Meet Cherrie Haugh | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cherrie Haugh and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cherrie, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I believe the most important factor behind Tango is the reputation it already had in the small community of Gunnison and the ability I had in keeping it whole with the locals, second home owners and visitors who shop there year after year. It was a staple on Main Street and upon acquiring the boutique I had absolutely no retail experience. My experience was in administration and Human Resources. But as my husband pointed out, I was smart, organized and had a great fashion sense and knew how to shop…I just had to do it on a larger scale now. I acquired a great manager with the store and we’re a perfect team! We’ve been fortunate to have a very stable workforce.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I went to one year of junior college and was an administrative assistant to executives at various jobs…universities, advertising agencies, law firms, CPA firms, and Frito-Lay. I advanced into Human Resources and became proficient in the hiring and healthcare benefits aspects of the staffing department at Frito-Lay headquarters. I retired when we bought a second home in Colorado (our main residence is in Texas) and Tango became available for sale in 2019 and I took the plunge to do something totally different. This was SO out of my comfort zone but so exciting because fashion is something I’ve always loved. But…several months later, Covid hit and they shut us down. A new store, shut down. No internet site. Now, that was a challenge. But we survived and the customers were very supportive and came back and 2022 was a record year for the history of the store!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ok, that’s fun. Well, breakfast at The W or Back Country Cafe. Lunch at High Alpine Brewery or Anejo’s Bistro (great margaritas there too). Try a cubana sandwich or poutine at The Dive Pub. If it’s pizza you’re craving, Mario’s Pizza is right next door to The Dive. For a complete cocktail and dining experience, try 1880 Tapas & Spirits. And for Italian, you can never go wrong with Garlic Mike’s on the Gunnison River. If it’s hiking you’re into, Hartman Rocks or Mill Creek has some great trails. You can also venture up into Crested Butte for even more beautiful trails. The Pioneer Museum is an amazing place with individual buildings in a beautiful outdoor setting on 14 acres. Shop Downtown Main Street. Fish and float the Gunnison River. In the summertime, enjoy free Wednesday night concerts on Main Street, free concerts on Sundays at the Park and many concerts on various nights at IBar Ranch located off Highway 50. Visit the Gunnison Arts Museum on Main Street to see what artists they are featuring and see what events they are offering at the time of your visit. Visit Western Colorado University located in the heart of Gunnison.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband of 45 years, Brian. He encouraged me to do this. I didn’t think I could. I had no retail experience to buy a boutique.

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