When you're looking to get quality western wear in the Denver metro area, Aurora probably isn't the first thing you think of. Suzanne Dayton disagrees with that assessment.
“It's kind of a combination of a little bit of that city and country, and that's why I think this is a really fun place to do that,” Dayton said.
She is the owner of Urban Cowgirl in Stanley Marketplace. She sells country-chic clothing, but her specialty is shaping hats.
“We can shape and make hats and anything you want. We can brand it, we can decorate it. This is mine, made by me. And we can help bring people together. I really love doing it,” Dayton said.
However, Suzanne did not come from a family of hat shaping people and acquired the skill by watching videos on the internet and learning from great hat shaping gurus. Eventually, she decided she wanted to make her living shaping hats and open her own shop. She says it was a big step.
“It was definitely scary. Bricks and mortar is a whole new thing,” Dayton said.
Luckily, she had help. She is honored not only by her friends and family, but also by the Aurora South Metro Small Business Development Center.
“I definitely use them as a support network,” Dayton said.
She's lucky to be in Aurora because the Aurora South subway SBDC here is one of the best in the nation. The Aurora South Metro Small Business Development Center received the Small Business Development Center Award of Excellence and Innovation Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
On Thursday, U.S. SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman visited four businesses in the Stanley Marketplace to learn why Aurora South Metro SBDC received that award. Casillas-Guzman visited with Suzanne Dayton and Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman.
Suzanne says this is to show the strength of community. Not just Aurora, but her friends, mentors, and family as well.
“It's amazing how supportive people are here in the Aurora area. I'm always amazed by the word of mouth that people just share their hearts,” Dayton said. Told.
“I can definitely say without that community we wouldn’t be as successful as we are,” Dayton said.
Aurora South Metro SBDC is one of four organizations nationwide to receive an award from the SBA this year.