OPEN FOR BUSINESS: After 18 years of holding down Capitol Hill’s alternative shopping scene, urban fashion staple Imi Jimi shuttered its original East 13th Avenue location last month and consolidated business at now-owner Kendra DeHaven’s snow-and-skate shop Thrifty Stick. Fashion slaves can continue to seek out this boutique for local exclusives on such lines as Smashing Grandpa, 575 Denim and Lifted Research Group. The shop also has one of the area’s more expansive collections of edgy brands Kangol, Modern Amusement, Free People, Fornarina and Cult 23.
DeHaven said she wanted to continue operating Imi Jimi in its original location for nostalgic reasons, but too much of the traffic along 13th Avenue these days is the narcotic kind. “In order to have the business survive, we had to make some tough decisions,” said DeHaven, who added that the pop-culture interplay between fashion and extreme sports should help the success of Imi Jimi’s new store-within-a-store at 32 S. Broadway. DeHaven has built a faux facade behind the skateboards and snowboards for Imi Jimi’s new boutique space. | Elana Ashanti Jefferson
THIS JUST IN:
“House” is the inspiration and name of a new exhibit at East West Applied Arts, a gallery and studio at 1556 Florence St. in Aurora. Several Colorado artists and designers including Angelo Ambrosia (glass), John Gerguson (metalwork) and Chris Weed (public artist) turned their craft on the concept of house and home to conceive the works in this show, which includes crafts and high-end multimedia pieces. The exhibit runs through April 22. | Elana Ashanti Jefferson
BARGAIN BUZZ: Saddle up, cowgirls and cowgirl wannabes: Zelda’s (4321 Tennyson St., 303-458-1561), the hip, fun, Western-inspired boutique in north Denver, recently slashed prices on clothing and accessories. Select studded belts and handbags are 25 percent off, and True Grit Clothing is 50 percent off. Owner Frannie Plavnick wants to clear the shelves to make way for fun spring finds such as the boot jack from Nannie’s Naughty Nellies, a line inspired by images of 1800s dance-hall girls. | Elana Ashanti Jefferson
