Denver, CO
Art supplies — and creativity — never run out at this Denver store
Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.)
When I was a boy, my sister and I used to beg my mom to buy us new art and classroom supplies before each school year.
New college-ruled notebooks, cartons of pens and pencils, crayons and markers. We would grab it all. Then, at the end of each school year, my mom would pack up what we didn’t use and stick it in the garage. It tended to be most of the supplies we had asked for before classes started.
What was our obsession with new? Nowadays, I’m aware that there are closets and drawers across America full of not just school supplies, but also arts and crafts supplies of all kinds. Skeins of yarn, yards of fabric, rubber stamps, blank canvases, vintage postcards, old magazines, paints, pastels and pipe cleaners.
All of these supplies and much more can also be found at ReCreative Denver, a used arts-and-crafts store and nonprofit located at 765 Santa Fe Drive. They fill enough shelves, cubbies and containers to occupy two spacious halls, plus to sustain artist studios upstairs. Strolling along the Art District on Santa Fe and into this trove of inspiration for the first time last year poked a creative urge that has kept me coming back for more.
“It seems big, but we get inundated with stuff,” said Chris Scott, ReCreative’s director of operations and one of three original founders. He credits the idea to co-founder Emily Korson, who opened a ReCreative workshop in Seattle before moving to Denver and opening in art district in 2016.
ReCreative relies on volunteers to sort through the mountains of goods that come in by appointment each month. Employees or specialists will usually price items at half their retail cost or less, Scott said, though prices have increased somewhat along with the building rent. Individual balls of yarn can be found for $2. Inks for screen printing range from $3 to $5. Singular items and handcrafted goods are priced accordingly and displayed by the entrance. (An unopened kit of pastels, for instance, is $45.)
Another main draw is the workshops and classes scheduled by program manager Kelly Eigenberger in the rooms further inside the building. Casual knitting, sewing, assemblage and crafting clubs meet every month.
Having moved within walking distance, the store is now a regular destination for me. It’s a little silly at this point, as my wife and I have stocked up on enough art supplies to arm a kindergarten class. I like to scrutinize the supply drawers like I do the shelves at record stores, proud and a little overwhelmed that such a bounty of resources exists near me.
Others have also caught on over the years, Scott said. A fundraiser last month raised thousands, and soon the shop will reopen its mezzanine as a gallery. Its first exhibition will be on Feb. 7 for the district’s First Fridays showcase.
“To see it become this sort of home base [or] nexus for people living the art life is very thrilling to me,” Scott said. “Because that’s a hard life to live. If we can make it a little easier … that’s pretty wonderful.”
At the foot of the staircase that leads to the mezzanine and artist studios is a large community message board. On one side is a prompt: “What does ReCreative mean to you?”
Dozens of answers are written on sticky notes tacked on to the wall:
“An inspirational destination,” reads one note. “The opportunity to try … then try again,” reads another, followed by a smiley face. One is a phrase I’ve used to refer to something that brought me comfort: “Reminds me of my mom!”
One note sticks with me most of all. “I can afford to make art now!!!” it says in sloppy handwriting, the last two words underlined for even more emphasis.
This store should not be such a revelation in a world where material goods continue to accumulate, much of them never used and even more ending up as pure waste. ReCreative stands out not just for recognizing this but also for keeping prices low in a way that actually makes art affordable and accessible for all.
ReCreative helped reawaken my long-dormant creativity, which I promise to you is inherent in all of us. Let the hall of art supplies runneth over.
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After taking a 3-2 series deficit, the Denver Nuggets picked up a huge Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to keep their season alive and force a Game 7.
The Nuggets are in a challenging spot heading into Game 7, as they have played more games than any other team this postseason, and it is starting to show. Heading into Sunday’s Game 7, the Nuggets have listed two key players on their injury report.
The Nuggets have listed both Jamal Murray and Russell Westbrook on the injury report for their win-or-go-home Game 7. Westbrook has been listed as probable for Sunday’s game due to a right hand sprain.
Westbrook came out firing in the second round against his former team, scoring 18 and 19 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively. Since then, Westbrook has cooled down, averaging just 6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists through the last four games with 25.7/16.7/62.5 shooting splits.
Even through his offensive struggles, the Nuggets have desperately needed their 36-year-old point guard as a bench spark with hustle plays and defensive intensity.
Many fans have taken to social media to react to Westbrook’s new status for Sunday’s Game 7.
“No way Russ sits out this game,” one fan commented.
“We know Russ playing until he physically can’t,” another fan said.
“He not missing this,” a fan replied.
The Nuggets and Thunder are set to face off in Oklahoma City for Game 7 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET, and Denver is certainly hoping that Westbrook is good to suit up.
After their win against the South Pittsburgh Hooligans, the Denver Highlanders are advancing to the final four in the DIII USA Club Rugby XVs National Championships.
CBS Colorado caught up with Derek Smith and the rest of the team at practice this week as they prepare to face off against the Scottsdale Blues Saturday at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis.
CBS
“Once we won the championship for Rocky Mountain Rugby, I was like [exhale] ‘There’s a chance,’” said Smith. “I didn’t work this hard just to get second.”
He said there are a lot of great teams in Colorado, but the Highlanders’ mix of younger and more experienced players has been doing particularly well this season. Smith himself is a seasoned rugby player.
“I played football in high school. I played football at a small college,” said Smith. “But then I found the sport of rugby, [and] I’m like, ‘Oh, I can still hit people, and legally, and don’t have to play American football anymore? I can just play rugby? All I need’s a mouthpiece? That’s great!’”
CBS
There are a lot of reasons he loves the game. Smith said rugby combines the continuity of soccer with the contact of American football. American football and rugby have more in common than some might realize.
Smith explained, “So, historically, the reason it’s called a touchdown in football [is], in rugby, you have to touch the ball down to score a ‘try.’” A try is scored when the ball is grounded in the opposition’s in-goal area.
Another thing Smith loves is the respect the players have for each other.
He said, “The most respect, typically, [is given] to the referees. We don’t talk back. We say ‘thank you, yes sir, no sir,’ and that’s what I love about it. It’s the idea of respect for us and the other people playing the sport. Because we pay money to beat each other up.”
CBS
After certain infringements, or when the ball is unplayable, players will pack closely together with their heads down in what’s called a ‘scrum,’ attempting to gain possession of the ball. Smith said it’s important to have a good ‘sir’ to keep things safe.
“Sometimes the older guys that have been doing it a while, they try to get away with some stuff to be cheeky, if you will. So, you have to have a good ‘sir,’ or referee, that’s really kind of watching that scrum to make sure we keep it up and they keep it safe,” he said.
“And the scrum. They call it the ‘dark arts.’ It’s one big man hug. So, those guys in the front, the ‘props,’ they’re just trying to push each other back straight,” Smith explained.
CBS
Smith said this may be his last year, and he’s been training hard.
“I’ve been training for this, you know, working out in my classroom as a school teacher, and the kids think I’m crazy. I guess I am a little bit,” he said with a laugh. “Forty-two years old, two small kids, this is my last go full-time, so I’d love to go out on top.”
Saturday’s game starts at 8:30 a.m. MST and will stream live on the Mid-America Rugby Union YouTube channel. The winner of Saturday’s match-up will face the winner of the game between the Columbia Rhinos and the Rocky Gorge on Sunday.
A crash involving a Regional Transportation District bus and another vehicle near Havana Street and 47th Avenue in Denver caused serious injuries and blocked traffic Friday morning, police say.
The crash on the border between Denver’s Montbello and Central Park neighborhoods had closed both directions of Havana and westbound 47th when it was announced by police at 6:46 a.m. Denver7 reported that the bus was operated by RTD, and there were two passengers and a driver inside at the time of the crash.
Denver police did not immediately respond to questions about the circumstances of the crash and the number and extent of injuries.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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