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We all have that friend who prefers page-turners to people and spends more time on Goodreads than Facebook. Since they surely already have a bedside table stacked with books, we’ve rounded up 10 local gifts that will leave your literary pals feeling seen—without adding to their TBRs.
From cozy loungewear sets to a private bookstore experience, here’s what we’re buying our bookish loved ones this year.
Book Wallets
It’s not exactly practical to tote around a copy of your favorite tome all the time, but these book wallets ($36) from Fort Collins–based online shop the Crowded Bookshelf are small enough to fit in your pocket. Customize the vegan leather pouches with a cover of one of the classics (Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights) or a nod to a more recent read (like the Burn Book from Mean Girls). No matter which genre you choose, all wallets have four card slots, a cash flap, and a coin pocket. Available online
Date Night at Petals & Pages
If your lit lover is the kind that fantasizes about hiding in the bookstore bathroom so they can have the place all to themselves after hours, consider gifting them this one-of-a-kind experience at Petals & Pages to save them from committing a B and E. The Santa Fe Arts District bookstore’s date night experience ($125) gives you and your boo private use of the shop for 90 minutes—just enough time to spend the $30 gift card that’s included and complete a scavenger hunt while sipping on an alcoholic (or zero-proof) beverage. Customize your evening by adding a bouquet-making, terrarium-building, or paint-and-sip session for $50. Reserve online
Enchanted Garden Luxury Stationery Set
All that page-turning might inspire your loved one to pick up a pen themselves. Give them the tools they need to craft their own magnum opus (or to just start sending you letters) with this Enchanted Garden Luxury Stationery Set ($49) from Denver’s only brick-and-mortar paperie, Wordshop. The West Highland store carries all sorts of custom cards, invitations, and goods for the wordsmiths in your world, but our go-to gift is this forest green and floral stationery set with 20 gold-foil-stamped writing sheets, envelopes, and a gold beveled ballpoint pen. Available online and at Wordshop (3180 Meade St., Denver)
Be a Good Person Signature Hoodie and Joggers
Since its founding in 2015, Be a Good Person (BAGP) has been on a simple mission to share the power of positivity. And the RiNo-based company has attracted big-name collaborators—including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Lululemon, and even the Denver Broncos—along the way. While your reader will love relaxing in any one of BAGP’s sweat sets, we have a soft spot (get it?) for the colorful signature hoodie ($120) and signature black joggers ($66) duo. Available online
Colorado Wildflower Mug
Before Lynette Errante can sit down to craft the handmade ceramic mugs ($43) on her Etsy shop, Sunshiney Creations, she has to go for a stroll around her hometown of Boulder. It’s a crucial step in her creative process, because it’s how she sources the native foliage and wildflowers featured in her artwork. After plucking a few plants, Errante presses them into wet clay to leave an impression. The result? A unique vessel that nods to the natural beauty of the Centennial State and can hold enough coffee to get your giftee through the next chapter. Available online and in-store at the New Local (741 Pearl St., Boulder) and Mojave & Tejon Dry Goods (2436 W. 44th Ave., Denver)
Sundance Sheepskin & Leather Slide Slippers
The Anderson family has been making plush products out of their headquarters in Guffey (a tiny town 1.5 hours west of Colorado Springs) for more than 50 years, sourcing their extra-thick sheepskins from ranches around the American West. Their leather-soled slippers, slides, and moccasins are perfect for the homebodies on your holiday shopping list. Go with classic, natural leather ($109) for the traditionalist, or opt for the deluxe slides ($134), which feature a two-tone suede toe cap design that adds both flair and durability. Available online or at Sundance’s shop (1111 Riverpark Road, Buena Vista)
Tree Line Candle Co. Colorado Collection
Consider giving the gift of the outdoors to your beloved bookworm—because let’s be honest, when the next A Court of Thorns and Roses book comes out, she won’t be leaving the house. Engineer Jeremy Gilsdorf started making these topographically accurate 3D candles of well-known Colorado mountains back in 2017. Today, the company is owned by a Steamboat Springs couple and has expanded to include peaks all around the world. You could wrap up your recipient’s favorite ski resort (Keystone, Steamboat Springs), that fourteener they climbed (Mt. Bierstadt), or even their neighborhood hills (Ken Caryl). With more than 60 different mountains in the Colorado Collection ($35 each), you’re bound to find one that resonates with your reader. Available online
North Drinkware Maroon Bells Blanket
Name a better duo than blankets and books. We’ll wait. This massive wool blanket ($195) from North Drinkware is 64 by 80 inches long, meaning absolutely no piggies will be poking out. But what makes this a Colorado couch staple is the topographical map of the Maroon Bells. A portion of proceeds from each blanket goes to the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies via 1% for the Planet. Available online
Ku Cha House of Tea Taste of the Rockies Gift Box
Rong Pan and her husband, Qin Liu, the owners of Boulder-based Ku Cha House of Tea, have been charming Coloradans with their high-quality global tea blends for more than 20 years. While you can find practically any flavor at Ku Cha, we’re partial to the Taste of the Rockies ($37): a collection of six teas inspired by the couple’s adopted home. Featuring a mix of herbal, black, chai, and green teas, this collection is a warm hug from the Centennial State that goes well with tales set anywhere. Available online and at Ku Cha House of Tea stores
Less is More Mountain Hanging Planter
A reading corner isn’t complete without a plant friend to share in the dog-earing. So help your reader spruce up their nook with a handmade hanging planter (starting at $45) from Michelle Silverstein and Mike Blume, the duo behind the Denver ceramic studio Less is More. Choose from three glaze colors that complement the modern mountain design and pair with your favorite cascading plant for a living gift. Available online
