colorado Clothing
Based in Lakewood, this local apparel company prides themselves in their cut and sew techniques, which allows for higher quality texture and durability to their designs. That means that in addition to the typical screen printed t-shirts, you'll find embroidered and stitched on designs here. Lots of categories to shop, including Ladies, Men, Outerwear, Activewear, Accessories, and more.
High Altitude Apparel
Founded in 2016 in Northern Colorado, just outside Fort Collins, this local company takes pride in the fact that they're family owned and operated. They are also committed to collaborating with other small businesses and helping their local community, which we think is pretty cool. In addition to Colorado Flag gear, you'll find riffs on a few Colorado themes, like hops and beer....and star wars. What? Check it out if that's your thing!
Yo Colorado
At Yo Colorado you’ll find a large selection of high quality gear including beanies, trucker hats, t-shirts, and stickers with an emphasis on a unique vintage surf & ski look. Based in beautiful Golden, Colorado, they work hard to make sure no detail is missed when they design their gear. I can personally endorse this brand, as my son is a big fan of their hats and we stock a few popular items in our Souvenir Shop as well!
Akinz
This brand designs and hand prints their shirts right in their flagship store in Fort Collins, Colorado. They also make the majority of their beanies by hand. We love it when we discover a truly local brand like this! In addition to the shirts and beanies, you'll find sunglasses, socks, and more. Not everything they sell has the Colorado Flag on it, but this link will lead you to the Colorado Gear section specifically.
Colorado Gift Baskets & Souvenirs
Colorado gift baskets are something we're experts in, here at Colorado Crafted. We specialize in finding the best Colorado-made artisan products and bringing them together into one online shop.
Why? So our customers can easily hand pick their favorite local products to create unique Colorado gifts. We like to think we're kind of like shopping the Denver Flea or Firefly...from the comfort of your own home. We don't include products in our gift boxes simply because they were made in Colorado - we seek out local products that are created with exacting attention to detail and quality that's unmatched.
A few more facts about what we're doing here at Colorado Crafted:
- Our selection of unique-to-Colorado snacks and treats offers mass appeal but everything is super local which keeps it special at the same time. This is especially handy during the holiday season.
- We're 100% woman owned, and over 50% of our vendors are also woman-owned businesses.
- We source our packaging materials locally as well!
- Shop the Most Popular Colorado Gifts here.
- Shop Colorado Chocolate here.
- Browse the Newest Finds here.
- Check out our favorite Colorado Souvenirs here.
Collegiate Gear
If you've got a new student, or you're an alumni yourself, you might be interested in the top places to shop online for gear from CU, CSU, and more.
University of Colorado at Boulder
CU Bookstore
CU Buffs Online Shop
Fanatics
Spirit Shop
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
CSU Bookstore
You'll find a big selection of all things Rams on the CSU bookstore website. From apparel to water bottles and more, there's tons to choose from here!
CSU Official Online Store
Another large collections of Rams gear. Sign up for their newsletter to get 10% off, and pay attention to other deals they're running if you're looking for a deal.
Fanatics
At the self proclaimed shop containing "world's largest collection of officially licensed fan gear", you'll have plenty of Rams gear to choose from.
Colorado Artisan Markets
The top artisan markets in Colorado are crammed with cool local makers creating unique local products. The best ones to visit are:
The Big Wonderful
TheBigWonderful is a Denver-based urban market and festival that includes a beerfest, bluegrass, and bazaar (the shopping part!) in one experience. Found in RiNo in 2014, TheBigWonderful is proudly "bringing together the best of Denver’s vibrant craft vending, food, beer, and live music scenes into an eclectic and fun festival atmosphere."
Fetch
Formerly known as the Denver Flea, Fetch is a retail incubation company that creates unique shopping experiences by directly connecting local shoppers with emerging brands and passionate creators. They host markets throughout the year, and also have a new brick and mortar location in Denver's Dairy Block.
Horseshoe Market
Voted Denver’s Best Flea Market for five years by Denver Westword, the Horseshoe claims to be "Denver’s premier handmade & vintage market." We're not here to argue with that! The Horseshoe Market's goal is to cultivate a thriving community of local artists, designers, handmakers, collectors and entrepreneurs.
Jr. League of Denver Mile High Holiday Mart
This Denver-based holiday show has been a fall tradition for nearly four decades. All proceeds from this unique and exclusive shopping experience support the League’s mission of developing the potential of women as well as our community focus, improving literacy rates and providing access to books for children through the third grade in the Denver metro area. Browse the wares of more than 100 one-of-a-kind merchants while giving back to the Denver metro community.
Denver Bazaar
The Denver Bazaar is a maker's market that originated in RiNo in 2015. They blend together the best elements of local goods & fashions, food and drinks, music & more to create a unique shopping & sipping experience that locals know and love.
Winter Gift Market at Denver Botanic Gardens
Hosted at the beautiful Denver Botanic Garden, this holiday market features local vendors selling one-of-a-kind, handcrafted holiday items; bath and body products; pottery; jewelry; specialty foods; clothing; antiques and more. The Gardens Guild offers its popular herbal vinegars and seasonings, and members receive a 10% discount on all purchases.
Handcrafted Holiday Market
This holiday market takes place at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont. Last year they welcomed over 40 handcrafted vendors, and also offered a DIY gift wrapping station, free children's activities, raffle prizes every hour, and more.
Based in Boulder, Firefly Handmade is Colorado’s inspired indie artisan market. Each market is unique, with 100+ new and returning carefully and creatively curated indie artisans, musicians, eats, and DIY opportunities. Discover unique handmade home goods, jewelry & accessories, adult & children's fashion, skin care, ceramics, art, artisanal food, paper goods, pet goods, and more.
Sugar Plum Bazaar
The Sugar Plum bazaar is a makers market based in the Mile High City, and features over 120 vendors from multiple states. About 95% of the items sold are handmade and all are small independent businesses.
Colorado Makers Market
The Colorado Makers Market is based in Fort Collins, and was founded in 2016 to create a space for local vendors & creatives to sell their goods directly to the community. Desiring to put a face, name, & story with what we buy, the Colorado Makers Market wants to promote mindfulness & intentional relationships with each other & consumer goods.
Renegade Craft Fair
Renegade Denver is a little different from the other markets we've mentioned because it gathers national artists together with local makers and designers. It's located adjacent to Denver Central Market in an outdoor location.
Local Gift Shops
If you'd like to visit a neighborhood shop, owned by real local people, that carries products filled with Colorado pride, these are the best options out there:
I Heart Denver Store
If you want to support Denver’s artisans, I Heart Denver is a good place to check out. This local retail project features 160 artists and designers, all based in Colorado. They stock a wide variety of products including artwork, clothing, crafts and jewelry. We think it's pretty cool that 70% of the sales from the store go directly back to the artists and designers themselves. Gift cards are also an option here.
Show of Hands
Located in Cherry Creek North, this is a great place to find a unique gift by a local artist or craftsman. While not solely a souvenir shop, the store has an emphasis on supplying visitors with quirky and one-of-a-kind Colorado souvenirs, from cutting boards and bottle openers, to onesies and wall art. Show of Hands is also a working gallery with events and workshops.
Artisan Center Denver
Another local gift shop in the Cherry Creek area, you'll find a nice selection of local jewelry, many things for the home, greeting cards, hats, scarves, and more.
Made in Colorado
The brick-and-mortar shop of Made in Colorado is located just north of Sloans Lake in Denver and features goods made by more than 400 Rocky Mountain creatives. You'll find a wide assortment of gifts, décor, apparel, jewelry, foods and more here—all of which is, of course, made in Colorado.
Curate Mercantile
This local gift shop in South Denver originally opened in 2013 as “Unlisted Market” to provide a home for local artisan and boutique vendors in a brick and mortar retail store in the Denver area. They support and connect more than 100 local small businesses to the surrounding community.