Feb 19, 2015

Liz & Jo’s Opens in Lower Stanley VillageBy Barb Boyer BuckEPTrail.com

Estes Park, CO – It’s difficult to make just one business grow and be successful in Estes Park, let alone four. But Diane Muno – owner of Spruce House, Christmas Shop,White Orchid, and White Orchid Bridal – has just opened a fifth, Liz & Jo’s, located in lower Stanley Village.

“Having one business, with the seasonality of it is difficult,” Muno said. “That is why I grew initially. I had year-round expenses, but the income came in only seasonally. Therefore, if you can afford to grow, you do.”

Muno bought the Spruce House (located on the west end of Elkhorn Avenue) in 2006; four years later, she opened the Christmas Shop and White Orchid on East Elkhorn. White Orchid Bridal was opened in 2012 and in late January, Muno expanded that space by knocking down the wall between the bridal shop and a vacant retail spot next door. Instead of expanding the bridal offerings, she opted to create a new retail store – named after her daughter, Elizabeth and her two sons, John and Joseph – which carries primarily apparel and accessories designed to appeal to her children’s age group: “the millennials,” she said, “but there are a lot of cross-over pieces, too. You can come and shop for yourself, your daughter, or your mom.”

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