Most Estes Park shopping happens on foot along Elkhorn Avenue, and the jewelry and craft shops are where the walking slows down. All 20 listed here are based in the valley. They cover fossils and cut stones, handcrafted silver and gold, Navajo pieces, belt buckles and leather.
If you're taking one thing home, make it something small that somebody shaped by hand. A stone, a bit of silver. Ask who made it. That ring is going to outlast every T-shirt you bought.
Some shops run shorter hours or close midweek in the off season. Call or text before a winter visit.
Downtown
Four generations of fossil and stone dealing stand behind this West Elkhorn shop, a few doors from the Elizabeth Guild Thrift Shop. The cases hold authentic fossils, crystals, precious and semi-precious stones, and handmade jewelry in sterling silver and gold, much of it one of a kind, with earrings and dream catchers in the mix.
On East Elkhorn, next to Fall River Antiques Jewelry and a few doors from Rocket Fizz, this leather shop is mostly about purses. Wallets come next, then hats and gloves, with military-style bags and duffles for anyone shopping for something sturdier.
The hat bars are what set this East Elkhorn boutique apart: one for custom trucker hats, one for western hats, plus a bracelet charm bar and permanent jewelry. It is a souvenir you build rather than pull off a rack, and a decent way to spend part of an afternoon on Elkhorn.
Thousands of belt buckles fill the cases at this West Elkhorn shop, billed as one of the largest collections in the world, maybe the largest. Western, military, trade and profession, initials and big statement pieces are all here, along with current Hesston National Finals Rodeo buckles in the adult and youth editions.
Engagement rings and wedding bands are the reason most people find this studio on West Elkhorn, next to Penelope's and Park Tavern. Village Goldsmith has made fine jewelry here since the 1970s, working in lost wax casting and fabrication, with designs often drawn from the mountains around town.
Carved wooden bears are what people tend to walk out with at Cabin Fever, a small shop on West Elkhorn next to the Danish Cone Factory and Penelope's. The rest of the shelves hold home decor, gifts, handbags and handmade jewelry, the kind of cabin-minded things that suit a place in the hills or a present for someone who wishes they had one.
In the off-season this rock shop on East Elkhorn, next to Blue Spoon, can close midweek when the weather turns, so call or text before a winter visit and allow for a slow reply. The rest of the year it's an easy downtown stop.
Next door to Colorado Homestead on East Elkhorn, about as central as downtown gets, Dakotah Jewelry & Gifts is a ring shop first. The ring selection is what people come back to talk about, with turquoise pieces and work by individual artists mixed in among the gifts.
Delicate ornaments and earrings are what people walk out with at this small West Elkhorn shop, right next to Park Tavern and a few steps from Village Goldsmith. A good share of the stock is work by individual artists, and the unique pieces are the reason to go in rather than just past.
Silver is the focus at this West Elkhorn shop next to Real West Old Time Photography: necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets, plus Navajo jewelry and other accessories. The staff are the reason people leave happy, helpful with choosing and with ring sizing.
Hats are the reason to walk into Sports Hound, and there are a lot of them. The racks on West Elkhorn cover the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and college teams, which makes it one of the last shops around carrying all of them under one roof.
Ring shopping on East Elkhorn usually means a few stops, and this shop next to Wheel Bar is worth one of them. Rings are the main event, with fine jewelry, new pieces and a decent spread of styles around them.
Right on East Elkhorn, by Bond Park and steps from the Riverwalk, Colorado Homestead is a bookstore that does a lot of its business in gifts. Its neighbors are Dakotah Jewelry & Gifts and Wear Me Out T's, and Elevations Eatery and Bar is a few doors down.
Next to Tesora Bella on West Elkhorn, a few steps from The Taffy Shop, Craftsmen In Leather sells jackets, bags and hats. The hat selection gets noticed, and the staff more so: help on the floor is the thing people mention most.
Gold Elements mixes new and antique jewelry with keepsakes, and prices run the whole scale from modest to serious. It's on West Elkhorn, a block from Bond Park, next door to Mocha Angelo's and Craftsmen In Leather.
On East Elkhorn, a block or so from the main downtown intersection and next to Silver Golden, Sierra Smallbird Jewelry has jewelers and designers working in-house on custom pieces: necklaces, rings, pendants and diamond engagement rings. Repairs happen here too.
For a souvenir that outlasts the trip, Tesora Bella is a jeweler on West Elkhorn a short walk from Bond Park, right beside Craftsmen In Leather and a few steps from Mountain Glow, The Taffy Shop and Gold Elements. The listing doesn't say what's in the cases, so step in and look.
On East Elkhorn, a short block from where Moraine comes in, Silver Golden shares an address with Sierra Smallbird Jewelry, with The White Orchid, Poppy's Pizza & Grill and Mama Rose's a few doors away. That makes it an easy stop between lunch and the Riverwalk.
Wood, glass, metal, pottery and photography, all from local artisans, in one shop on East Elkhorn next to Ed's Cantina & Grill and near Aspen and Evergreen Gallery. With several makers under one roof, it is a sensible stop when you need a gift and do not know the person's taste.
Around the valley
Tie-dye is the project most people leave with from the Mootz Family Craft and Design Center, on the YMCA of the Rockies grounds next to the Lula W. Dorsey Museum.
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The category is wider than the name suggests, so read the one-line descriptions before picking a door. A fossil dealer, a custom goldsmith and a leather shop are very different stops, even though they share a page. Seventeen of the 20 are open on Sundays, which helps in a town where weekend visitors do most of the shopping.
Summer is the busy season, and some shops trim their hours when winter sets in. Gemfire says its summer hours run longer than its off-season hours and that it may close midweek in the off season depending on weather, so a call or text before a winter visit is smart. Other shops may do the same, so it is worth checking first.
Custom work is its own track. Village Goldsmith has made fine jewelry since 1976 using lost wax casting and fabrication, and its designs are often inspired by the surrounding mountains. A made-to-order piece takes longer than a browse, so raise it early in a trip. For something quicker, Mary Jane's offers permanent jewelry and a bracelet charm bar, and Sterling Pony stocks sterling silver necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets.
Most are. Seventeen of the 20 shops listed here are open on Sundays, including Rocky Mountains Fossils and Jewelry, Village Goldsmith and Gemfire. Hours shift with the season, so call or text ahead before a winter visit.
Village Goldsmith is a custom fine jewelry studio working in lost wax casting since 1976. Mary Jane's also does made-to-order items, including permanent jewelry and a bracelet charm bar. Ask about timing before you commit, especially if you are only in town for a few days.
Rocky Mountains Fossils and Jewelry carries authentic fossils, precious and semi-precious stones and handcrafted jewelry. Gemfire is a gallery of Colorado jewelry, gemstones, crystal specimens and fossils, with gifts and souvenirs from around the world.
Some cut hours. Gemfire notes that it may close midweek in the off season depending on weather. The data does not say the same for every shop, so call ahead if you are visiting between seasons.
