When Skot Lain realized he had left his earphones on the shuttle on the way to Denver International Airport, he made a beeline for the Mac Trade kiosk as soon as he got to the B Gates.
Lain, who lives in “Denver, New York and Jackson Hole” and travels extensively for business — “The best way to explain what I do,” he said, “is to say I record music for soundtracks for extreme sports right now” — said it would have been torture to travel across the country without his tunes.
After test-driving several types, he settled on a pair of lightweight Urbanears headphones.
“What’s cool about airport shopping is that the quality is usually pretty high,” Lain said. “You don’t find a lot of cheap garbage.”
New kiosks that opened this fall at DIA — of which Mac Trade is one — as part of the airport’s concession retailing program were chosen specifically for their well-made products, says Irene Pierpont, director of special products for Provenzano Resources Inc., the California-based company that manages the program.
“We wanted a mix of types of merchandise from a variety of locales, and we wanted to be sure to offer some products from Colorado,” Pierpont said. “With the spaces we had available, we were able to offer a variety of options for travelers for both gifts and practical needs.”
There are 34 kiosks in place now, with four more in the planning stages, located in A, B and C gates, with the majority in B.
The kiosks work well for travelers in a hurry because they’re positioned out of the ever-flowing traffic but in plain sight, with enough room to move around quickly, look at openly displayed merchandise and buy something, as it were, on the fly.
Janie Rothstein and her daughter, Hannah, are from Minneapolis, and they had been visiting friends in Denver for several days before heading to Atlanta to stay with family for the holidays. They stopped at Hammond’s Candies at B Gates to pick up a box of chocolate-covered pretzels to take as a hostess gift, and a lollipop for one of Hannah’s cousins.
“I love it that these are made in Colorado,” Rothstein said. “It’s a little piece of where you were visiting.”
Kyle Wagner: 303-954-1958 or kwagner@denverpost.com
Flying out for the holidays? Here are some spots to shop
Alex & Ani: Lovely handmade Russian jewelry, but what caught my eye were the reasonably priced charm bracelets — in the $20-$25 range — that teen girls would adore. C Gates (center of concourse)
Amber Room: Unique amber jewelry from the Baltic Sea, handmade by artisans in Gdansk, Poland, in a wide range of prices and styles. B and C Gates (center of concourse)
Climax Jerky: Brooke McKinlay started selling jerky on the top of Fremont Pass more than a decade ago, and now her fine turkey, deer, venison, elk, buffalo, salmon and beef products — with all kinds of seasonings — are available at A Gate (near A-46) and B Gate (near East Red Carpet Club). Ideal for stocking stuffers or snacks on the plane.
Hammond’s Candies: The two DIA kiosks at B and C Gates (center of the concourse) are the only places outside of the factory and online where you can purchase the delectable, made-in Colorado candies offered by this 91-year-old company. It’s almost impossible to find ribbon candy anymore, so stock up here. You’ll also find gorgeous lollipops in several sizes, taffy, all types of chocolates and candy canes.
Mac Trade: A variety of electronics, including adaptors and chargers for Apple products, as well as other related items, sold by an appropriately knowledgeable gadget nut. B and C gates (center of the concourse)
Objet d’Art: The most adorable little themed trinket or pill boxes made out of painted metal and semi-precious stones to evoke people’s hobbies, interests or occupations, such as a dog bone, a piano or a teacher’s desk. Each is just a few inches high and costs between $22-$35. C Gates (center of concourse)
Pillow Pets: Grandparents still looking for that last-minute kid gift should stop here — for about $30 you can pick up your precious progeny’s favorite animal in the form of a soft, fluffy sleep aid. Dogs, sharks, dinosaurs, unicorns, you name it. Also same in a hat with ear flaps. In B gates (near B-23)
Rosetta Stone: This is a little pricier, but if you or someone you really care enough about to drop a few hundred dollars on is headed to a foreign country, there’s no better way to quickly learn another language than this system, and you can just pop in the discs or load them onto an mp3 player during a long flight. B Gates (center of concourse)
Wystone’s World Teas: Loose-leaf teas of all types, from almond cream black tea to Wu Yi Rock oolong, as well as the implements needed to make it, such as elegant tea sets and infusers and strainers. A Gates (Near A-51)
Kyle Wagner
