FranniePantz: Dear Frannie Friday--Best Local Shops

July 31, 2015

Dear Frannie Friday--Best Local Shops

As you know, this week I've been all about buying local. I love it because I really genuinely feel good after I buy local. Not only am I helping an honest to goodness family out, but small businesses are so accommodating. Most of the time, you get really good deals for the quality of the product. So here are a few of my favorite shops in the NoCo area:

Butcher

I've never actually used a butcher, but when I heard about Your Butcher Frank and looked into the various meat bundles that they offer, I knew this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I remember the building well from when I was a kid, so I know it's been around a WHILE. They have SO much meat and the options for their bundles are vast in variety and price. Not to mention, you can substitute practically any meat in the bundle to match what your family eats. For example, we substituted the bacon (because it is made with sugar and thus not Whole30 compliant) with some ground chicken. And--get this--they also have a deli!

Seafood

I have always loved the idea of loving seafood--it's lean and very good for you. But I just haven't really been able to LOVE seafood. During this Whole30 challenge, however, I am going to push myself to eat more seafood (mostly to appease Patrick's sensitive palette). Blue Reef Seafood Market is located doors down from Your Butcher Frank's place. I went in there looking for halibut and found every possible seafood you could think of--shark, alligator, frog legs, squid and much, much more! And, of course, they did have the usuals--salmon, halibut, shrimp.

Groceries

Of course, the best place to get local and amazing groceries is the Farmer's Market. I've been a long lover of the Farmer's Market. Brielle and I have a Farmer's Market date every Saturday morning. But if you live in a place like Colorado where we don't have seasonally appropriate weather all year, you might not have accessibility to Farmer's Market foods all year long. Second to the Farmer's Market, I usually rely on Door to Door Organics for fresh and local produce. You can also buy meat and other items there too. We get some milk products delivered via Longmont Dairy.

In other words, we usually shop pretty local as it is. But outside of those places, I usually go to Sprouts or King Soopers to fill in my grocery list. This time I opted to go to Natural Grocers. I was surprised to find so much organic and Whole30 compliant foods for even cheaper than the other two grocers there! A big bottle of EVOO for $8? GTFO!!!

Clothes (duh!)

One of the coolest things about getting in the know with Denver Style Magazine is meeting the local designers and boutiques that occupy our great state. Here are a list of a few to check out:

Inspyre Boutique

Whorl Shop

Patterns & Pops

If nothing else, be sure to visit and follow their Instagram accounts for all the cute stuff they have to offer!

Colorado has so much to offer in the way of small businesses and surely your town/state does too! Be sure to check out all of your local shops and help to support a local family!

Scala Sun Hat Review

I was sent the Scala Collezione Sun Hat to review. It has an UPF rating of 50+! I admit, I am horrible at making sure I get sunscreen on myself, so hats are usually my savior when it comes to sun protection. This one has a drawstring inside to adjust to the comfort level of your choosing. The brim can be rolled up or left down for a casual look, as I've done here. It folds up so easily and fits into a beach bag, diaper bag or purse for travel. And it doesn't have those annoying fold lines when you unfold it. I used this one straight out of the mailing box--so it had been folded for a while--and as you can see, it held its shape very well. I will for sure be using this little hat when we have lake days!