Boulder, Colorado. A wonderful, wonderful place to be. While we have only been here for a little over 24hours, many of us have fell in love with the people, scenery, coffee shops, and the startup community. On this fine Saturday we split up and were able to explore Boulder, in which I took the liberty to meet those working in local businesses.
While I was unsure of how my day would pan out, I quickly found that wandering and talking to new people was exhilarating. Learning about not only Boulder and the business world in this city, but also getting to know individuals was a great time.
One of the places I visited was a small-town coffee shop called Expressoria. Alexis, Mackenzie and I talked to Tashi for a while, and he discussed his likes and dislikes for Boulder, as well as some business attributes. Tashi explained that the owner of this store Yeti, started this shop 15 years ago and went with a “funky” feel to the shop. She has not expressed interest in expanding her shop, and Tashi explained that he sees the same 70 customers every day! When asked if there was a lot of competition for this cafe, Tashi listed off several coffee shops within walking distance. Even so, Tashi explained that this shop gets their coffee beans from local cafes–Ozo and Boxcar. I thought this was really cool because it shows part of the collaboration between the businesses even though they’re competing. Even with competition, the uniqueness of art, ambiance, and product, seems to keep the store up and running.
Another shop I stopped in was Chelsea, which is a clothing boutique. This store has been purchased from the original owner, but has been in business for 14 years now. The owner, Jen, was not available to speak to, but Rachel and Olivia gave some great insights. These women expressed the challenge that new boutiques and all other startups in Boulder face. They have seen first hand that the companies that have been around in Boulder stay around, so competition is fierce for new players in the game. Again, the owner was said to have no interest in opening new stores, but rather keeping the boutique up to Boulder standards.
I also went in to Ramble on Pearl which is a very neat shop. It is a non-profit retail store, which makes it quite unique. This store has only been open since August 2014, but it seems to be doing fairly well. Again the owners were not available, but I was able to chat with Adrianna and Kendra. One of the really cool factors of this store is that it is a place where those who are disabled and mentally challenged are able to come and learn basic knowledge and skills for doing a job. I think that this just makes the store that much more special, and really touches home. I asked how the store has products to sell, and Adrianna explained that 25% of the clothing is donated, and the rest is from close-outs. It was also shared that the items are sold at 15-50% below retail prices. Overall, this shop does not seem to have much competition, and being that the community appears to be exceptionally collaborative and caring, I feel the non-profit will do quite well.
I also talked to folks at Boulder Running Company, Color Me Mine, Smith Klein Gallery, the Hat Shop and Boulder Chill. All fascinating places filled with different types of people, but all really seemed to enjoy being asked questions about their shop!
One interesting thing I saw today was that people are allowed to take their dogs EVERYWHERE…stores, restaurants…it is crazy! But, from other observations I made today and the different people I talked to, it seems that the younger generation does not really care to live here. I am not sure if they under appreciate where they live, but it does seem like a town full of opportunities, not to mention lots of activities to do! Many seemed unhappy with their jobs, and hesitated when I asked them if they like living in Boulder. Maybe they have not traveled a lot, because I know that traveling makes me really appreciate new places, but also my hometown. Whatever the case may be, I would be interested to see what older generations in Boulder have to say about the town and whether they like it or not–maybe I will do some investigating tomorrow!
Overall, It has been a wonderful day of exploring, and I am excited to do some more! #BeautifulBolderBoulder
