I’m excited to bring the blog back to life today with a new feature: friends of e&b. Today I chat with Caitlyn Schwarz who owns a beautiful shop in Denver called Conifer. I had the honor of watching Caitlyn bring Conifer to life and to say it was a magical process to witness would be an understatement. When you walk into Conifer, you have an instant feeling of calm and wellbeing. Caitlyn features a beautifully curated selection of candles, pottery, beauty products, home goods and new and vintage clothing. Her passion is clear from the moment you walk in and I’m continuously inspired by what she has created. I’m so honored that she is an Eli & Barry customer (rumor has it that she’s wearing dress 3 in colorful gingham to her upcoming bridal shower) and that we’ve become good friends over the years. Read on to learn about Caitlyn’s shop and what she has going on in her life at the moment.
q: What inspired you to open Conifer?
a: I think the story starts years ago when I began primarily shopping with small makers and artists to decorate my home. I quickly became passionate about sharing their work! While working in shops of all kinds and sizes, I kept dreaming of owning a shop filled with all the goods from the makers I had met. I wasn’t sure how to make it happen but during the summer of 2020, the opportunity for a shop space unexpectedly dropped into my lap and amongst all the chaos of that year, I just went for it! My parents and I worked together to build all the furniture in the shop - the tables are made of my family’s lake house dock, the fitting room has pieces of the dock and reclaimed Colorado beetle kill pine and my register is a big chunk of old Montana fir from the lake house too! There’s even an old fence post with a hook in it from my Grandpa’s ranch in Texas that is now our curtain holder. Just like all the goods we carry, everything they rest on has a story too. Growing up around grandparents who treasured old objects and slow crafts, this shop is truly inspired by them. All natural materials like clay and wood, and a little bit of Montana, Colorado and Texas all pulled together - it’s everything I love in a shop.
q: What’s a lesson you’ve learned in business or in life?
a: There’s nothing wrong with staying small! In fact, I’ve learned that’s when you’re naturally able to be more intentional with decisions. I think that there’s a lot of pressure to grow big these days and sell more and more. But we can quickly lose sight of why we started and what matters most. For me, that’s always been community and supporting local and small makers. I’ve really stuck to those values with Conifer and we carry valuable and slow crafted goods from real people with real stories that might not be shared in such a meaningful way on the big scale!
q: How would you describe your personal style:
a: At this point I think my shop, my closet and my home have all merged into one and it all just feels so right! Minimal, earthy and comfy is my go to. Oh, and lots of linen!!
q: You’re getting married this year! Can you tell us about the vision for your wedding?
a: Every September we celebrate the shop turning one year older by inviting our community of supporters to a courtyard picnic of sorts and that’s the feeling we are hoping to have for our wedding - only I’ll be wearing a really fancy dress! It’s truly the best time of year here in Colorado, the flowers are still thriving and the leaves haven’t quite changed yet. It’s become my favorite month for these reasons so it makes sense that we would naturally land on the same time for our wedding! We’re getting married in a tiny historic chapel outside of Estes Park and then hosting a reception under the cottonwood trees with locally made pies, ceramic bowls filled with yummy food and beautiful flowers. One of my favorite parts of planning has been incorporating small makers into our special day. The local soap maker we carry is also a talented flower farmer and she’s growing our wedding flowers!
q: what’s something you’re working on?
a: Learning the craft of pottery! It’s been a long time coming to try my hand at it after years of admiring so many talented potters. So far, it’s been a wonderful journey and quite humbling! The best part of this new thing - to be messy and terrible at something just for the sake of play. I’m realizing that clay can teach you so many life lessons!
Outfit details:
Outfit 1: dress 2 in foam linen, vintage French chore jacket, Nisolo shoes, vintage bandana, and wood bandana slide from Conifer.
Outfit 2: puff top 1 in tea linen (available this June), bolo from Conifer, Agolde pinch waist denim, and Nisolo shoes.
Outfit 3: puff top 1 in cinder gingham linen, Agold pinch waist denim, and vintage fisherman sandals.
You can shop Conifer online or in person at 3377 Blake Street #102 in Denver. Be sure to follow Conifer on Instagram, too. Thank you so much to Caitlyn for taking the time to work with me on this feature.
-Lily