Home Care In Denver, CO

The Denver Metro Area is loaded with spooky costume stores, so finding the perfect Halloween wardrobe is easy. Most folks begin shopping in early October, although most stores begin rolling out their Halloween merchandise by September.

Halloween is a huge event for a lot of Coloradans. In the weeks leading up to this annual fright fest on October 31st, spider webs, pumpkins, and spooky goblins begin to appear. People take pride in their costumes, often researching for hours and browsing from store to store. The Mile High haunted houses start to freak out visitors once in September as well, usually once fall hits.

To ease your search for the perfect costume, here’s a list of stores in Denver that you can raid to achieve the wildest of transformations. No matter what your preferences are, you will surely find what you’re looking for in these stores.

Here are the top costume shops in Denver, CO, in no particular order:

Spirit Halloween Store

Considered the largest supplier of all of your Halloween needs, Spirit Halloween has more than 1000 stores across the continent. In Denver alone, they have about 20. This superstore of sorts provides an overabundance of Halloween items and costumes, ranging from Gaming, TV, and Movie characters to even the most famous political personalities on the planet.

They also have outdoor decor, digital decor, and even fog machines. Other offerings can go as wide as creating your own costume, and spooky game boards such as Ouija and animatronics. Surely, imagination has no limit in Spirit Halloween.

Want a stand-out costume to wear at some Halloween party without hurting your pocket? Then Goodwill has your back. With nearly 30 locations in Denver, Goodwill offers an array of unique, slightly-used Halloween costumes, accessories, and decorations for a much lower price than most competitors. You can also find great pieces that you can put together to create your outfit.

But that is not the best part yet – Goodwill supports the local community by donating a big fraction of every dollar spent at their stores to Denver’s Career Development Programs. Not only were you able to celebrate the Halloween season without spending too much, but you were also able to help change lives. After all, why spend a lot on something you’d only use for a day?

Arc Thrift Store

The name says it all – with 25 branches all across Denver, Arc Thrift Store is another great option for people who want to stay practical this coming Halloween season. Billions are expected to be spent by millions of Americans for this year’s Halloween, so it’s a good season to be thrifty.

With Arc, you can save and shop with a purpose. Being a non-profit organization, all of the proceeds go to ACL chapters in different communities. Not only that, they have discounts on select days of each week, so you can probably show off a killer Halloween outfit for just a few dollars. Halloween should be terrifying, but price tags shouldn’t. We can all agree to this, right?

Want to sport that Punk Goth look this Halloween? Then head over to this store. We all have always known how gothic Halloween costumes never fail to impress and freak us out. Situated in South Broadway, this is the go-to place for folks who want to channel the dark and the mysterious.

FashioNation provides the best in both plain and printed jackets, hoodies, sweaters, skirts, and pants. They also have accessories to make you look more forbidding, such as boots, belts, and studs & spikes. Try something sinister and extremely fascinating this year with FashioNation!

Disguises Costume Superstore

Another superstore of sorts, Disguises is a consistently strong contender and top-notch in the category. Having 16,000 square feet of shopping space for people of all types and ages, Disguises boasts an unbelievably enormous amount of costumes and accessories of superb quality.

Not to worry about shopping or renting in a store this big, as they have staff, all trained and creative enough to give you expert advice regarding your Halloween outfit woes. Theatrical costumes, wigs, props, makeups, novelties… they certainly have whatever you might need to be your own master of disguise. Just name it and they will surely have it.

Are you a fan of fictional universes such as Middle-earth? Have you always been enchanted by castles and magic spells as a kid? If you answered yes to both, then look no further! Situated at 451 Broadway, The Wizard’s Chest offers more than just costumes and accessories. Expect your inner child to spring up once you enter this ginormous, 16,000-square-foot castle.

Inside, you will not only see a profusion of top-grade outfits, but you will also be astonished by their in-house magicians, hands-on play environments, and loads of games and toys. Unlike other stores, The Wizard’s Chest is open daily and, as such, holds weekly events and tournaments. This is, by all means, a great place to be, not just for Halloween but for other seasons as well.

Fun Services, Inc.

Fun Services, Inc. is a full-service business that helps bring special occasions to life. But do not fret yet – if you do not need a whole bunch of party equipment, they also have a party store that offers a wide selection of Halloween costumes, wigs, face paints, decorations, and other fun stuff.

Whether you’re just attending or organizing your own Halloween party, they will surely fill in every detail. Factor in the reasonable prices and all the reliable and knowledgeable staff to help you out in your selection process, your first store visit absolutely won’t be your last.

What just started as a haunted attraction business is now one of Denver’s best costume shops ever built. Going by the catchphrase “It’s not just a store… It’s an adventure!”, Reinke Brothers not only provides a massive inventory of the coolest costumes and accessories year-round but also offers the public a haunted mansion.

Sadly, as of this writing, their haunted mansion is still going through some serious renovation. The store remains open, though, to provide customers with only the best of the best. Look no further, as they have an armory full of Hollywood-quality costumes, wigs, makeup, special effects, and a lot more here. Whether you are an adult or a kid, they have got you covered.

If you have already thought of who you want to be this coming Halloween, you are in for a great treat. What’s in store for you? Gott-A-Costume offers a diverse, impressive collection of pre-packaged outfits—from Disney princesses and Marvel/DC superheroes to non-mascot characters such as pirates, cavemen, and cowboys.

They also have fancy accessories such as tights and glasses, and even toy weapons! This shop is the perfect hunting ground for the not-so-diligent in sourcing and putting different pieces of articles together. If you want to play with your creativity, you can also choose from their wide selection of hats, boots, makeup, wigs, hairspray, and prosthetics.

So there we are. You have probably found what to wear this Halloween, that killer costume. But you’re thinking, maybe it needs a little push to stand out from the rest? That’s when makeups enter the scene. Makeup Mania candidly sets itself apart from the rest of the entries in this list, as it specializes in makeup.

But they’re not just simple makeup… this shop offers premium-grade products used by most movie and television professionals. If ever you’re planning on bringing to life the spookiest creature or character this Halloween, then don’t leave home without crafting your face.

Thanks for checking out our list of top places to shop for Halloween costumes and decorations around Denver. Happy Halloween in the Mile High City! Don’t forget to check out some of the haunted places around Colorado during this frightening time of year.

Take a look around at the license plates in your neck of the woods, and you’ll know this to be true: People from all over the country flock to Denver. And we don’t have to tell you why. Cough, abundant sunshine, sensational restaurants and bars, a vibrant arts and music scene, and cutting-edge businesses, cough. There is a lot to love about the Mile High City lifestyle—not to mention our proximity to those oh-so-appealing Rocky Mountains.

What’s less obvious is exactly where to settle down. Our sixth annual top neighborhoods list is here to help. We evaluated all 78 official Denver neighborhoods through our livability formula (see “The Process,” below), which takes into account home values, school quality, safety, and those distinctive aspects that set a place apart like its cultural offerings, food access, bike-ability, open spaces, and more.

Last year, our 2024 list saw a few surprising ’hoods among the top 25, due in large part to a brutal housing market with high interest rates, fewer buyers, and plummeting home prices. While still somewhat turbulent, the housing market has rebounded such that our 2025 list features many of the usual suspects. A few trendy ’hoods, like Capitol Hill and Speer, return to the ranks this year, and wealthy hamlets are on the rise: Eleven of the top 25 boast an average home price over $1 million.

Whether you can afford one of those or you’re on the hunt for a more humble abode, our guide to Denver’s best neighborhoods can help you home in on where to put down roots—and how to enjoy yourself once you’re there.

The Process

Here’s how we create our annual 25 Best Neighborhoods list.

Our ranking is based on four variables: home prices, crime data, school rankings, and an X factor score that accounts for things that can’t be as easily quantified, such as access to open space, public transportation, and restaurants and shops. Each category is weighted: 30 percent for year-over-year percentage change in home values; 25 percent for safety; 15 percent for neighborhood school ratings; and 30 percent for the X factor. Our initial list of 78 neighborhoods (which was whittled down to 76, as you’ll read below) is based on the city of Denver’s official map. That’s why you won’t see areas like LoHi or RiNo listed; officially, they’re not considered their own neighborhoods, despite what locals might say.

The head of Colorado’s COVID-19 response resigned two days after the state put him on leave this summer while it investigated an apparent sexual harassment allegation.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment didn’t publicly announce the departure of Scott Bookman, one of the agency’s top-ranking officials.

An archived version of the department’s leadership page from July 17 listed him as senior director for public health readiness and response, one of nine core officials working under Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan. The page no longer lists anyone in that role.

A letter that the state health department provided to The Denver Post under a Colorado Open Records Act request showed Ryan informed Bookman that he had been placed on paid administrative leave July 23 pending completion of an investigation.

The health department redacted a portion of the letter that placed Bookman on leave, obscuring any explanation of what officials were investigating.

Bookman resigned July 25, with a four-sentence email to Ryan saying he needed to focus on unspecified challenges facing his family.

“It has been an absolute honor to work for the Polis administration and I’m incredibly proud of the work that we did throughout the pandemic,” he wrote.

When asked on what grounds they redacted that information, the health department officials cited an exemption in the state’s open records law that allows agencies to withhold complaints and investigations related to sexual harassment.

The public records staff confirmed they intended to use that exemption, which doesn’t apply to situations that don’t include an allegation of sexual misconduct.

The department’s records unit also confirmed that the state had completed the investigation, but declined to release any information about the allegations or whether the probe found any wrongdoing. Officials haven’t commented on Bookman’s departure, describing it as a personnel matter.

“We are committed to a safe, respectful workplace, and we take all concerns seriously, reviewing them and then acting under our policies and applicable state law,” Department of Public Health and Environment spokeswoman Gabi Johnston said in a statement.

Bookman, who had worked at the health department for six years, didn’t respond to a message left on a phone number listed as his or a note left at his residence. No one answered a message to his former state email address, which didn’t yield a bounceback or information about other ways to contact him.

In a video interview with the Colorado Healthcare Ethics Forum in May 2023, Bookman said he had worked as a paramedic in Denver before earning a master’s degree in emergency management from University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs and briefly running a federally qualified health center in the southwest corner of the state.

He joined the state government in mid-2019 as director of the public health lab and became COVID-19 incident commander in January 2020, he told the ethics forum. The state government’s first online mention of him in that role was in early March 2020.

The incident commander was one of the public faces of the state’s COVID-19 response, with responsibilities that included setting up testing early in the pandemic and monitoring hospital capacity during surges. Bookman regularly appeared at media briefings alongside Gov. Jared Polis and other top public health officials.

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In Denver and Colorado Springs, there’s a new way to gear up for ski season — and save money.

That’s the stated aim of Rocky Mountain Ski Swaps, the Utah-based venture that expanded to Denver last year. Before the Denver Ski Swap on Nov. 14-15 at the Jeffco Fairgrounds, a two-day sale of new and gently used gear will debut Oct. 24 at the Roy J. Wasson Academic Campus in Colorado Springs.

“We want to break down barriers to a sport that can be kind of expensive,” said Jeremy Speaks, representing Rocky Mountain Ski Swaps. That’s for families first and foremost, he said: “We believe a family that plays together stays together.”

“That said, we want to provide the best value to people regardless of their skill level. We’ll have people coming to our swaps that are black diamond skiers, and we’ll have people that are just getting into it.”

The swap will also have people hoping to sell their spare skis, snowboards, boots, bindings and more. Speaks said last year’s first swap in Denver drew about 250 people consigning gear. The seller keeps 75%.

Speaks said another 2,000 or so buyers came to shop between the booths of traveling vendors. “Lots of brands, whether it’s K2, Nordica, Head, Solomon, Volkl, Burton, the list goes on,” he said. “We offer apparel as well — jackets, gloves, hats, you name it. It’s your one-stop shop for everything.”

Such an opportunity seemed to be missing on Colorado’s Front Range, Speaks said: “We saw that there was an absence of a major ski swap really close, and we wanted to see if we could just help families with gearing up for the season.”

In the case of Colorado Springs, he said operators saw the military presence. Service members can get in for free the opening night of the swap, from 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. on that Friday, Oct. 24. (Tickets are otherwise $8 for shoppers.)

“Typically Friday is when you’re gonna catch all those great deals,” Speaks said. “Sometimes you get somebody who has like 10 boards in the garage and they just want to get rid of them, so they price them really low.”

For those consigning, staff is available to help with pricing and tagging from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ahead of the swap that Friday. For those with bulk, Speaks recommended filling out the consignment form in advance, posted along with other information at rockymountainsskiswaps.com. The Colorado Springs swap will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that Saturday, Oct. 25.

The Denver swap will open at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 14, with staff helping sellers between 10 a.m.-3 p.m. beforehand, and continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the following Saturday. Tickets $8.

Welcome to the Denver Gazette’s Metro Moves. You’ll get the latest metro Denver openings, closings, hiring and promotion news here. To submit your company’s news, drop an email to [email protected].

Raices Brewing Co. forced to close

Raices Brewing Co., a Denver brewery on West Colfax Avenue and Interstate 25 near Empower Field, has closed after months of trying to pay back nearly $100,000 in unpaid taxes.

The brewery owners announced last week they had to shut down after getting “unexpected charges” from the City of Denver’s Department of Taxation and the city put a warrant after Raices Brewing couldn’t fulfill its payment plan.

Raices Brewing accumulated about $98,000 in taxes from the Personal Property Tax, which taxes all the furniture and equipment inside of a business between 2019 and 2024, and from penalties and interest from not paying those taxes.

These taxes are separate from the property tax added on to rent, which the brewery said went up from $3,000 to $7,000 from 2023 and 2024.

The brewery began receiving invoices beginning in 2024 for the personal property taxes. Last December, Raices set up a biweekly payment plan with Denver officials to catch up.

“However, the financial impact was considerable, severely affecting our cash flow during the low season — at a time when our industry is still recovering from the global economic challenges of recent years,” the brewery’s farewell note said.

Raices Brewing said while cities may argue these taxes help fund city operations, it’s a “significant burden for small businesses” that have many different types of taxes to pay.

The city attempted several times by phone, email, mail and in person to collect unpaid taxes from Raices Brewery to keep it open, a spokesperson for the City and County of Denver said in a statement to 9News. But Raices Brewing did not fulfill its payment plan.

The city spokesperson also said Raices Brewing owed sales tax and the personal property tax accounted for about 10% of what it owed the city.

“A warrant is only issued after repeated attempts to collect taxes from the business,” the spokesperson said. “It is a last resort that we have sought to avoid for nearly a year in this case.”

New Whole Foods Market opens in Parker

There’s a new Whole Foods Market in the metro Denver area.

Whole Foods Market opened a new store in Parker at 8665 Kings Point Way last Thursday. The grocery chain’s newest location is 43,000 square feet in size and features more than 700 products sourced from Colorado, the company said in a press release.

The Austin-based grocer owned by Amazon now has 23 locations in Colorado with the Parker opening.

The new store opened near the intersection of South Parker Road and E-470.

Whole Foods Market said it gave a “low-interest” loan to SAM+LEO, a Denver-based supplier of gummy vitamins, as part of its wider Lending Program to help finance emerging producers and get them to expand.

“As a Parker resident myself, I’m thrilled to help open the first Whole Foods Market location in this wonderful community,” said Karen Breault, Store Team Leader at Whole Foods Market, in a press release. “This store brings together high-quality ingredients, trusted sourcing and a deep connection to local producers. We’re looking forward to becoming part of the everyday rhythm of the Parker community.”

Cheeseburger slider chain sliding into the Colorado market

Small Sliders, a quickly-growing fast food chain, is expanding to Colorado.

The burger joint is dropping off a shipping container or “can” that will be home to the restaurant on Tuesday in Northglenn, a suburb in the north Denver metro area.

The bright orange and 570-square-foot can will be a drive-thru and walk-up restaurant that serves sliders, hand-tossed fries, homemade queso and milkshakes. It will open at 1831 E. 120th Ave.

It will be Small Sliders’ first spot in Colorado and the company said it plans to expand with 10 locations.

Small Sliders was founded in Louisiana and is financially backed by former NFL quarterback Drew Brees. The chain said it aims to shake the “big burger industry,” according to its website. It has locations across Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

The Northglenn location is set to open in a “few months,” a company spokesperson said.