1. What is Civilized Living and how did it begin?

Civilized Living is Fancy Tiger Clothing’s guide to all things great in Denver.  It started as an attempt to brand something we found ourselves already doing at the store.  In addition to offering advice on all things style related, visitors to Denver wanted advice about “where else should I go”.  In their quest, we would constantly hear  “you know…places like this”.  Visitors from Austin,  Chicago, Montreal, Omaha, etc… were all shuffled nicely in the direction of our favorite bike shops, record stores, boutiques, bars and cafes in an attempt to show them that side of Denver we are most proud of.    Out of towners must have felt some connection to the store that instilled in them a trust that we could steer them in the right direction.  This genesis gave rise to maybe an even more important role…advising our own community on “where else should I go”.  We felt that some of the most important and unique people in town were deserving of even more attention.  Hence, a monthly evening dedicated to promoting their very ideas.

 

2. What is the format of Civilized Living?

Civilized living is trunk show style format that takes place at Fancy Tiger Clothing every First Friday.  We are following the pop-up-shop model where we allow the featured creative an area to set up and display their wares, sell product, and talk about their business and/or their vision.  The layout changes depending on the business but the goal is the same, make the space about the feature for the night.

 

3. What businesses come to mind?

During its development we’ve sent people to Salvagetti, City O City, Moto Ocho, Metropolis, Potager, Moondance Botanicals, Acote, Goldyn, Covered Wallpaper, and Havana Sauna.  We scribbled out directions to dance parties, secret band performances, the best thrift stores, and even neighborhood pools.

 

4. Does this just focus on brick and mortar stores or does it focus on other creative types?

Its about more than just supporting other stores. We want civilized living to be a chaperone to living well.  This means being calculated about where we spend our dollars but it’s also about knowing the secrets of a city’s cultural life.  For example, what’s a great dj night in town, is there an art show that can’t be missed, the virtues of vinyl, etc… We hope to be creative with the format so as not to limit the content.  With that said, it’s a dynamic work that begs to be molded and defined.  We’re working out the fine details as we go.

 

 

5. Is this just centered around what’s happening in Denver?

Not exactly.  Fancy Tiger Clothing is based here, the founders live here, and likely 99% of the features will be about Denver creatives but we don’t want to stop there.  Like any city, Denver is influenced and defined by a broader cultural influence.  Our day to day activities include more than  just what Colorado has to offer. For that reason, don’t  be surprised if you we dedicate a night to touting the virtues of a certain selvage denim line from out of state or inviting a national musician to crash our party.  Like the Fancy Tiger Clothing store, we are driven by good content.