Blueflower Candies & Provisions Owners Megan and Ted Green with kids Grace, Blake, and Chip. When AVV stopped by to get a photo, the family was diligently working together to get the store ready for opening. Photo by Carly Winchell
A new shop is set to open up soon in Buena Vista that may be familiar to locals. Blueflower Candies & Provisions plans to open a second location in Buena Vista to bring its sweet treats and kid-friendly atmosphere down the valley.
The original Blueflower can be found in Leadville at 113 East 7th Street. The Buena Vista location is just off of East Main Street at 105 South Court Street, next door to Cool River Café. Already their bright sign has brought more vibrancy to downtown BV.
The name ties together Ted and Megan’s past with their new future here in Colorado. Ted is from Kentucky, the Bluegrass State, and Megan is from Kansas, the Sunflower State. Combined, they make Blueflower, which ties their pasts together while also evoking the columbine, Colorado’s own state flower.
Blueflower owners Ted and Megan Green originally planned to move to the mountains from Chicago when their kids were grown and they retired. They already had the land in Leadville ready to go, so, when it was time for a lifestyle change, they decided to make their move earlier than planned.
“I was in the corporate world for a long time and decided if I wanted to actually be happy and enjoy my life and enjoy my kids growing up and all those things, that I needed to do something different,” said Ted Green. “And so we moved out here and started the candy store up in Leadville.”
Taking their young children, they headed for the mountains and opened up the shop to great success in a variety of different ways.
“It’s kind of tied us to the community in ways I couldn’t have ever imagined,” explained Ted. He said the store has offered a chance to meet everyone, stay connected, and help the community through donations and support, especially for the kids in the community. “Everything we could possibly do is to help the community and the kids in the community. So it’s just turned into this space where kids can come gather after school, and where we’re able to give back to the community. It all just feels really good.”
The Greens hope to bring this community support to Buena Vista now too. Ted explained they often come down to Buena Vista to enjoy the hot springs pool and that their family loves rafting and cycling in the area. They happened to be in Buena Vista this summer when they noticed the new location available on South Court Street and decided it was a good idea to branch out and open up another location.
The new storefront sign for Blueflower Candies & Provisions’ Buena Vista Location. Photo by Carly Winchell
While there are locations in Buena Vista offering ice cream or candy, “there’s nowhere doing what we’re doing,” explained Ted. “My hope is to have the same experience down here that we had up there.”
The Greens want the new store to provide an opportunity to connect with the community, offer another kid-friendly space, and hopefully create jobs for people in the community.
Long-time fans of Blueflower can expect some improvements as well. “We’ve learned a lot from being in business for two years,” said Ted, who cited items like organization, inventory, and candy selection. “We’re taking all of those learnings from up in Leadville and applying them to the store down here. . . it’s just going to be a little bit better from every angle.”
But learning doesn’t just stop with the new store. According to Ted, the store in Leadville can look forward to some improvements taking advantage of everything the Greens have learned once the Buena Vista location is up and running.
When the shop opens, Buena Vista residents can look forward to:
- A broad selection of over one hundred bins of bulk mix-and-match candy.
- A nostalgic candy section organized by decade.
- Macarons.
- Leadville’s famous fudge recipe.
- Apparel, such as T-shirts and sweatshirts.
- Kids toys.
Blueflower’s offerings were built by community input according to Ted. “Our inventory that we have now mainly consists of, when people came in, me asking, ‘What do we not have that you guys want?’ Whether it be candy or food or toys or whatever it is. It was a great way to expand the inventory.”
These different perspectives came together to build something unique.
“At this point, we’ve got an assortment that’s pretty awesome,” said Ted.
The store will also feature Green’s own small brand “I’m Done Peopling” with bespoke designs for each unique location. The Buena Vista design will feature Mount Princeton.
The brand offers a variety of items like mugs, cups, stickers, and Nalgene™ water bottles. Ted said he came up with the idea to express his distaste for the corporate world he left behind, and it practically flew off the shelves. They hope to eventually establish a website to sell “I’m Done Peopling” wares.
“I’m actually really excited to get the store open and see what it looks like,” concluded Ted. “I think it’s going to be pretty cool.”
The Greens hope to have the shop open by the first weekend in January, so locals may be able to drop by as early as January 6.
Recent Comments