Great stuff made right here in Colorado

Bold Lead Designs Collars and Leashes

Founder and owner Katrina Boldry raised a guide dog as a teen in Littleton. When her old training leash wore out, she couldn’t find a good replacement, so she made one on her own. “I just decided I was going to make myself the perfect dog leash,” she says. So she crafted one from leather and heavy-duty hardware, then career-hopped from photography to pet products in 2008. She went full-time in 2010 and the company now has three full-time employees making a wide range of premium collars and leashes, including the top-selling leash in the no-pull Perfect Pace. Half of the revenue comes from custom gear for service dogs. “It’s a really cool, specialized niche to help people live their lives independently,” Boldry says.

Most products: $20 to $60 retail; specialty harnesses: $300.

Made by Bold Lead Designs, Aurora, www.boldleaddesigns.com

Parametrix 3D Denver Cityscape

Josh Goldstein bought a 3D printer in 2014 with all sorts of ideas. He started with pen holders, planters, and other household items. Then came something artistic: a 1:5, 280-scale version of downtown Denver featuring 63 dinky buildings, with more to come. New for 2015 is a 3D puzzle. Goldstein and company have plenty of ideas for new products. “I’m constantly redesigning, rethinking, and reprinting everything,” he says. But he might need a new printer. He’s run his for about 5,000 hours – a little more than half the hours since he got it last year. “It’s on its last legs,” he laughs.

Most items $8 to $16 retail, Denver cityscape $34.

Made by Parametrix Algorithmic Design, Denver, www.parametrix3d.com
Also available at the I Heart Denver store in the Denver Pavilions.

Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha

After working at Rosetta Stone, Jamba Dunn fell in love with brewing kombucha – a probiotic, fermented tea drink – and embarked on a new career in 2014. A year later, Dunn has built Rowdy Mermaid into a regional partner with Whole Foods. He named the company for his 7-year-old daughter, whose rambunctious play at Cottonwood Hot Springs led to Dunn’s admonishment to “Stop being a rowdy mermaid! It stuck in my mind.” Dunn actually tested his unique, herb-heavy recipes with his then 3-year-old daughter before starting the company. “I thought it was interesting she loved it so much,” he laughs. Flower Bloom Kombucha, brewed with fermented rose and chrysanthemum petals, is the caffeine-free result of those taste tests, and it’s now second in sales only to Living Ginger, with ginger, pink Himalayan salt and Tasmanian pepperberries.

About $3.50 for a 12-ounce bottle.

Made by Rowdy Mermaid, Boulder,
www.rowdymermaid.com. See a list of retailers in on the website.

Tamara Hutchins’ career in facial rejuvenation acupuncture led her to launch a skin-care line in 2012. “I had the realization that a lot of skin-care products could actually be damaging,” she says. Her Zen Redhead brand now encompasses five products, including a “star” in replenishing facial oil along with a scrub and three mist varieties, body oil and facial cleanser are coming soon. Denver is the perfect market to launch. Between the high elevation and the unpredictable weather, Colorado is “very tough on the skin,” Hutchins says.

$7.50 to $60 retail.

Made by Zen Redhead, Denver, www.zenredheadskincare.com Also available at some day spas in Colorado.