The Sol Shine
Want a palm reading? How about an outfit for Red Rocks? You can find both at Sol Shine. This nontraditional boutique focuses on empowerment and healing and has a wide selection of related products. Sol Shine also features a Goddess Den, where you can attend meditations, psychic readings, and workshops.
3631 W. 32nd Ave.
El Camino Community Tavern
For delicious Mexican fare and the best happy hour in the Highlands, try this tavern. At brunch, grab a $2 mimosa or a $4 man-osa (beer, hot sauce, and lime juice). Happy hour eats include shishito peppers and green chili nachos, and the wide array of drinks hover around $5 each. El Camino donates a portion of its proceeds to local schools and uses as many locally sourced ingredients as possible.
3628 W. 32nd Ave.
Novo Coffee
Novo is your new go-to for immaculate latte art, delicious coffee, and a great selection of beer and wine. Novo’s menu is smaller (read: much less overwhelming) than that of a typical chain coffee shop. Take a shopping break, grab an iced coffee, and sit on the patio. 3617 W. 32nd Ave.
The Perfect Petal
This premier floral shop offers a wide array of flowers and succulents; it even has a DIY Succulent Bar where you can create your own botanical masterpiece. The boutique portion of the store showcases an impressive selection of novelty items, drinkware, home decor, crystals, and jewelry. And, with the floral scents wafting from the cooler in back, it’s got to be the best-smelling boutique in town.
3600 W. 32nd Ave., Suite B
Dragonfly Apparel
One of our favorite boutiques in Denver, Dragonfly has a wide array of moderately priced jeans, shorts, tops, sweaters, and dresses, as well as a lovely selection of lingerie and jewelry. If you’re looking for your next eye-catching outfit, ask owner Allison for help; she has a marvelous ability to find just the right styles for your figure and taste.
3615 W. 32nd Ave.
Sweet Cow
Sweet Cow Ice Cream has been a Highlands staple for the last six years—it’s packed in the summer, and if you’ve ever tried their ice cream, you know why. Sweet Cow has a rotating menu, but we recommend their most popular, cookies’n’cream, served year-round.
3475 W. 32nd Ave.
Vert Beauty
The meticulous shelves here are lined with natural, non-toxic beauty and skincare products. Vert carries 44 brands, including Coola, Kjaer Weis, ILIA. and Jane Iredale. It also offers waxing, facials and green beauty consultations. Consultations start at $25 and include makeup tutorials, info on green beauty products, and a skincare assessment. Vert also hosts workshops, yoga classes, and more.
3442 W. 32nd Ave.
West Side Books
The first thing you’ll notice when you walk into this sprawling used bookstore is the nostalgic old-book smell. It’s enormous and well-stocked; if there’s a book you’re looking for, you can probably find it here. Even if you’re not in the market for a particular book, it’s fun to make your way through the store’s winding paths, overflowing boxes, and haphazard bookshelves.
3434 W. 32nd Ave.