If you ever been to a mall in the early morning hours, you’ve seen them.
The mall-walkers, who put their heads down and take advantage of the warmth and uninterrupted expanse of the mall to get their exercise.
Aurora mall-walkers have a new venue for such things — the 22-acre Stanley Marketplace — a collective mixture of eateries, shops and activities located in a venerable old building that used to be the old Stanley Aviation manufacturing center.
While we can all dream that they will install a working ejector seat — which would be an homage to Bob Stanley, the venue’s originator and invented of the plane safety device — that’s not likely to happen (nor would insurance cover it). But by the time the entire project comes online (expected to be in February of 2017, though some places have already opened in the space) there will be so much to do, it will make your head (or propellor if you prefer) spin.
Check out the other pages of this magazine for all the delightful and unique food and drink options at the Stanley Marketplace, but after a variety of openings in the early months of 2017, there will be a lot of ways to train your brain, entertain yourself, burn off calories and make yourself look great in addition to the benefits of walking around every nook and cranny and soaking in the history of the massive space.
Use your brain at the Mindcraft Makerspace, a retail store and place where it encourages all ages to “gather, learn, make, and invent.” Cutting age toys such as 3D printers, scanners and laser cutters make it the coolest place to think in town.
Want to get fit? You’ll eventually be able to learn karate, practice yoga or tone your buns all within the comfy confines of one building.
What gets rid of stress more than breaking a board with your foot or fist? Enshin Karate is quite a bit more than that, but will offer the chance to learn fitness kickboxing, personal training, tai chi and Brazilian jiu jitsu.
Hot Mamas — which has an original location at 701 Logan Street in Denver — is a unique offering that is focused on helping moms and women in general get fit, while helping them feel included in a community of similarly-minded ladies. So get on down and enter the “Ab & Butt Lab” and feel the considerable burn.
Can’t make it down to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts? Just wait until the spring of 2017, when the DCPA and its Off-Center line of programming will come to the Stanley Marketplace to present at least one show in a very unique way. Without a dedicated theater, the performance — supplied by the international comedy trio A.C.E. — will take place in open events spaces, so you’ll be able to grab your popcorn and drink and watch it play out around you.
There’s art on display from ZEEL — a collective of local artists who address social issues and aim to start conversations with their work — at a pop-up gallery in a currently unused space on the second floor. View it free on weekends or by appointment through Feb. 4.
Need your photo taken? From The Hip Photo has a 900 square-foot studio space that also includes plenty of production space. The five-person team of From The Hip has been the Stanley Marketplace photographer since the beginning of the development of the site and is fully prepared to make you look your absolute best, onsite or elsewhere. Say cheese!
And don’t worry, bring the kiddos to Bounce Stapleton, which offers daily gymnastics classes and a variety of other things for pre-school all the way up to 15. Help your child become a “Ninja” with the Ninja Warrior class that includes an obstacle course to challenge all of their senses and build them up. The eight-week sessions should give you plenty of time to explore the Stanley Marketplace while you wait.
So come to the Stanley Marketplace just to walk, we dare you.
It will be impossible not to come and do. And do a lot.