New Kittredge store offers green items

Tucked away in a small room in Comfortable Home in Kittredge is an earth-friendly shop called Bella Vita, which sells products for bath, bed, baby, gifts and home décor.

Owners Brent and Michele Culp believe that being green can be both accessible and beautiful.

The store “has been a dream of mine for a long time,” said Michele Culp. “In turn, it’s helping (Comfortable Home) have new products.” Bella Vita opened in mid-January.

The Culps, who have lived in Evergreen for most of the last 15 years, have incorporated earth-friendly choices into their personal lives. They want to help others do the same by selling quality products that are sustainable or reusable.

They sell sheets, bath towels, bath robes and baby clothes made of organic cotton, all-natural bath and body products, gift items made from recycled material, and gift wrap and gift bags made from recycled paper.

Bella Vita is inside Comfortable Home, 26289 Highway 74. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For information, call 303-880-7195 or e-mail findbellavita@comcast.net.

Tennis pro joins Mount Vernon staff

Tennis professional Radka Laciak has returned to Mount Vernon Country Club after a three-year absence.

Laciak will be the head tennis pro at the club, according to Lili Bell Shelton, director of tennis. Laciak also is the girls head tennis coach and boys assistant tennis coach at Evergreen High School.

Shelton said with Laciak on the staff, more tennis programs will be offered at the club, some of which are open to members and non-members.

“Our goal this year is to attract young families and young adults,” Shelton said. “We want to provide some babysitting and camps for kids while moms are playing tennis.”

She also said the club would be offering a cardio-tennis class in addition to lessons and competitive programs.

The club sports three clay tennis courts, three hard courts and three platform courts, which are used to play tennis in the winter.

Hearthfire books for sale, but not closing

Hearthfire Books in Bergen Village is for sale, but the owner swears the store is not closing.

The current owner, Lori Underwood, used to live in Evergreen but now lives in Connecticut. She prefers that the owner of the independent bookstore is more local.

"We have no intention of going out of business," Underwood said in a news release. "We are looking for a smart, savvy owner passionate about books and community. We want to see HearthFire Books upgrade to the next generation of bookselling and booksellers."

She’s looking for someone with bookselling experience or someone who will learn the business.

For information, contact the store at 303-670-4549 or e-mail info@hearthfirebooks.com and specify “bookstore sale” in the subject line.

Green Merchant moves to downtown Evergreen

The Green Merchant has moved from Marshdale to downtown Evergreen to provide more visibility for the earth-friendly store.

“I want to be able to do more,” said owner Micky Magnolo. “The more people who know about (my store), the more we can help the planet.”

The Green Merchant sells exclusively organic, green and fair-trade merchandise. Items run the gamut from linens and towels woven from organically grown cotton to beeswax candles to organic dog toys.

The new store is on the southeast corner of Highway 73 and Evergreen Parkway next to Aspen’s.

“I feel good about the move so far,” Magnolo said. “People are able to stop in, and it’s a convenient location for current customers.”

She says it’s a lot of fun to be in downtown Evergreen. “It’s so festive and so fun to be in downtown Evergreen. It feels so alive and so vibrant. There’s really a sense of community in downtown.”

Curves donates to EChO

Curves in North Evergreen donated more than 175 pounds of food to Evergreen Christian Outreach as part of its March new member drive.

Curves owner Peggy Andrus, who bought the Curves franchise in September, said donations were slow, but in this economy anything helps the nonprofit.

She moved to Evergreen from Grand Junction, where she worked in a correctional facility. Her parents live here.

“I had been a member of Curves in Grand Junction for years,” Andrus said. “This is a fun pre-retirement job. I’m closer to my parents, out of (working in) corrections — it’s a total change.”

Curves is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Marko’s Mexican Xpress has closed

Marko’s Mexican Express, a Mexican food restaurant in North Evergreen, closed in January, another victim of the economy.

Newspaper is covering the windows. Workers at other businesses in the building said the owners had not turned a profit in the four months the restaurant was open. They decided to close in January rather than continue to lose money.

Marko’s opened in September.

Have tips about businesses in Evergreen? Contact Evergreen resident Deb Hurley Brobst at deb@evergreenco.com.