Holiday Flea: Where Mile High Makers & Easy Goin Vibes Reign Supreme

For someone who tends to shy away from anything that draws a massive crowd, I found myself absolutely smitten with the Friday night party for Denver's Holiday Flea. Taking over Broadway's legendary Sports Castle building for the weekend, the Flea hosted floor upon floor of Denver creative entrepreneurs & their finely crafted wares, six boozey bars serving up holiday cheer, & fitting tunes that kept that party goin. 

Holiday revelers shopping threads from Shinesty (Photo Cred: Meesh Deyden)

Featuring about 190 makers from in and around the Mile High, the Flea brought local fare from new hustlers like Very Cool Club, with their typography-focused tongue-in-cheek clothing line, to more established brands like B. Fresh and 14er Posters. One could trek Sports Castle from top to bottom and find everything needed for the holiday season-- Keenan's Killer K-Sauce to douse on every underflavored appetizer you encounter at your slew of holiday parties; witty and colorful thank you cards from Mountains vs Plains & Parcel Paper Co. you belatedly send friends and relatives for all those fruit cakes, tamales, and socks; slick new leather wares you'll inevitably show off to everyone from Colored Red; and of course, winter-ready gear that screams Colorado from Mountain Standard

Rollin deep

Happiest Photo Bombers 2017

14er Posters talkin shop

Not only was I impressed with the sheer talent & business acumen this shopping extravaganza showcased, but I was positively barreling over in laughter with how silly and happy most attendees appeared. Every time I went to take a candid crowd shot, I was delightfully bombarded with profesh photo-bombers or pose-ready models just waitin for me to press the shutter. Thank you all for making my job easy, and my night that much lovelier. 

So, if you didn't make it this time around, check out our photo gallery below and see all the fun we had without you. JK, we love you, and you were probably doing something cool, too. Besides, there's always next year, babes. 

Lifestyle | What We Thought of the Fleakin' Flea

It’s official! 2016’s first Flea of the year reigned in over 20,000 people this past weekend! And it was quite the spectacle too, as happy hipsters, baby wielding dilfs and local goods enthusiasts flooded the streets of Denver’s River North district.  The crowds did surprise us, mainly due to the sheer chaos downtown that surrounded the launch of Denver’s new A Line... which had a wait of nearly two hours out of Union Station! Promptly abandoning our initial decision to check out the A Line launch party, we decided to ditch the lines and opt for artisan vendors, booze and to our excitement even more lines! 

The Flea was already pretty packed by the time we arrived an hour after it opened on Saturday the 23rd. It was also larger than we expected, spanning out on all sides of the ExDo building. There were booths lined along three sides of the venue coupled with a food truck courtyard, complete with seven food trucks and two ice cream trucks. The bars kept the lines moving as thirsty shoppers flooded their fronts hoping for New Belgium craft, margaritas, cocktails and other domestic spirits.

The long lines, excitement and flawless djing from veteran flea curator, Tobias Krause caused some of our four legged friends to take shameless (and adorable) naps right in the center of the of all the commotion. 

There were over 150 vendors this time making it one of the largest Denver Flea’s to date and what seemed like one of the most popular (next to their super Holiday Flea we reported on early December).  As usual, there were lots of clothing companies, body products, homemade foods and jewelry, all kinds of art and some unique home goods and furnishings. 

One of the reasons we've flocked to the Denver Flea numerous times is the diversity of unique finds situated in a fun, party-like atmosphere. You're always greeted with a boozy beverage ticket, lots of local snack samples and plenty of pretty people watching. Between all the stunning handmade pieces, art, clothes, food and people, the Flea is a nonstop beauty overload. You will most likely leave with a couple cool new things, a full tummy, plenty of FitBit steps, and a renewed appreciation for the artistic spirit thriving within Denver. 

Here's to lookin' at you Summer Flea. Fleak on, fleaks. Fleak on...

Lifestyle | Calling All Fleaks! | Spring Flea - April 23rd & 24th

The Spring Flea will take Denver's River North district by storm this weekend as over 100 vendors flood the streets for an indoor/outdoor market celebration! We promise you this is not an event to miss, so many local and unique finds, your closet and friends with Spring birthdays will thank you. Not in the shopping mood? Don't fret! Chill out in their lounge by HW Home, throw back a few New Belgium beers and enjoy music by local artists. Click here to get your tickets ahead of time! 

The Logistics: 

When: Saturday/Sunday, April 23rd & 24th

Where: EXDO Event Center (1399 35th Street, Denver, CO)

What: Entrance costs $5, but includes 1 free drink ticket. 

Vendors To Keep An Eye On:  

The Real Dill

The Real Dill

Billie

Billie

Craft Boner

Craft Boner

Spinster Sisters