As you walk casually down 1st Street in Nederland, you’ll notice shining delicacies and dazzling garments beautifully, yet strategically, displayed in the windows of Wings of Lace. Shop owner Kimberly Spagnola specifically designs her displays to entice walkers-by, for she knows they won’t be disappointed when they decide to step inside.
Located just across the street from Busey Brews at 75 East 1st Street in Nederland, Wings of Lace has been the premier boutique there for six years now. However, Spagnola herself has been in the business since adolescence. Her name and brand has become a staple in Colorado, as she’s operated here for more than thirty years.
“I’m from Iowa. I started coming up to Colorado when I was 12 years old with my good friend, whose sister owned a shop in Gunnison,” Spignola told The Mountain-Ear. “I started working in the shop at the age of 12 and fell in love with the business.”
“I loved the atmosphere and I loved the clothes; she was taking me down to Denver to the merchandise mart to help her do the buying, so I learned at a young age, too. I loved being a shopkeeper and then a shop owner. I loved the people, the tourists, the locals; I loved dressing them. I knew what I wanted to do.”
At the young age of 20, Spagnola bought the shop where her love and education in the boutique business began. She moved the shop from Gunnison to Boulder, but soon realized that her business would thrive in a town like Nederland.
“I moved up here and opened Denim and Lace over in the small space where the bookstore is now,” Spagnola recalled. “Then I needed a bigger space because things were going really well, and the A-frame, which is now the dispensary, became available and I instantly moved in and loved that space and was there for 10 years.”
But Spagnola never stopped expanding her horizons, for both her own benefit and for the many clients she wished to reach.
“I ended up selling Denim and Lace, then expanded and went into wholesale as Wings of Lace. I had a showroom in the Denver merchandise mart, so I still lived up here and I was driving back and forth during trade shows, in the weather and everything.”
“When I was in wholesale I was meeting all these business owners all over Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico.” Spagnola explained how this endeavor equipped her with the connections to truly make Wings of Lace’s inventory soar. And not only were her tastes in hand-crafted clothing and jewelry in demand, she was also frequently hired by other companies for her services as a merchandise display artist.
“Since I’ve been in it for so many years, I do have tons of connections! I have a connection for Italian clothing, which is a huge seller for us; we have something for everyone here,” Spagnola excitedly combs over her inventory, arranging every rack, dusting and wiping and slightly nudging things into place. Every item that she touches has an origin and a story.
“I am always hands-on involved in this shop, completely. I can walk in and notice what my employees sold. There’s always a reason for my madness,” she laughs.
Wings of Lace’s delicately arranged racks and shelves showcase the shop’s unique and wistful inventory; filled with “unique clothing, jewelry, and other rare treasures”. The menagerie of colors and textures feature Spagnola’s connections to artisans in Italy, Bali, and India, as well as American artisans who create vintage flannel shirts from recycled clothing.
Spagnola mentions how the COVID pandemic caused a lot of her artisan connections to slow production and, in a lot of cases, limit their client-base. She’s thankful for having built great relationships with these businesses over the years, so that she can continue to stock Wings of Lace with their original merchandise.
Spagnola remembers the pandemic being particularly hard on her.
“I closed for two months and my income went down to nothing. I am self-employed, I’m by myself, so I had to roll with it and call every vendor, and deal with all my personal accounts and mortgage and work that out.”
Spagnola was able to survive by utilizing FaceTime to get in touch with customers through Wings of Lace’s Facebook page and walk the shop live with them, selling them merchandise online.
“I reopened on Mother’s Day of 2020, and just opened for weekends under all the ordinances, with only allowing up to three people into the shop at a time. I was opening every weekend and it was going well,” Spagnola said.
Not long after Wings of Lace reopened their doors Spignola’s two dedicated employees, Elizabeth and Chris, returned and the shop went back to full-time hours.
“I have two excellent employees, I couldn’t ask for better. They are a big part of why I am still here. They know the rules, they know how to run the place while I do all the ordering, all the unpacking and the pricing,” Spagnola said as she continued to float across every display, adjusting and cleaning.
“They hold down the fort when I go to Italy, which is my retirement idea. I have friends and jobs that I do there, and I bring merchandise back,” She suddenly stops and lightly touches a fine leather handbag. “As a matter of fact I have to go to Florence to get more leather bags; this whole rack was filled and now it’s almost empty.”
Having been in the business for as long as she has, and even with Italy calling to her, Spagnola isn’t willing to close the doors on Wings of Lace anytime soon.
“I will be here for as long as I can be in this building. Then I will probably sell everything and go to Italy,” she laughs.
It’s more than clear just upon entering Wings of Lace and setting eyes upon its organized and inviting displays that Spagnola cares for her shop, her merchandise, her employees, and her customers. The same spark that was lit in her 12 year old self is still ignited today.
“I do have something for everyone, it is a goal for me to keep things at an affordable price and a price that really surprises people, it’s a small boutique where people expect it to be expensive but it’s not,” Spagnola said passionately about her shop; mentioning how she always has discounted items as well as local discounts. “And I go by quality also! But it’s our customer service that sets us apart the most over anything; and we have the merchandise to follow up with that!”
Wings of Lace is located at 75 East 1st Street in Nederland and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call: 303-258-9777 or go to their Facebook page at: https://m. facebook.com/ Wings- of- Lace- Boutique-589470421263112/.
Sponsored by the Town of Nederland, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
