South Broadway has been Denver's antiques district since the 1940s, and you are walking a mile-long corridor of dealers, thrift stores, vintage shops, and occasional genuine rarities that draws collectors from across the Mountain West. South Broadway acquired its antiques identity almost accidentally: as the neighborhood declined in the mid-twentieth century, low rents attracted second-hand dealers, and enough of them clustered here that the district developed a reputation that drew more dealers and more customers in a reinforcing cycle. By the 1980s Antique Row was a recognized Denver institution.
The antiques businesses today coexist with bars, music venues, and restaurants that have made South Broadway the spine of Denver's urban music scene: the Hi-Dive and other venues within walking distance make this corridor one of the best places in the city to catch live music on any night of the week. The blocks between Baker and the Overland neighborhood to the south have seen significant new development in recent years, bringing the familiar Denver tension between historic character and new construction.