Located near the south entrance of Stanley Marketplace lies a boutique of ever-changing, but always casual, youthful pieces that you can find at Velvet Wolf. You may recognize that name from past seasons of Denver Fashion Week. So we decided to catch up with shop owner, Molly Hakes. She explains retail was not her first choice but soon realized her passions were elsewhere.

303 Magazine: How did Velvet Wolf get started?

Molly Hakes: I opened the store in 2014. At the time I was working for corporate and managing a territory for the Hershey company. I hated it and realized corporate really wasn’t for me. My background is in fashion design and metalsmithing from Syracuse University. I decided I wanted to venture out on my own and go back to the field I went to school for. After a year of looking for a retail space, I came across a consignment store for sale. I purchased the business, got the space I wanted as well as the fixtures and system for a turn key store. It took about two months to dissolve their LLC, replace the consignment with new inventory and do a remodel. After that, I opened back up as Velvet Wolf!

303: For those who don’t know you, how would you describe Velvet Wolf’s style?

MH: Our style is always changing but remains casual and youthful. We have something for everyone. We have boho pieces, florals, patterns and some edgier pieces with a pink undertone. We like to combine lots of different styles to create unique fun outfits you can only find at Velvet wolf. During Denver Fashion Week, we like to showcase our more edgier styles.

303: What makes Velvet Wolf unique to Colorado?

MH: From other boutiques, we try and keep our price point as low as we can. We exclusively carry certain brands that you wouldn’t find at any other retailer, some local designers make items specifically for us and we try and maintain locality within our store. We also bring in as much USA made products as possible. We love when our customers support local, so we pass that along by trying to support local brands. We also get new inventory in weekly to keep it fresh for our loyal customers. Lastly, pairing with our kid’s store Little Wolf, we had some outfits that can be matching mommy and me!

303: How did you come up with the name Velvet Wolf?

MH: When I opened the store, I had a wolf-dog at the time. His name was Axel.

303: What summer trends are you currently loving and what trends can we expect to see in your store?

MH: Jumpsuits and two-piece sets! We have lots of awesome two-piece sets in store now. Love this trend and excited to see a lot of it during the summer.

303: Any summer/fall trend predictions you foresee?

MH: I hope to continue to see traditional fall colors. My favorite season for clothes is fall because I love olive green, boots and scarves. I would love to see fun plaid pants, houndstooth and other traditional patterns.

303: What are your favorite pieces in store for the summer season collection?

MH: My favorite things in store now are our summer accessories. We have amazing circle towels, cooler bags, oversized floaties for the pool and more. I’m so excited for summer and it shows in store! Clothing wise, I love our matching two-piece sets and an adorable light blue romper we have in stock.

303: Anything else you want customers to know about your storefront?

MH: We have one event that I’m working on for this summer that involves working with animal shelters. I’m hoping to have an adoption event for dogs and cats here at Stanley. As a big animal lover myself, I hope to support local shelters and help animals get adopted. Another exciting feat for Velvet Wolf is the launch of our men’s line, Black Wolf Collection. We have a brick and mortar location for men and women set to open at the end of summer. A few other TBA locations in the mix for 2019 for Velvet Wolf, Little Wolf and Black Wolf. Lots of fun stuff in the mix, stay tuned!

Velvet Wolf is located at 2501 Dallas Street, Aurora. Photography by Jesse Goldstone and Jenna Beutler.