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eat! drink! shop!: Nederland

By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 3, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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It just doesn't seem fair.

In some Denver suburbs you can drive for miles and see nothing but chain restaurants and prepackaged food.

But you walk for two blocks on First Street in Nederland and you have a wealth of dining options, all made fresh, all reasonably priced.

Ned, as the locals call the town, has that ultimate Colorado feel. There are 100-year-old pioneer buildings, mountains all around, wooden sidewalks and the deep-blue Barker Reservoir a few yards down the road.

It's a gorgeous set of businesses that boasts local arts and crafts, watering holes where you feel immediately at home, locals happy to chat, a food co-op filled with exotic flavors and restaurants with food made from scratch, often with local ingredients.

It's the perfect slice of Colorado - rugged yet sophisticated. Why is that?

Here's one theory. "Most of the businesses in this town are owned by women," said Teresa Warren, owner of Off Her Rocker Antiques for 20 years.

Just 17 miles out of Boulder, Ned gets most of its attention for the Frozen Dead Guy celebration and the annual Nedfest music festival. But it's a great day trip for food and shopping. Stroll First Street and soak in the Old West. Early in the 20th century, the street would routinely flood, so the locals piled crushed cars in the street, covered them with dirt and elevated First Street by 15 feet.

The emphasis on local supplies and artists keeps the prices surprisingly reasonable, whether for food, artwork or crystals.

Kathmandu Restaurant

Ressam Guren came to the United States from Nepal in 1989, working as many jobs as it took to open her restaurant in Ned a decade ago. The old place was so jammed that she eventually moved to one of the largest restaurant spaces in town five years ago, making original recipes from scratch with organic ingredients. Ned resident Cynthia Davis has started a music series in the restaurant in the evening.

* Don't miss: The vegetarian entrees and the chicken tikki masala.

* 110 N. Jefferson St., 303-258-1169

Nature's Own

A store full of things you can't spell or pronounce: amethysts, trilobite, diplomystus. Never mind. One of the landmarks of the town, there are more stone and geode creations here than you can look at. Dishes and utensils made of polished onyx are surprisingly affordable for gift-giving.

* Don't miss: The collection of kitschy kids toys and games near the back. Perfect souvenirs for the little ones.

* 5 E. First St., 303-258-3557

Shining Star Cafe

Focusing on breakfast and lunch, Shining Star bakes its own fresh muffins, quiches, pies and more while emphasizing music and community. Owner Shannon McKay reopened the early-1900s building - formerly the Acoustic Coffeehouse - 18 months ago with her fiance. Members of Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, Great American Taxi and other groups have performed. With its 49-person occupancy, "it's you and the band," McKay says. "It's very intimate." A bluegrass pick at 2 p.m. Sundays packs the place.

* Don't miss: The vegetarian biscuits-and-gravy breakfast, which even non-vegetarians like.

* 95 E. First St., shiningstarcafe.com

Bear Brothers Bistro

From reasonably priced sandwiches to full steak dinners, you can do anything from the simple to the sophisticated in this cozy, relatively new little restaurant near Town Hall.

* Don't miss: The lobster bisque, the last thing you'd imagine becoming addicted to this far from an ocean.

* 1 W. First St., 303-258-3737

Pioneer Inn

The most storied business in town, the PI has seen the likes of Stephen Stills, Joe Walsh, the late Dan Fogelberg and more rock stars than you can count perform during Caribou Ranch studios' heyday (Robert Plant merely visits). The place is still a hub of activity, with locals coming in for a cold one and tourists eating where rock-music history happened amid Old West decor. Want to own a piece of that history? After running the place for more than 35 years, owner Bunny Spangler has put the PI up for sale.

* Don't miss: You can't go wrong with the cheeseburgers or the yummy Mexican dishes.

* 15 E. First St., 303-258-7733, myspace.com/thepioneerinn

Wild Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery

Owner Tom and Cori Boogaard banked on Tom's background in microbreweries and a gorgeous piece of land. The brewery sits on the creek with a view of the Eldora ski area at one end and Barker Reservoir at the other. With an emphasis on family dining, the place serves up a slew of smoked meats, veggie dishes and five sauces from regions of the country. Occasional live music makes the mountain experience and the four fresh-brewed beers that much better.

* Don't miss: The Buffalo chicken wings, marinated, smoked and made to order.

* 70 E. First St., 303-258-9453

Blumens

Flower-shop owner Kristen Barnett specializes in growing plants for Nederland's elevation and weather conditions. The plants you buy are from local growers, which will ensure that your high-country gardening won't be in vain. It's also the only full-service floral delivery available for many mountain towns. Like other owners, she supports local artists, with handblown glass, handmade pottery, iron artwork and more.

* Don't miss: The chocolates. Enough said.

* 4 E. First St., 303-258-3707, www.blumens.com

Mother's Earth Gallery

"It's mother's Earth, we are merely visitors," is owner Susane Thomas' motto. The artisan co-operative attracts a variety of local artists who create stained glass, mosaics, metal artwork, handmade musical instruments and other pieces. Thomas also offers stained-glass workshops. Ned has a 3-1 ratio of dogs to humans, so there are snacks for both on the gallery counter. Incredibly, with up to five dogs in the store at a time, Thomas hasn't lost a single glass piece.

* Don't miss: The chance to hang out front and listen to music piped out of the store, ranging from local artists to Caribou Ranch superstars.

* 25 E. First St., 303-258-8500

One Brown Mouse

With 17 local artists contributing, owner Kathleen Chippi has an array of glass art, silver, stone, paintings, reclaimed-wood picture frames and her own custom-designed hats and jeans. Visitors to the shop, open since July 4, are looking for Colorado-made products. "We want to promote keeping the money in the neighborhood," Chippi says.

* Don't miss: The array of hemp jewelry.

* 35 E. First St., 303-258-0633, onebrownmouse.com

Mountain People's Co-op

* 30 E. First St., 303-258-7500

* Don't miss: soups and salads, all made fresh daily

Story7

First Street Grill and Pub

This is where the Wild West went down. "There are bullet holes down here and in our ceiling," owner Lisa Plank says, pointing to the floor behind the bar. A variety of music in the pub, which Plank bought four years ago, includes national acts on the weekend, an open-mic night and a hip-hop night with local artists. "In fact, one of the artists is in the kitchen," Plank says. All the food is fresh and homemade.

* Don't miss: The perfect cheeseburgers and the back deck.

* 35 E. First St., 303-258-0782

Off Her Rocker Antiques

This 112-year-old building was one of the first in Ned. Owner Teresa Warren packs the shop - known as the Trading Post for many years - with antiques, local art, teak furniture made from old wooden ships, jewelry, books and history. "We're a bit eccentric and eclectic up here," she said. When she told her husband, Brent, she was opening the store 20 years ago, he told her she was off her rocker. "I said, 'Thank you.' I needed a good name for the store." Brent Warren's own art is displayed in the store along with other local artists' work.

* Don't miss: The jewelry case for reasonably priced one-of-a-kind pieces.

* 4 E. First St. 303-258-7976

Rustic Moose

Owner Wendy Beggs has lived in Ned for 20 years, but it was five years ago that she took this building (a movie theater at one point, a post office at another) and opened a fly-fishing shop. That eventually evolved into a gift shop with T- shirts, local crafts and a selection of jewelry.

* Don't miss: The rustic home accessories, many Colorado-made, for cabin or home.

* 26 E. First St., 303-258-3225

Parking:

There's a large parking lot near Town Hall, as well as plentiful street parking.

A co-op grows to gourmet proportions

It started simply as a way to buy cheap cheese and big bags of flour.

Now the Mountain People's Co-op boasts 400 paid members and has a First Street store packed with fine foods, fruits, meat and supplies.

In 1979 they formed a buying club for residents who wanted to buy affordable food in bulk because stores back then were few and far between.

"We grew with the community," said founder Jan Bishop.

For the past 12 years, the co-op has featured freshly made entrees, breakfast, soup and sandwiches - all prepared on-site. The co-op, located in an old Lion's Club building, is also a full-service grocery where you can buy varieties of flour in bulk and healthy staples. It's popular with tourists for the grab-and-go food, and locals are fixtures as well.

"Back then the rock shop was the only grocery store in town, just a little mountain grocery," Bishop said.

"This is a great place to shop if you're going to go hiking. We're kind of an oasis - a place to stop to grab to-go food, get drinks."

Though it resembles a regular grocery store these days, Mountain People's is still a fully functioning food cooperative with a board of directors and bylaws and staffed by volunteers.

"In general, you can do your weekly shopping here. We sell chicken and meat and buffalo, all that," Bishop said. "Plus it's a sense of community here that you don't get when you shop in another store. A lot of people who move to town will come here to start meeting people."

* 30 E. First St., 303-258-7500

* Don't miss: soups and salads, all made fresh daily

Comments

  • August 5, 2008

    5:39 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    sunkingchainsawart writes:

    Next time you visit Nederland please remember to visit the shops on 2nd Street. There are four of us and we would love to show you around, they include The Artists Niche, this is a co-op of local artists and they are always looking for new works to display. The Gallery and Magnolia Pottery, Jacquies Pottery and Sun King Chainsaw Art where any given day of the week you can actually watch as Jon Parker creates woodland creatures from various types of wood all with a chainsaw.

    Thank-you for your time and the wonderful article on our beautiful town of Nederland.

    Mary Parker
    Sun King Chainsaw Art
    45 East 2nd Street
    Nederland, Co. 80466
    303-258-7494

  • August 6, 2008

    12:28 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Mark Brown writes:

    Due to space issues these features have to be very focused - there were some other First Street businesses I visited but had to cut for space. The feeling is that visitors will explore beyond the small territory we focus on. As Mary did above, please feel free to post your business, your website and other things you want readers to know. The print version lasts one day but readers come back to the website when they actually decide to make the trip.

  • September 11, 2008

    1:21 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    starslove writes:

    There are lots of great places to buy amethyst jewelry.

    www.worldgemstonejewelry.com

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