Bartlett Interiors

I remember it like it was yesterday. Betty Barnhill handed me a beautiful fabric remnant and said, “I know you'll sew this into something beautiful.”

Betty and her husband Joe opened this store in 1960. Back then, it was called Barnhill Interiors. I went to school with the Barnhill's daughter, Diana. I sewed much of my own clothing because, even then, I was quite tall and hard to fit. Diana and I often stopped at the store, and Betty sometimes presented me with a piece of fabric, so that I could make it into a piece of clothing. That's how my love affair with this store started.

My sister Nancy and I are lifelong Boulderites. We were born and grew up in Boulder, which was much more of a small college town back then. I have lived my entire life, except for college at CSU and a couple of false starts in large chain department stores. It wasn't a good fit – trust me. So, when the Barnhill's offered to hire me as a designer right out of college, I didn't hesitate. My roots and my heart are securely anchored in Boulder and its people. That won't change.

I bought the store from the Barnhill's in 1984. My entire career has unfolded here and I couldn't have scripted things better. The residents we've served, the long-standing, deeply personal friendships I've made, and the satisfaction I feel each time a client tells me “I love what you've done” – makes me know I'm in the right place.