Cool Colorado stuff.

• Author: Peterson, Eric
• Position: Small Biz

CHROME MESSENGER BAGS Living in Snowmass in the early '90s, Mark Falvai spent time on the slopes and envisioned a future when he would run his own business. Soon, he relocated to Denver and teamed with a friend to start Chrome, a biking-oriented clothing and bags manufacturer. "The bags ended up overshadowing the clothing," said Falvai. Today, Chrome makes more than a dozen different products, including cases for laptops and DJ gear, as well as a plethora of cutting-edge messenger bags. The latter range from the burly Kremlin, a hulk of a bag secured by a seatbelt buckle and adorned with reflective striping, to the Backbone, a messenger bag-backpack hybrid. Most of Chrome's products are made at a Broomfield factory, with the balance outsourced to overseas manufacturers. $60 to $150 retail.

Made by Chrome Industries Inc., Denver, (303) 292-0194, www.chromebags.com. Also available at numerous cycling and sporting goods stores.

JUDD'S CUSTOM CUES Garland "Judd" Fuller, an Arkansas native, knows his way around a pool table. After what he jokingly referred to as his "misspent youth" in pool halls, Fuller worked in the logging and citrus industries for decades. He returned to his childhood passion in 1989, setting up shop in the tiny Four Corners berg of Yellow Jacket to craft top-of-the-line cue sticks. Bucking the industry trend towards computer-aided design, Fuller and his wife Trudy handcraft woods and other materials from all over the globe to supply a market of professionals and avid amateurs looking for a cue of distinction. "We're truly one of the last of a dying breed," said Fuller of his traditional methods. "It commands a market, being handmade."

While the Fullers make about 70 pool cues a year, they don't play the game all that much anymore. In Yellow Jacket (population 126), said Fuller, "There's nobody to play with." $580 to $1,200 retail.

Judd's Custom Cues, Yellow Jacket, (888) 909-JUDD, www.juddcues.com.

OLD SCHOOL BALL PARK Before Pong kicked off the video-game era, mechanical diversions dominated arcades. Pac-Man and its brethren basically chomped up pinball, target shooting...