Charley & CO, a new boutique in Greeley, aims to bring community and curated charm to Cottonwood Square

Lisa Shelley smiles as she shows off merchandise in Charley & CO, a new boutique in Cottonwood Square. Photo by Kelly Ragan.

By Kelly Ragan

Tammy Sliz grew up in a frugal home where she learned to make the things she loved rather buy them.  

“I’m not necessarily the retail customer people want,” she said with a laugh. 

She became an artist as a result, and she loves teaching as well as creating. 

Now she has her own space to do both. Sliz and her daughter-in-law, Lisa Shelley, opened up Charley & CO Market, a boutique in Cottonwood Square. 

The business celebrated its grand opening on October 10.

Charley & CO, 2310 W 17th St, is a boutique filled with curated clothes, home décor and art. It features a workshop space where folks can find Sliz creating art or refurbishing furniture she’ll later sell. Shoppers can also find scoop-your-own potpourri – a forgotten tradition, Sliz said, that she wants to bring back. 

Sliz and Shelley launched the business around Black Friday last year, running it from the basement. When COVID-19 hit, they closed their doors and relied on online sales. But when Shelley saw the “For Lease” sign in the window as she was drinking coffee next door at Your Place Coffee, she thought it was perfect. 

But at its core, Shelley, an active member of Mosaic Church in Evans, said she hopes it’s a place people can find and build community. 

“I want people to feel joy when they come in here,” Shelley said. “I want people of all different backgrounds to feel good about themselves and feel the presence of the Lord here.”

Lisa Shelley has been a seamstress for about nine years. She dreamed of seeing the things she made in her own shop. Shelley, right, opened up Charley & CO with her mother-in-law, Tammy Sliz, on October 10, 2020. Photo by Kelly Ragan.

One way they work to facilitate that is by hosting a variety of classes – limited in size for now, of course. 

Shelley said they’ve brought in local jewelry makers and have hosted craft nights. In the coming days, Sliz will teach attendees how to make painted porch pumpkins. 

“I always tell people I believe everybody is an artist – some are better than others – but everyone can draw and everyone can paint,” Sliz said. 

While Sliz heads up the art and décor sections of the boutique, Shelley’s in charge of fashion. 

Shelley’s been a seamstress for about nine years, she said. She’d make her own kids’ clothes until they stopped thinking that was cool. 

“When I first started sewing, I wanted to see my clothes in a store someday,” Shelley said. 

Lisa Shelley, co-owner of Charley & CO, said the shop works to partner with local artists and other local businesses to curate the products they sell. Photo by Kelly Ragan.

In the store, you can also find stuffed animals she made from scraps of clothes. Many of the available products are intended to be kids’ toys, but she makes keepsakes too. 

When her friend’s mom passed away from cancer, she said, she made a couple of stuffed animals with her favorite shirt. When her friend later was in the hospital having her own children, Shelley gave the stuffed animal to her as gift – a way for her mom to be there with her that day. 

“It’s a cool way to use pieces you have in a different way and always be reminded of that person when you see it,” she said. 

To learn more 

To learn more or to sign up for workshops, go to https://www.charleyandcompanymarket.com/.