This summer, two recent business additions to the West 29th Marketplace are excited to continue welcoming local residents.
Anne’s a la Mode
Since 2019, Amanda and Mark Crisman have established themselves as part of the Denver-area pie scene’s upper crust. Each summer, they haul around “Sweetie Pie,” a 1969 Yellowstone Canned Ham trailer turned mobile bakery, to several local festivals, where they serve “Cups-o-Cobbler” with ice cream among other things. Their habanero-peach cobbler won the Governor’s Plate award at the 2022 state fair. Now, these pie experts have added to their arsenal a permanent home in Wheat Ridge.
“When this space became available, we just knew it was perfect,” Amanda said of their West 29th storefront. Anne’s began operating there in January of this year, and Amanda says they love the location and their neighbors.
Anne’s first began operating when Amanda’s mother, Barbara, identified a market gap – there was nowhere nearby to get a slice of pie and scoop of ice cream.
“My mom just wanted to get pie and ice cream. ‘There’s a shortage.’ And my parents don’t mess around, they move fast. Within a couple months, they had found a little vintage trailer, we started experimenting with recipes and we just jumped in.”
In addition to the award winning habanero-peach cobbler, Amanda enjoys experimenting with other unconventional combinations. Her favorite pie on the Anne’s menu is the apple with green chilies and white cheddar.
While Anne’s new Wheat Ridge location continues to gather steam, Sweetie Pie is well-booked for many festivals this summer, including Evergreen’s Summerfest and Big Chili, Lone Tree’s summer concert series, and more.
Amanda plans to begin hosting live music at their Wheat Ridge location, and she also hopes to start opening their kitchen to the public. Stay updated on these and more by following Anne’s a la Mode on Facebook and Instagram.
Flair-Do For Hair
The second most recent addition to the West 29th Marketplace is Flair-Do, a long-standing Lakewood institution which found its new home in Wheat Ridge last fall.
Caroline Ryan, owner since 2019, places special emphasis on compassion and caring for the salon’s clientele, the majority of whom are senior citizens. This mindful touch was perhaps most obvious during the COVID pandemic, when customers were nervous and regulations were tight.
“We were taking every measure that you could imagine,” says Ryan. “We were doing everything by the book because we knew our age group of people and we wanted to keep them safe.” Their caution earned them the title of “Safest Salon in Town.”
Ryan says that even though her team’s income dropped and the salon’s capacity diminished during COVID, everyone on the Flair-Do team stuck it out and pushed through hard times.
“I realized that everyone came back to work because it was their passion. It was their caring nature.”
After half a year in its new location, initially hesitant long-term customers have begun to feel at home in Wheat Ridge.
“Flair-Do was in the old neighborhood since 1968. I had a lot of people who said that the new location wasn’t close enough, that they wouldn’t be able to make it over here,” says Ryan. “Well, they’re over here now.”
As with Crisman, Ryan says that she loves her new neighbors at the marketplace. “We’ve got sandwiches, pies, poultry, all kinds of goodies here. It’s kind of a one-stop shop.”
Flair-Do offers many services including barber duties, coloring service, perms, manicures and pedicures. They even offer permanent waves, a popular service of theirs since “a lot of salons don’t even do that anymore.” See all of Flair-Do’s services and schedule an appointment at flairdohair.com.
