The 11 Best Indie Bookstores on the Front Range
- Apr 23
- 2 min read
If your idea of a good Colorado weekend is hiking stacks of books instead of, say, red rock, we got you. But instead of pulling up to a publicly owned monstrosity (or swiping through that app), consider paying a visit to one of the Denver metro area’s top indie shops, where mazes of lit marinating in the sweet smell of paper usher you in and invite you to stay a while.
Best for: The aesthetic bookworm
Address: 1413 Larimer St., Denver (LoDo)
This darling new book nook in Larimer Square hasn’t even celebrated its official grand opening, and it’s already amassed piles of praise. Named after owner Paige Dungan’s favorite Eugene Fields poem, Little Blue Pigeon is a light-filled space seemingly plucked right from a storybook. Denver-based mural duo Lupine Designs painted scenes from beloved children’s tales (think: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Frog and Toad, and Winnie-the-Pooh) in a blue-and-white toile for the back wall.
Although you won’t find endless aisles to wander like the big-box bookstores, Little Blue Pigeon is all about curation—which is why Dungan has enlisted the help of her patrons to pick her inventory. University of Colorado Denver students suggested titles for the manga sections, while avid romance and fantasy readers helped Dungan select popular books to fill those genres’ shelves. The shop’s social calendar is as full as its bookcases. Dungeon Crawler Carl author Matt Dinniman swung by the shop just last week to sign copies of his latest release. Be on the lookout for upcoming free family storytimes, author talks, craft nights (tote bags, flower arranging, sticker bars), and more.
Our best tip: Don’t skip the bookish merch. The tables are full of custom hats, beautiful notebooks, and our personal favorite, silky pajamas covered in books and espresso martinis from Denver-based Storylines by Sav.
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