Cry Baby Ranch

Among the Trendy Restaurants, Hipster Watering Holes, and Mile-high Boutiques of Denver’s Larimer Square, an Equally Cultured and Colorful Cowgirl Shares Her Fun Fashion Sense and Eclectic Style With Loyal Locals and Lucky Visitors Who Ride Into Cry Baby Ranch.

- Christy Nielson

CRY BABY RANCH is a fun and funky Western boutique located at 1421 Larimer St. in Denver’s Larimer Square, the Mile-High City’s oldest and most historic block. Owner Roxanne Thurman founded the groovy store in 1989.

“I didn’t intend to open a retail store; we just sort of stumble bumbled into it to be perfectly honest,” says Thurman of her road to retail. In the early days, Thurman had a business partner who has since left the retail world. The two of them were collectable dealers during the mid- to late 80s, when there was a renewed interest in the West.

Before opening the store–and long before eBay became popular– the duo would comb through antique malls and flea markets to find unique dishes, lamps, furniture and other Western tchotchkes from the 30s, 40s and 50s that they could sell at shows. “I grew up in West Texas, so it was very nostalgic for me,” explains Thurman, who was raised on a farm near Littlefield, Texas, the birthplace of Waylon Jennings. “My partner grew up in California, so there was a whole other element of Northern California to it.”