Hidden Gems: Meet Dena King of The Grey House

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dena King.

Hi Dena, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
In 2012 my sister Dani and I were living in Texas and California and our families were looking for a change. When my husband was offered a pastoral position in Denver I called Dani up and asked if she wanted to start the boutique we had always dreamed about in a town we had loved since we were children. Everything came together so that we were able to open our doors in May 2013. At that time we were both young mothers so it was a lot to balance our families and a business start-up. Our children grew up at the shop with us and a couple of them are now old enough to work alongside us.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The year we began was the year of the terrible flooding that took out and changed the routes into and out of town. It was a really hard year to begin a business! Since then we have had other struggles such as the pandemic and wildfire evacuations but we have been blessed with the best customers ever and they have stuck with us through it all!

As you know, we’re big fans of The Grey House. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
When we started The Grey House it was important to us that we support other small businesses and local artists. So, although you will see some of your favorite big brands such as Free People, Faherty, Vissla, and Dear John, you will also find handmade jewelry by Estes Park artists and pottery that is made in Littleton using Colorado clays. We have found that this mix of well-known brands and unique finds has made The Grey House a must-stop for shoppers. This has allowed us to support small vendors and local craftsmen while also carrying a selection of familiar brands and products that visitors already know and love. Many have found new favorites among these small brands!

It was also important to us that our boutique provide a welcoming environment for everyone who walks in our doors. We are happy to see you with your pets, children, and even ice cream cones! We frequently have parents who are careful to tell their children to not touch anything or apologize for their rowdiness. We are quick to reassure them. They can relax and shop with us – there is nothing their kids can do that hasn’t already been done by our own kids or even ourselves. The biggest compliment we received recently was from a young mother who said she came shopping here because she had heard from other people that we were welcoming to children.

What’s next?
When we began we had a small second-story space with a skinny display window and entrance. I think many people came up simply because they were curious. We referred to ourselves as a “hidden gem” of Estes Park because we were not easily found but believed that once you made it in our doors you would fall in love with our offerings. We can laugh at ourselves now – being a hidden gem is a terrible business model! In 2020 we expanded into a space on the street level and are now easily seen by passersby. Unfortunately, we still have shoppers who comment that they love our boutique and then follow up with the question, “Is this your first year here?”

So, our goal for the future is to increase our visibility! This is a work in progress but we are achieving this through our annual Christmas After Hours Shopping event every December, participating with the town in their shopping scavenger hunts, supporting local charities with gift cards and product donations, and just getting to know our shoppers and our town a little better each year.

Our absolute favorite thing is when customers tell us they’ve been shopping with us since we were upstairs only. A comment like that lets us know they knew us back when no one else did. I always tell them thank you for sticking with us!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thegreyhouse.boutique
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreyhouseep/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreyHouseEstes
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-grey-house-estes-park?osq=the+grey+house