While perusing a Women of the Future arts and crafts market in 2018, Peri Bolts had an epiphany. “There were all these bad ass, empowered women, making incredible things. They sold in marketplaces, and online, but it wasn’t enough; they needed a permanent storefront,” Peri told the Pikes Peak Bulletin.
After surveying artists about their needs, Peri’s mind started swirling with ideas. “They were happy if they made $20 and enough to pay for lunch. But I knew that they deserved much more,” she said.
With a permanent store showcasing the work of local artists and vendors, she could transform their lives.
“A storefront is so powerful. People need to try on jewelry, smell soap … hold these things in their hands,” she explained.
A manager at Starbucks, she knew she had a potential hit on her hands.
Peri had her second lightbulb moment after her idea hit a roadblock. “Running a store is expensive. In order to make it profitable, you have to put a 30 to 50% markup on artists’ prices, making it either unaffordable for the customer or unprofitable for the artist. But one of the huge expenses is paying sales associates. If vendors could staff the store themselves, we only needed to mark products up by 10%.”
Peri’s idea first became a reality in Eclectic CO, a pop-up store in Downtown Colorado Springs and part of the winter holiday pop-up program. One of the first vendors to believe in her concept was Ani Trejo Barrington, now Peri’s business partner.
“I had moved to Colorado from Texas because I knew I wanted something different in life,” said Ani. “Life just felt too planned out and I needed the chance to rewrite my story. But after getting here, I was lonely and depressed. Pregnancy was making me miss my support network back in Texas.”
With nothing working out, a cousin asked her what she was really passionate about. Ani told her that she really wanted to sell vintage clothing, which she achieved with Women of the Future and then with Peri at Eclectic.
The Eclectic pop-up was only meant to last two months, but customers kept on asking if they were going to stay. “I told them, ‘We can stay if you keep buying things!’ It was so emotional to see people putting money behind our dream,” said Peri.
Meanwhile, the list of artists wanting to sell with them had exploded.
“We went from 12 to 24 on opening day, to 36 a couple of weeks later,” remembered Peri.
The artists rose to the occasion of quadrupling their output just for the new store. And Ani had gone from vintage vendor at Eclectic CO to manager.
It’s been totally transformative. – Victoria Amaro
“I was just there all the time, even when I wasn’t supposed to be!” she said. “I just loved it so much.”
It was in early 2020 that Ani started hinting to Peri that perhaps it was time to open up a second store. After a pandemic-related delay, they chose Old Colorado City.
“We love the mix of tourists and locals here; it’s authentic and unique. Plus, we get to be a part of this culture of local businesses,” said Ani. “We are so appreciative of the OCC community.”
Eclectic OCC is now a treasure trove bursting with the work of around 70-80 local artists – from the second-grade teacher who makes crocheted bears to the former lab scientists who now make soap.
One of those artists, Victoria Amaro of morse-code-inspired jewelry brand Morse and Mantra, said Eclectic has changed her life.
“It’s been totally transformative. I’ve gone from doing markets sometimes to being stocked in 18 stores and shipping around the world,” she said. ‘I hire staff now! When I think of how far I’ve come, I get goosebumps!”
Ani started tearing up. “I’m so proud of everything we’ve achieved together,” she said.
For more information, go to ShopEclecticCO.com or call the downtown store (214 1/2 N. Tejon St.) at 719-630-5045 or the Old Colorado City location (2518 W. Colorado Ave.) at 719-633-5803.
