Nichole Shepherd staked her claim in Breckenridge with businesses featuring hand-crafted, original creations. With her new venture, she’s taking things in a different direction and introducing more of the past to this historic mountain town.

Her longtime love for jewelry making led her to first open a custom fine jewelry boutique, DonLo Mercantile, during the pandemic. A passion she developed in adulthood, hat making, prompted her to team up with a friend to open Midsommar Hat Co. in October, 2023. 

Now, she is charting into new territory — vintage clothing. A friend out of California got Shepherd hooked on the art of curating vintage. She developed such an appreciation for it she began thinking about adding a small vintage section to DonLo Mercantile. 

A storefront next to DonLo and in front of Midsommar opened just as she was getting more serious about the idea. She opened Haus of Lois, a vintage clothing and jewelry store, in August. 

Shepherd said, thanks to vintage-obsessed friends, she is able to stock the shelves with authenticated vintage pieces still in near-pristine condition from luxury brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Fendi. 

She said the boutique’s antique and heirloom jewelry pieces are “like pieces of your great grandmother’s” that are from decades back and unique to anything you’d find in a modern boutique. 

The clothing racks at Haus of Lois are currently housing items such as 1960s Chanel coats, high-end men’s shirts, Levi’s and Wrangler vintage jeans and Christian Dior blouses. Shepherd also filled its shelves with luxury vintage purses, shoes and accessories such as sunglasses. 

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large">

<figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Nichole Shepherd organizes items at Haus of Lois on Nov. 7, 2024. Alongside accessories and clothing, her spot also sells other knickknacks such as candles, perfume and lip balm.</figcaption><figcaption>Kit Geary/ Summit Daily News</figcaption>

</figure>

She said ever since she began to learn more about vintage and the curation process behind it, she felt a boutique that offers just that could thrive in Breckenridge. She noticed a resurge in popularity for thrifting and shopping vintage among younger generations as shoppers started to move away from fast fashion. She said she thinks the unique experience vintage shopping provides keeps people drawn to it.

“Vintage pieces can tell a story, or bring back memories or there’s history in pieces … you (find yourself) asking, ‘Can you imagine the person that wore this?'” she said. 

She added that some pieces she has in the store even have names embroidered on them.

Shepherd said she feels people are recognizing the quality of material clothes are made with have changed over the years, and many times clothes from the past were made with more care.

“To have a coat that’s from the 1940s or a dress from the 1950s or early ’60s in such good condition is priceless,” she said. 

There’s a thread that ties together three of the four businesses Shepherd owns — her grandmother, Lois. 

She said the “Lo” in DonLo stands for Lois. Also, a coffee shop she opened on Nov. 7, Barretto 1931, gives a nod to the year her grandmother was born. 

She credits her grandmother for inspiring her love for all things fashion.

“Even though she ran a ranch and worked with cattle, she would go into town and everyone knew who she was because she was always dressed to the T,” she said. 

Shoppers can find keepsakes from Lois and Shepherd’s great-grandmother scattered throughout Haus of Lois, some even that are around 200 years old.  

Shepherd said she loves to hear from customers about what they would like to see in the store and encourages people to continue making recommendations. 

Haus of Lois is located at 302 S. Main St. in Breckenridge. It is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To learn more, visit HausOfLois.com.