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Sustainable gifts for kids

As my son happily chatters on and on, all I can think about is stuff. Our home consists of far too many things — toys, games and even books — that spend most of the time on shelves, buried in a toy box or stuffed into closet corners.

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Gear up and get out

Gifts for outdoor geeks

If the holidays with the family inspire one thing outside of joy, compassion and a sense of familial love and the brotherhood of man, it’s the desire to get the heck out of doors and leave the noise behind.

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Eat, drink and be merry

Edible gifts for foodies and drinkies alike

Sorry, Mom, but most holiday gifts don’t last. You may as well give that misguided sweater or self-help audiobook straight to Goodwill.

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Happy Holidays

Tossing aside the tinsel, the tangled strings of lights, the scent of pine needles consistently shed onto the carpet and all of the other trappings of the holiday season, the stockings and stuffings and packages and boxes, the holidays are not about stuff.

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Keeping your tax dollars home

Experts say it’s better to buy in one’s own hometown

For every dollar spent in retail stores in Boulder, about 3.5 cents in tax revenue goes to the city to improve services for residents and businesses, including open space expansion and enhancement, road maintenance, and development of parks, trails, and recreational facilities.

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Shopping Pearl Street Mall on a $20 budget

Boulder’s main drag at affordable prices

The holidays roll around and most of my friends and family get some lovely homemade cookies wrapped up in red and green cellophane on a mighty decorative plastic plate.

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Local services make great gifts

Most people have stuff, and many have far too much of it. What a lot of people don’t have, though, and may not buy for themselves in a down economy are things like a meal at a downtown restaurant, a massage at an independently owned spa, or that much needed tune-up at a local automotive shop.

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Holiday bump

The holidays matter more to some businesses than others

The long lines and packed parking lots and overplayed Christmas carols of the holiday season might be a pain for shoppers, but they’re music to the ears — and bottom lines — of retailers.

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Homemade for the holidays

Local artisans meet the holiday demand

Blame the Internet. Access to the World Wide Web full of ideas and a community of customers has sparked new legions of do-it-yourselfers, and made it possible for more people to make a living, or at least a side income, on jewelry, clothes, accessories and other goods they make at home.

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After Black Friday, holiday shopping can begin

Merchants hoping ‘Small Business Saturday’ restores sanity to weekend

Ah, Black Friday, the day consumers had better not shop ’til they drop, because they’re liable to be trampled.

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