Meet Melissa Rahfeldt | Boutique Owner

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

Hi Melissa, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve always loved shopping off the beaten path. Clothing boutiques offer options that make you stand out instead of blending in. Consignment stores also allow a person to take something old & make it new again at a bargain price. So, combining the 2 was a no-brainer for me.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My store is named after 2 of my grandparents. My grandmother (my dad’s mom) never left the house without: heels, earrings & lipstick. My grandfather (my mom’s dad) was artistic & inventive. I feel as if I’ve inherited both of those traits from them & it’s so much fun to mix the two of them together. I have both of their pictures hanging in the store so they’re with me everyday. Liorah|gene is the first of its kind in Castle Rock – a boutique with both new & name brand consigned clothing. We all have name brand or designer items sitting around that we don’t use or wear anymore. You know, the things that are too nice/expensive to donate & selling things on your own can turn into such a hassle (meeting up to sell your item, being no-showed, getting low-ball offers). So, you bring those items into Liorah|gene! We offer 3 different options when you bring an item in: Cash, Consign, or Store Credit. Liorah|gene started out as me coming to my husband with on my “great ideas”. I get this big sigh from him along with a laughing smile followed by an “Oh boy, now what do you want to do?”. I tell him I want to open a clothing store with new & consigned name brand clothing. Long pause … Then he says something that every girl wants to hear from their significant other: “I like that idea. You should do it”. Complete surprise from me, as most of my “ideas” get a good laugh from my husband & 2 boys. Just an example of one of these laughed at ideas: One summer I wanted to tear out our little garden area on the side of our house & put a stock tank pool there instead. I pinterested day & night for a good week about this brilliant idea of mine. Request denied. Looking back I understand why; The area where I was going to put this stock tank isn’t even wide enough for a stock tank, not to mention stock tanks are not known to host warm water. We (meaning my husband) would’ve had to move all the rock on that side of the house, dig a whole (because that side of the yard is slanted), then add a small deck to make it level all the way around said stock tank. Lucky for me, my husband has been in construction his whole life & works for a construction company. This made my part in building out our space fairly easy. I got to handle the pretty stuff like picking out colors & fixtures while he dealt with all the sub contractors. I did get to be involved the day we had all of our inspections … I never want to be apart of something like that again – it was so nerve-wracking! I kept following all the inspectors around wondering what they were writing or checking off. I was so afraid they were going to find some reason to not give us our Occupancy Certificate (we were opening the very next day!)! But, we passed! One lesson I’m continuously learning is that I have to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks & do what makes me happy. There are always going to be people who don’t like my store concept, or don’t like my inventory & that’s ok. Social media is a constant learning experience for me also. I’m not the greatest at talking about myself & I really loathe hearing my own voice on an Instagram story, but social media is one of the best forms of advertisement so I am trying really hard to take that picture everyday & recording that video to post to a story. I’m also very proud of the confidence the store has given me. (I grew up a gymnast & cheerleader, but that’s a very different kind of confidence.) I went thru a period in my life for about 8 years where I was a single parent & didn’t think very highly of myself – I wish I could go back & give that girl a hug & tell her it’ll be ok, one day you’re gonna own a clothing boutique & have a family & be posting pictures & videos of yourself on social media because you’re amazing!

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.
Eating/Drinking: Crush Wine Bar, Rockyard Brewing Co., sushi at Hapa, bbq’s at our home, lots of breakfast/brunch at B & B Cafe in downtown Castle Rock. Bottomless Mimosas on Sunday’s at The Great Divide in downtown Castle Rock, candy & ice cream at Sugar Spoon Candies. Red Rocks is a must see. – even better if there is a concert happening. Going to a Rockies game & grabbing drinks at Jackson’s. Visiting the Coors Brewery. Hiking up Castle Rock & the mini incline at Phillip S Miller Park. Massages at The Woodhouse Day Spa, a hike thru Mitchel Gulch Canyon. Farmers Markets in Festival Park.

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?
Recognition goes to every customer who has walked thru the doors of my store & embraced my “boutique/consignment together in one store” idea. The store wouldn’t be what it is without my husband, who was the General Contractor for construction; my 2 boys who have never made me feel guilty for the late nights; & my parents for their endless support & words of encouragement.

Website: www.liorahgene.com

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