Shopping - The Arts

When Colorado Springs was founded, it immediately became a haven for high culture in the West—with opera, ballet, classical music, and fine art. Its nickname was “Little London,” and it was well deserved. It’s said that the famous actress, the beautiful Lillie Langtry, once performed here. Actor Lon Chaney Sr. came from here.

Today, the city still boasts a lively arts and culture scene and draws top performers—from the likes of dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich to contemporary artists like Elton John and The Judds. The beautiful Pikes Peak Center is the perfect venue for Broadway touring companies. Small local theater companies include one at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, one in Manitou Springs, and Theatreworks, a professional company based at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, among others. There are choral groups, small musical ensembles, a local dance company, and an exceptional symphony. Classical music found a home here in 1927, with the first professional symphony orchestra (which has been through several incarnations, but has never been abandoned). Dance theater also has had a foothold here for many years, with such famous performers as Martha Graham appearing in local venues. Opera, too, has a small but strong following.

Art has been part of the local culture since the Ute Indians left their mark on the red sandstone rocks of Garden of the Gods. The Broadmoor Art Academy started here in the early 20th century and produced such artists as Boardman Robinson. A lovely Art Deco Fine Arts Center was built in 1936, which has expanded several times into the stunning entity it is today. Peanuts comic illustrator Charles Schulz lived here for a time in the early 1950s. Today, in downtown Colorado Springs, you can’t turn a corner without coming face to face with a piece of public art. Half the restaurants and banks in town also are art galleries, with the works of local artists decorating the walls (and which usually are for sale). Art galleries and shows fill the “events” columns of the local newspapers and community calendars. There’s everything from sculpture to paintings, glasswork to pottery, jewelry to fiber arts, and much more.

Shopping

From a shopper’s perspective, Colorado Springs is a little deceiving. The sheer geographic size of the Pikes Peak region could easily lead one to think there must be one great place to shop—a shopping mecca, as it were, like The Galleria in Dallas or South Coast Plaza in southern California. Um . . . not so much.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t good shopping. As long as you’re willing to drive, there are a number of eclectic, cool stores where you can spend some dough or get that special gift.

Most of the unique stores are located either downtown or to the north, west, or south. The more east you go, the more likely stores will be names you recognize. For some reason, we seem to have more than our fair share of big box stores; if you drive Powers Boulevard on the eastern edge of the city, you’ll see a veritable bonanza of the large national chains. The Pikes Peak region also supports various large indoor and outdoor malls and a plethora of strip malls on every side of town. Each of these has what you’d expect: franchises peppered with a few mom-and-pops.

We are an active population, so sports enthusiasts have a lot of choices in brands, type of store, and quality of merchandise. For instance, there are so many (and really good) cycling shops.

What’s interesting is that most of the stores worth mentioning have been around for years—and a lot of them for a number of decades. You’ve got to have something really exceptional going on for a track record like that.