One hundred and fifty years ago, Horace Greeley offered his famous advice to restless Americans: “Go west, young man.” Many did, and many settled in Colorado. And despite Greeley’s male-centered maxim, women entrepreneurs have always been center stage, especially in the Pikes Peak region. In this issue, we’re spotlighting women-owned businesses that are Keeping it Colorado by bringing unique flairs to their products and services.
Lindy Morgan
BUNGEE BODY
OWNER: Lindy Morgan
1400 Santa Fe Drive, Suite E, Pueblo (719) 299-0179 • thebungeebody.com
Colorado is still a great destination for restless migrants, but Californian Lindy Morgan turned Greeley’s maxim around, and went east to Pueblo. She loved Pueblo, bought and renovated a near-downtown Victorian, and soon figured out the next step.
“I moved to Pueblo from California in July 2022,” Morgan told us. “I was burned out from work and was taking some time off when a friend presented the idea of opening a bungee studio and thought it would be a great fit for me. I did some research and thought it was such an incredible and fun way to get a workout without all the impact. I asked my sister if she would like to partner with me and she loved the idea as much as I did.”
Bungee Body is located in the heart of downtown Pueblo. The studio offers cardio, fitness and strength work without wearing out your joints. Clients are strapped into harnesses then clipped to a bungee cord attached to a steel beam in the ceiling. No need to worry about tripping, twisting your knees or falling – you get the benefits of a great workout without the detriments.
It’s customer friendly to the max – no body shaming, no sense of competition. You bounce, you lunge, you burn calories, increase fitness and you have fun.
NOVIS MORTEM COLLECTIVE
OWNER: Beatrice Solo
22 E Bijou St., Colorado Springs (719) 344-1707 • novismortemcollective.com
Curiosity gallery and collective, Novis Mortem, is an oddity experience shoppers will find in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. The pleasingly peculiar business was originally launched online by owner Beatrice Solo in 2019. Several months later, she was able to open her doors to the public in 2020 during the pandemic.
Housed inside you’ll find entomological fine and local art including ethical and sustainably sourced specimens, taxidermy, bones, entomological taxidermy, jewelry and unique gifts. Under its “art for everyone” slogan, Novis Mortem ensures there is something for every shopper. It’s also home to a collective of female artists, women in leadership roles, and outstanding women of the community.
Laura Hadley and Glynis Hartwig
MACKENZIE AND WEST
OWNERS: Laura Hadley and Glynis Hartwig
2530 A West Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs (719) 471-4463 • mackenzieandwest.com
In the mid-2010’s, longtime friends Laura Hadley and Glynis Hartwig found themselves in similar situations; both were empty nesters with decades of experience in retail, adored the westside of Colorado Springs and were seeking a new gig. They quickly joined forces, found the ideal space in the heart of Old Colorado City and opened Mackenzie & West in May of 2017.
A women’s clothing, gifts and accessories store, the boutique quickly became successful, and has remained popular with city residents and visitors alike despite pandemics, inflation and the constantly changing tastes of customers.
How did they pull it off? Hadley cited several factors. First, they understood the inherent challenges of brick and mortar women-focused retail. They love their location “on the sunny side of the street”, and the sense of community among businesses in Old Colorado City. They pay particular attention to customer service and customer experience and appreciate their westside neighborhood.
Just Love Coffee Café
JUST LOVE COFFEE CAFÉ
OWNERS: Shawna Compton and Michelle Draper
140 West Cheyenne Road, Colorado Springs (719) 309-6950• justlovecoffeecafe.com
Just Love Coffee is a nascent coffee shop franchise with a more than a dozen franchisees, including a new location in Colorado Springs. It’s owned by two sisters, who did extensive research before opening their location at the Creekwalk shopping center. The food is cooked to order with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. All the coffee beans are hand-roasted in the company’s Tennessee roastery. The shop even includes some video games for the amusement of customers.
SASQUATCH COOKIES
OWNER: Brooke Orist
Three Colorado Springs locations:
1020 E Jefferson St. Suite 100
7636 Dublin Blvd. Suite 170
2323 Garden of the Gods Rd. Suite 107
(719) 632-5196 • sasquatchcookies.com
Has a Sasquatch ever delivered warm cookies to your front door? If this is a dream you’re dying to live, you’ll be happy to know it can happen in Colorado Springs.
Sasquatch Cookies is the brainchild of owner Brooke Orist, who always had a dream of opening her own bakery. In 2017, Orist began her business by renting out a commissary kitchen and delivering warm cookies on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings only. It wasn’t long before she was opening the doors to her first location.
“It felt like the natural next step,” explains Orist. “My mother owned a restaurant when I was growing up. My father owns a real estate office, and my sister and brother-in-law own a construction company,” she says. “I had been working in the non-profit sector in international administrative support, planning and coordination, and human resources prior to starting Sasquatch Cookies and felt ready to make the leap.” With the support of her family and friends, her dream became reality, and the support and kindness of the community have never wavered.
Today, Sasquatch Cookies creates mouth-watering Sasquatch-sized cookies in twelve different flavors you can mix and match. One lucky employee dresses up in a Sasquatch costume and delivers delicious cookies to people in the community.
“The Sasquatch Experience always takes people by surprise and is a very unique gift to laugh about,” says Orist, who believes this experience makes them stand out.
Other baked specialties include cookie cakes, ice cream sandwiches, dog cookies, and an array of Sasquatch-themed merchandise.
As a Colorado Springs native, Orist loves her community. With their continued business success, Orist says Sasquatch Cookies has been able to give back to the community by donating day-old cookies to The Marian House, as well as 10% of their profits to Springs Rescue Mission.
“I love my home,” says Orist. “I can’t imagine starting this business anywhere else, and love offering this service to my neighbors.”
Hotel St. Nicholas
HOTEL ST . NICHOLAS
OWNER: Joanne Huspek
303 3rd St., Cripple Creek (719) 689-0856 • hotelstnicholas.com
The Hotel St. Nicholas is arguably the finest and most graceful structure in Cripple Creek. Built in 1898, this historic landmark was built at the height of the 1890’s gold rush as a general hospital for the miners in Cripple Creek. The building closed in 1972, but thanks to the approval of casino gambling in 1991, the Hotel St. Nicholas has seen new life.
Joanne Huspek bought the hotel in January 2020, just before COVID-19 hit. Her husband was working as a dealer at Bronco Billy’s and the commute from Colorado Springs was difficult. Looking to relocate, they stumbled on the St. Nicholas.
“We thought it was abandoned,” she said, “but we fell in love with it, bought it and got to work.”
The result is an immaculate and imaginative re-creation that lifts the spirit of all who enter. The interiors are splendid, no two rooms are alike, and many have great city views–perched on a hill above all the tumult and clamor of the casinos, but still just a few blocks from Bennett Avenue.
When you visit, don’t miss the Boiler Room Tavern Back Bar, featuring the hotel’s original coal fired boiler.
Darlene Kobobel
COLORADO WOLF & WILDLIFE CENTER
OWNER: Darlene Kobobel
4729 Twin Rocks Rd, Divide (719) 687-9742 • wolfeducation.org
Lake George resident Darlene Kobobel had no intention of founding a business in 1993, when she rescued Chinook, a wolf-dog hybrid. She quickly became aware of the tragic fate that await most hybrids-they’re extraordinarily difficult to raise in a household and are usually consigned to shelters and euthanized. She launched a hybrid rescue and was overwhelmed by desperate owners nationwide who sought her help. After a few years, she refocused and changed her mission from rescue to education. In 2003, she opened the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center (CWWC) near Divide, both as a sanctuary for endangered canids and as a source of information about wolves.
Twenty years later, CWWC is arguably the premier endangered canid sanctuary/open air zoo in the United States. It welcomes more than 50,000 annual visitors to its spacious property, featuring guided tours of wolves in their natural habitat. A passionate advocate for the return of wolves to the wild, Kobobel ventured into politics through Colorado’s Wolf Reintroduction Act. Without her efforts, it’s doubtful that the voter-initiated petition would have garnered enough signatures to make the ballot, let alone be passed in November 2020.
