Creative local entrepreneurs

HIGH ROAD VANS

JEFF LYGA & ANDY WARD It makes sense that two professional woodworkers, one who arrived in Telluride in a Westfalia van named Desert Storm, and the other who spent his first 10 years in the area living in a yurt in Ophir, would build a business creating the ultimate camping van.

Craftsmen and adventurers, Jeff Lyga and Andy Ward (who are also related through marriage) started High Road last year. Says Lyga, “We had been talking about this for two to three years. I wanted to do the same thing as what I was doing, but with a different medium, and have my job site in one place.”

Both wishes have come true. Lyga’s workplace is now a garage a mile out of Telluride, along the Valley Floor at the Shell gas station, where he and Ward craft custom vans instead of custom cabinets.

The pair work on clients’ personal vans, installing the electrical and other necessary infrastructure in van shells and prototyping the ultimate van able to remain in remote places for longer periods. This requires a solar battery system, heating and water storage, as well as storage for outdoor toys like mountain bikes, skis, climbing gear and kiteboards.

“As soon as we had a van parked out front, people started coming in,” Lyga says. “The inspiration was the lifestyle — camping, road-tripping — I love it all.” highroadvans.com

CREATIVE LOCAL Exciting new ventures abound in ENTREPRENEURS these mountains BY JESSE JAMES McTIGUE

Author Henning Menkell wrote, “What doesn’t exist you have to create for yourself.” Four teams of Telluride entrepreneurs have taken that message to heart, creating diverse new businesses.

CAMP BIRD HATS KIM LAKE Kim Lake likes beautiful things. She studied art, and she paints and sculpts. She has worked in interior design and in couture retail fashion. But, Lake insists, she doesn’t like trends; and she doesn’t like waste. As an artist, Lake knew she wanted to make something that was beautiful and creative, but she also wanted it to last. A few years ago, she finally discovered that thing — custom beaver felt hats.

With some exploration, Lake learned to craft high-quality hats, the kind that keep their shape and can stand up to the Telluride lifestyle and weather. For this, she explains, she needed felted beaver fur and hard-to-find machines. “Beaver is the best,” she says. “It’s water-resistant, it breathes. You can wear it in all of the elements.”

As for acquiring the machines needed for steaming and branding, Lake had to hustle. “You have to find someone who is going to fix broken old ones and help you get what you need,” she says. She found them, bought them and hauled them back to Telluride where she has set up shop in a vacant historic mining cabin at the top of North Oak Street.

Lake’s goal is to create a hat that mirrors the most inspiring qualities of its owner and which will last forever. “I meet with each client and get an idea of their personality and vibe. I make one hat for one person.”

She adds, “Business is good. I need to get faster because I’m so busy.” campbirdtelluride.com >>

Photos by Melissa Plantz

CAMP V

NATALIE BINDER, BRUCE & JODIE WRIGHT Drive 50 miles west of Telluride on Highway 145 and you arrive at Naturita, an old uranium mining town with a population 486. You may not even notice it. But if Natalie Binder and Bruce and Jodie Wright (known as the StudioVille Crew) have anything to do with it, you will. They not only want you to stop; they want you to stay and explore its wild spaces and their project, Camp V. Camp V is the creative collaboration of Binder and the Wrights in their quest to “push the limits” of hospitality and architecture. The trio stumbled upon Vancorum, a 120-acre plot of land with 17 historic cabins and purchased it in 2017. They loved its history — it was built by the Vanadium Corporation in 1942 to house the engineers who worked at the local uranium mill. And they loved the surrounding area with its 300 miles of trails, the confluence of the San Miguel and Dolores rivers and a trippy, high-desert, red-rock landscape.

The team renovated the rustic cabins and added yurts, airstreams, a “Magic Bus” and good old-fashioned campsites. But the real draw is the community, culture and the interplay between art and adventure. There are art installations, artists in residence, community conversations, events and workshops. The vibe is a little Marfa, a little Burning Man, a little Baja and a little old-school Moab.

“We provide artful accommodations for the spirited traveler,” Binder says. “We believe art brings people together.” campv.com

THE PEPPORIUM

PEPPER RAPER CONTILLO It’s a match made in creative heaven. There’s Telluride, a town that loves costumes and dress-up for any occasion. And then there’s long-time collector and lover of vintage clothing Pepper Raper Contillo, a creative who has volunteered over the years for nonprofits like Telluride Arts and Telluride Theatre and who currently serves as vice chair of Telluride’s arts commission. Now, the two have combined beautifully with the unique and colorful Pepporium, Raper Contillo’s new vintage, costume and consignment goods store on Telluride’s Main Street.

“I have been collecting vintage clothes forever,” Raper Contillo explains. “It was a hobby in college. I love to shop and I love old things and I come from a family of collectors.”

From these beginnings, Raper Contillo started, a number of years ago, doing pop-up shops locally that featured her vintage pieces. Then came the chance to move to bricks and mortar and the Atlanta native went for it.

Good thing she did. The Pepporium is wonderful. Situated in a historic building at 134 E. Colorado Ave., the space is light and lovely with exposed brick walls, stamped-tin ceiling and large windows. Raper Contillo has stocked her new venture with a mix of fun, funky and fashionable items, handpicked and curated personally.

Thrilled to be able to turn her eye for good vintage into a day job? Yes, says Raper Contillo, “I joke that I’m so lucky, I basically get to sit in my closet all day, but really, I love what I do.” thepepporium.com