Popular Larimer Square boutique Cry Baby Ranch is packing up its things and moving across the street – a move that will triple the retailer’s space and allow it to expand its furniture offerings and Internet sales business.
The 17-year-old seller of funky Western clothing, accessories and anything else that catches owner Roxanne Thurman’s eye will take over the former Ann Taylor space at 1421 Larimer St. by the middle of next month.
Thurman plans to keep the existing store, which she’s occupied for 15 years, open until the very last moment before the new location reopens.
“Somebody will be ringing up a sale, and I’ll be carrying the cash register across the street,” she said.
The expansion to roughly 4,500 square feet will give Cry Baby Ranch about twice the selling space and a bigger back-end space where workers will fulfill Internet orders. Thurman said her Internet business represents only a small portion of sales because she did not have the space to fill orders.
Thurman also plans to expand her furniture, clothing and hat inventory and plans to provide more defined pet and kids sections rather than having that merchandise scattered among the rest of the store’s inventory.
Thurman admits the idea for the expansion wasn’t hers. Officials from Larimer Square Management asked her if she’d be interested in moving after Ann Taylor left the space.
The move continues efforts by Larimer Square Management to focus on one-of-a-kind tenants. The exit of Ann Taylor and the expansion of Cry Baby Ranch largely symbolize that effort.
When it opened in Larimer Square in 1986, Ann Taylor became the first Colorado location for the women’s clothing retailer, drawing shoppers from throughout the metro area. As the chain began opening sites in Cherry Creek, Denver Pavilions and other parts of the Denver area, the Larimer Square store lost its destination status.
When the store closed earlier this year, Larimer Square marketing director Margaret Ebeling said both sides had mutually agreed on the retailer’s exit.
“Larimer Square has always positioned itself as a unique shopping district,” said Mary Beth Jenkins, president of The Laramie Co., a Denver retail brokerage and consulting firm, and an avid Cry Baby Ranch shopper.
Cry Baby Ranch has caught the attention of national developers yet remained committed to its Larimer Square roots, Jenkins said.
Jenkins said she’s thrilled about the store’s expansion. Larimer Square officials share her enthusiasm.
“They are the quintessential tenant,” said Ebeling. “A lot of people associate Larimer Square with Cry Baby Ranch. It is such a unique store.”
She said she is talking to other businesses interested in filling the existing Cry Baby Ranch space.
Staff writer Kristi Arellano can be reached at 303-820-1902 or karellano@denverpost.com.
