I was raised Catholic. Maybe you’ve heard the Jesuit saying attributed to Francis Xavier, “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man.” Well, the Catholics had me until twice age 7. I never did turn into a man (perhaps that was the problem?) or remain Catholic past high school.

But the legacy remains in a certain ascetic streak exacerbated by my current life and the holiday season. Sometimes I just can’t stand how much stuff I buy, and yet I don’t want to stop. I know I’m not cut out for the pure subsistence lifestyle, but I can’t see my way out of consumerism either.

It was in this mood that I continued my shopping on Monday after buying a fish pillow at Tomte Modern Craft. First I visited Unity, whose store on South Pearl I covered last December, and then Common Era (on the right below), which also has a store in Boulder just east of the Pearl Street Mall.

Don’t know what it is about these stores grounding themselves on Pearl and Platte streets, no matter what the city. I do know that both increase my shopping ambivalence, probably because they’re designed for teens and twenty-somethings, not 47-year-old women with a BMI of 25. Having said that, I was seriously tempted by Unity’s DVLP hoodie at $100. The fact that DVLP hails from Denver and is committed to building an international fashion scene in my city doesn’t hurt.

Neither did these storm trooper cufflinks. I can think of quite a few people who would like them, but they’re not on my gift list. Too bad for them.

Unity’s tiny shop on Platte Street (right next to Sous le Lit) has been open 3 months and features women’s clothes; the South Pearl store had more of a men’s selection. Brands include Lento (“slow” in Spanish), which makes biodegradable hats (now that’s a niche); Livity Outernational; Tom’s Shoes, which donates one pair to a child for every pair bought; and Threads 4 Thought, which makes delicate patterned T-shirts for slender women.

It was only a few steps across Platte to Common Era, which is in between Paris on the Platte and Wen Chocolates. Luckily for my BMI, Wen is not open on Mondays, but that didn’t ease my craving for a Milan truffle.

After checking out a few of the “cutest clothes you’ll ever own,” I decided that everything in Common Era was made in China, but then I found (and tried on) 3 pairs of Closet pants made in the USA and priced around $30. How is that possible? I don’t know. I’m not sure I would have gone for the wide legs even if they had fit. Still, Common Era does know how to display the goods.

Which is my problem.