 "Photo: Dan Bollwerk")
Contrary to popular belief, LoDo offers more than mundane bars, pish-posh clubs, and overrated restaurants, all of which receive heavy rotation for the herds.
Finally, the low down on little-known swank joints and what they're bringing: Lannie's Clock Tower Cabaret, Guiry's Color Source (a resource Mecca for everyday artists and those needing an interior design makeover), and Plus Gallery, a cathedral of art so fresh and progressive that it pushes the creative envelope clear off the table.
Step through the doors of Lannie's Clock Tower Cabaret (16th and Lawrence) and step back through time. About 8 decades back to be exact: the waning days of Stetsons and spittoon saloons, where even the chandeliers wore cowboy boots, and the women wore-well they wore more for striptease than they do today.
But the Clock Tower Cabaret does more than shit kickers and burlesque. Check out the Spelling Bee and Quiz Show on Tuesday nights. Pit your wits against local JV celebrities, news anchors, and sports writers with the winner pocketing a cool $50. Sound corny? It is. But try it with a couple (or three) seven and sevens, and it's magic.
Or brave the Wednesday night drag shows where the house Demented Divas take the stage. Thursday nights round out the work week with Naughty Pierre's comedy thing. Fun for the whole family-so long as the family has no children.
If nothing else, there's always the full ranch burlesque show on Saturday nights. And don't even go there, second wavers-Lannie herself stages all the acts. And she's performed with the likes of B.B King, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and the late, great Mr. Ray Charles. Pants or no, Lannie's place is all class.
Guiry's, at 2245 Market St., houses an astonishing array of artsy, handmade housewares. Want a rustic wine rack fashioned in the shape of a penny farthing? Guiry's has got it. How about handmade candle holders designed, decorated, and imported from California's northern wine country. Got that, too. They're just eclectic and domestic like that.
On top of distinctive homey novelties, Guiry's stands ready to help with home decoration, too. An endless catalogue of art supplies, a wealth of wallpaper, and a library of fabric books sure to ensnare the tastes of even the pickiest of decorators await.
Got paint? Guiry's does. With more colors than Crayola, you'll be ready to drive the neighbors to take their own eyes after you paint your house every color in the spectrum.
Can't make Market St.? Don't worry. Guiry's, in operation since 1899, has six other locations in the Denver metro area. Check out their website www.guirys.com.
Ivar Zeile, the owner of Plus Gallery (Lawrence and Broadway), has a vision. Pair respected career artists with emerging visionaries and let brilliance shine. More importantly, Zeile knows how to cater to collectors and coinsurers in want of provocation.
Having housed everything from giant green concrete needles to foreign-language stop signs, the Plus is more than simply the sum of its parts. But that's just par for the course when you open a forward, edgy, underground, uptown gallery next to a homeless shelter. Put simply, the Plus aims to and succeeds at breaking down restrictive boundaries reasserting themselves in contemporary art.
Doors officially reopen this Thursday for the kick-off exhibitions "Discarded" and "Shines Like Ice." Drop by for their opening reception and be the first to see top works from contemporary artists Devon Moore and Ethan Jantzer.
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