Business Extra, July 4

Marisa Ware

Thursday, July 3, 2008

LoliGrrl jewelry

LoliGrrl jewelry

Edible Front Range

LoliGrrl

* "Jewelry for the Lolita in you"

Price: $5-$50

Where you can get it: loligrrl.etsy.com, gallery shows

Business owners: Jenny Foust

Location: Denver

Tidbits: Foust is well aware that some women would rather have their jewelry stand out than blend in.

"I feel that so much jewelry looks alike," Foust said. "Women want more of a variety; they want something unique and interesting."

Foust's style ranges from flashy and trendy couture to lace pieces evocative of the Victorian or Gothic eras. Her original, eye-catching work manages to be both delicate and dynamic, alluding to the power and grace of the feminine.

"Mostly it's stuff that I would want to see," Foust said. "I think, 'If I were going to an upscale bar, what would I want to wear?' Or, 'If I were wearing a ball gown, what would look good?' "

Foust has found much of her inspiration in European jewelry, which she describes as "180 degrees different."

While living north of Venice, Italy, for eight months, Foust collected many of the materials she has been working with, such as Austrian crystal, glass beads, metal charms and Venetian lace.

"I started making jewelry for friends and family as a hobby and everyone told me, 'You should sell your stuff,' " Foust said. "I finally decided to knuckle down and do it. Right now, I just want to see where it goes."

For more information: loligrrl.etsy.com

Edible Front Range

* Quarterly magazine celebrating the abundance of local, seasonal food

Price: free

Where you can get it: Denver Public Library, Whole Foods, Wild Oats and other like-minded businesses

Business owner: Lynne Eppel

Location: Boulder

Tidbits: Eppel has farming in her blood. Her great-grandfather left his job as a miner in Colorado to raise his family on a farm in New Jersey, where they stuck it out through the Depression growing vegetables and raising chickens and cows.

"That's how my mom grew up and my upbringing had a lot of love and respect for those basic things," Eppel said.

She is now publisher and editor of Edible Front Range, a magazine that aims to connect Coloradans with the local farmers who supply their food.

"The idea is to showcase the farmers, the cheese-makers and all these small independent businesses that are really trying to do good in their communities and make a living providing people with really honest, good food," Eppel said.

The pages are filled with stories about ranchers, chefs and food artisans; local events and news; and scores of delectable recipes.

"Cooking and recipes are a big part of our history," said Eppel, who was a chef for 10 years. "They reflect our heritage, our ethnicity and where we are now."

For more information: ediblefrontrange.com