Meghan Throckmorton has a wonderful flair for design. Her boutique - Rakun on Santa Fe is eye candy from the moment you spot it. Meghan’s too cute raccoon logo and fun lettering on her sign beckon kids of any age to come look around and purchase all sorts of adorable clothes and crafts. I had the chance to sit down and chat with the pretty entrepreneur in her sunny courtyard that joins her business and her home in the beginning of spring.
Meghan was a gracious host and slung two old metal chairs into a comfortable spot for us to sit and enjoy the springtime weather with its colorful unfolding flowers and bobbing bumble bees.
Rakun opened it's doors in June of 2011 and along with being open Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 7pm. Meghan and friends host fun little sorta underground party type arts and craftsty musicy events on first Fridays. During and after the madness on Santa Fe’s art walk. First Friday evening’s local artists will be setting up near the sidewalk in front of Rakun to show their works. Super fun Make and Take craft projects will be held in the courtyard behind the store.
Born in Kansas, Meghan got her taste of the awesome underground in the late 1990’s city of Lawrence. Frequenting "used to be cool" venues like the Tap Room and the Bottle Neck, Meghan obviously picking up a great appreciation for not so normal fashion and accessories. She has smeared this knowledge onto the racks, tables and shelves of her boutique. I asked her to describe her own personal clothing style.
Meghan: “I think my personal style is heavily influenced by how much time I've spent in Asia throughout my life. I'm still kind of a kid, so I think I can wear bunnies and stars and hedgehogs and still be believable. I often buy kids clothes...I like short dresses, lots of color, knee socks, berets. My Father in law found the best red wool Italian beret on the shore of Lake Michigan last fall and I wore it whenever it was cold. He stuck a little hawk feather in it and I wore that too. I also like oversized sunglasses. Lately I'm really digging Vintage 60s stuff - like Mary Quant and Francoise Hardy. Wait. Who am I kidding? I always like vintage 60s stuff.”
Megan and her husband James live with their 2 year old daughter Eloise in the quaint little house behind the Rakun shop. This girl is so down to earth and her wedding story is really sweet.
Meghan: “I was married April 28 2007 in Weston, MO. We got married in an apple orchard and then we had the reception in a barn. In lieu of a first dance, we sang, "In Spite of Ourselves" by John Prine and Iris Dement. We had a really good but really unknown bluegrass band play...they didn't know what to do when we asked how much they charged...they just wanted whiskey and food. (We paid them of course and then told all of our friends to go see them play once they started getting gigs.”)
TR: “I know you play the bass. Have you ever wanted to play in a band?”
Meghan: “Hmm...I am really an amateur when it comes to the bass. I sometimes daydream about the Rockmorton Family Band...after just a couple of weeks of dating my husband and I went to Winfield Bluegrass festival and there were lots of kids playing with their families. We were watching these 6 and 8 year old sisters sing "I've Been Everywhere" with their traveling family band, and Jammer (husband James) said when we have kids we should have a traveling family band. This should have made me freak out, but I agreed, so here we are."
"Eloise loves to play the ukulele and sing, and I like to sing... we hit up open mic nights from time to time but nothing serious. It's sort of something we do as a family. It's part of our old world lifestyle... sit around outside after the shop is closed and play music together. It's better than TV."
TR: “How closely do you think music and fashion are related?"
Meghan:“Especially today music and fashion are really intertwined. Information spreads so quickly, creative people draw inspiration from everywhere. It happens so fast. It's always happened... Madonna, early Beatles, and Josephine Baker... Just not so fast”.
TR: “What are your favorite crafting projects you enjoy by yourself and what projects do you like to do socially?"
Meghan: "Most things I do by myself. I like to stay up late, forget to eat or pee, and make things until I hear the birds chirping. With Eloise, I don't do that as much anymore, but I still love it. Knitting is more social because you can do it on autopilot. Plus, it is one of those traditionally social activities... I've always romanticized things like quilting bees. After I read Little Women as a child, I would make my parents and sisters sit around and craft and sing and write poems together instead of watching TV."
So instead of watching TV check out the Rakun Boutique and all of the great meet-up events and first Friday's Meghan hosts. She is a doll and her store is a doll house that you can’t wait to play with.
1147 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
www.rakunshop.com
www.shopdibs.com
www.dressier.com
Rakun was named Best Santa Fe Boutique in this years Westword- Best of Denver.
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