The Shop + Our Story
How this unique vintage, antique, pre-loved / second-hand shop came to Denver
The Shop opened in November 2021 at the intersection of Colfax + Ivy.
I started The Shop with the idea that I could make a difference while doing something that I loved.
Ever since I was little, growing up in Indianapolis, I was exposed to style, vintage, and antiques in all shapes and forms. Being from a very eclectic family I had a multitude of grandparents (yes you read that right -I had 5 sets) and family dynamics that kept me rather nimble and adaptable. I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a high number of entrepreneurs and extremely driven and talented individuals (many of whom were women). Not only were they talented, but they were extremely creative and fostered an environment where I was exposed to unique ways to continually express oneself - whether that was through fashion, home decor, historic preservation, real estate, antique collection, painting, gardening or even racing, I was always able to dabble in creative centric avenues.
After spending 20+ years in advertising and growing an agency with my husband, who I have been with for 15+ years, I decided it was time to shift gears. During this transition, we added our incredible daughter to our family which made this change all the more significant.
Throughout this transition, 2 of my grandmothers passed away and I was given many of their clothes and furniture. I was struck by the craftsmanship and incredible design of these pieces and I couldn’t imagine them ending up in a landfill and not being continually loved and appreciated.
Now, I must say, I have always been a fashion thrifter - Value Village was where I bought ALL of my clothes in high school and the thrill of finding an absolute gem still gives me a natural high. To this day, I can remember finding the best pair of camel colored corduroy bell bottoms that fit perfectly - oh how I wish I still had them!
Out of college though– and as I got into the business world– I got sucked into the world of fast fashion. I was amazed that these companies were creating such stylish pieces at such a low cost - I was sold hook line and sinker! At the time I had no idea what this meant for our planet or the people making the clothes, I just knew that I could mix my $14.99 dress with a pair of awesome shoes and purse and still command a room of executives on my minimal salary. This also went for our condo/house. We rented for years and I was always filling it with pieces from places that didn’t match my ethos for the planet but was unfortunately what I could afford. During this time, the only place to buy used furniture was Goodwill or antique stores and unfortunately I had created a stigma against them from my youth - think bad smelling worn out drab couches and lazy boys. In my mind, used clothes were okay but not furniture.
As I started my next life discovery chapter I kept coming back to my 2 passions - style, vintage + antiques and sustainability. I’ve been in the business of curating events, styling talent and designing campaigns for big brands but not until I started curating our homes and subsequent properties did I realize that there is so much joy in finding unique pieces that you can look at and/or wear everyday that aren’t from mainstream places. And even better - it makes a difference for the planet.
When you look at fast fashion and fast furniture statistics, and realize how it is destroying our planet, I thought there has to be a way to show people that you can still have style and do good at the same time. It shouldn’t have to be one or the other.
After some nudging from my husband - ‘hey you should just open your own store’ and I thought ‘well, why not’. Granted, I have never officially done this for myself but I am a hard worker and I knew I would regret it if I didn’t do it. So I immediately started accumulating pieces. I went to estate sales, antique fairs, vintage markets, vintage stores, and began sourcing more and more eclectic pieces from all over.
The issue is I love SO many different styles and with the world of antiques and vintage– I couldn’t pick just one. I like to constantly evolve my personal look so I figured I would try something new and decided we would feature rotating collections at The Shop. This also allows me to cater to our clients ever evolving styles and unique home designs.
Segueing us to the name.
When trying to determine what I should call this new venture I immediately went back to my roots. As I mentioned, I have 5 sets of grandmother’s - all with incredible style and personality. And 2 of them happened to own and operate a homegoods, interior design store 30+ years ago called “The Shop”. I used to go visit them when I was little, work the front desk, test out all of the lights and of course play “The Shop” when I was at home. I thought there is no better way to bring old to new than creating an ode to them. Having strong, powerful, creative business women in my life is something I don’t take for granted and having them to look up to has helped pave the way for my accomplishments in life. I hope I am doing them proud.
If you have made it this far - thank you. Thank you for hearing my story and understanding how we got here. I can’t wait for what is to come and I hope that when you visit or work with us you will find a curated collection of beautiful pieces that have been hand picked because they brought a smile to my face and I hope they will do the same for you.
Signed,
Taylor Woodard
Mission: change the way we shop and style our lives
Founder + Principal Curator at The Shop
Antiques, Vintage, Previously Loved + Style Store
5728 East Colfax Ave
Denver CO 80220
