Meet Sarah Morgan: Co-Owner Sugar Mill Antiques and Vintage Depot

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

Hi Sarah, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factors behind our success is a combination of perseverance, innovation and commitment. We opened Sugar Mill in January 2020, just weeks before the worldwide pandemic erupted and changed the course of business as we know it. After being open only a few short weeks, we were forced to temporarily close our doors due to the statewide Stay at Home orders. We had to quickly innovate, implementing unique ways of conducting business without actually being open to the public. We implemented Live shopping events on social media, hosted virtual girl’s night-in events, created personal shopping services with local no contact delivery to keep our business afloat during the shutdown. The days were long and trying, however we were committed to providing for our customers and merchants, determined to ride out the storm. Although, 2020 provided unique challenges that no business could have predicted, we persevered and continued our commitment and refused to give up on our dream! Sugar Mill Antiques and Vintage Depot is Northern Colorado’s premier shopping destination for antiques, vintage, home decor, locally made, unique gifts and much more! We offer a curated collective of over 80 wonderful “shops” supporting local artisans in one convenient venue. We’ve worked tirelessly to provide the community with a truly unique retail offering with unsurpassed customer service and commitment to our local community. 

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For the majority of my career I’ve held corporate sales leadership positions in a technical sales capacity. As a woman working in a typically male dominated industry, the roles I held were not for the faint of heart. I learned early in my career that demonstrating integrity and having excellent communication skills were vital for survival. There were challenging days, yet I refused to give up and continued to persevere always looking for a creative solution to whatever challenge presented itself. When the opportunity to pursue a dream with my family presented itself, it was a no brainer. We talked endlessly about the possibilities and realized there was so much good we could do within our local community. From a napkin sketch at my parent’s dining room table, our dream became reality and we have not looked back!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I absolutely love Colorado and would have to take them to a few key spots I’ve fallen in love with over the years. First on the list would be Steamboat Springs. I love this charming mountain town surrounded by beautiful mountains, filled with adorable local shops and independent restaurants. Spending a lazy day on Steamboat Lake followed by a soak in Strawberry Hot Springs is a must. Next on the itinerary would be a visit to the beautiful Colorado town of Ouray. Where from the main street you can look up at the vast mountains surrounding this small town tucked away in a little valley. Take in a hike to the waterfall followed by lunch at the local craft brewery on the main street. Be sure to stay at the historic Beaumont hotel and Spa to get an amazing massage while there.. To finish out their visit, a trip to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park is a must. No visit would be complete without hiking to Gem Lake to feed the squirrels (the location of my first date with my husband). Spend the afternoon wandering the shops in town and end up at Ed’s Cantina for great local Mexican food and margaritas. Before finishing the night with a ghost tour at the historic Stanley Hotel.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents have owned antique stores and participated in vintage markets for the majority of my life, long before vintage markets were all the rage. I remember setting out in our station wagon, going to garage sales with my mom at a very young age. It was during these outings as a young child, I learned the art of negotiation. Looking back, I attribute much of my successful corporate sales career to the skills I learned as a young child hitting garage sale after garage sale with my mom.

Website: www.sugarmillmead.com
Instagram: @sugarmillmead
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SugarMillMead

Image Credits
Sugar MIll Antiques and Vintage Depot