La Lovely Vintage Finds a Home at Vintage Cottage in Littleton

"I've always been fascinated with antiques," says Tara Dover. "In my early twenties I got into vintage clothing, and ever since then both my life and style have never been the same." And over the past few years, her fascination has really taken off, with first online sales of La...

By Mauricio Rocha

December 8, 2014

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"I've always been fascinated with antiques," says Tara Dover. "In my early twenties I got into vintage clothing, and ever since then both my life and style have never been the same." And over the past few years, her fascination has really taken off, with first online sales of La Lovely Vintage items, then a mobile store, and now a brick-and-mortar shop in Littleton, the Vintage Cottage.

Dover started selling La Lovely Vintage on Etsy in 2011, although she's been a collector for much longer than that. A year later, she purchased a trailer -- a 1957 Shasta, to be exact -- and started transforming it into a store. "In spring 2013," she recalls, "we successfully transformed our Shasta, which we call Lucy, into a mobile shop and hit the streets of Denver!" And while Lucy remains in full gear, traveling to markets around the metro area, in October Dover opened the Vintage Cottage at 5684 South Datura Street in Littleton.

La Lovely Vintage Boutique is now part of the Vintage Cottage, a place to find rare and collectible vintage fashion. "I have lived in Colorado all my life and in Denver for the last five years," says Dover. "I started the mobile shop with the intention of it being a Denver-based shop, and for the most part we still are. Last spring we started adventuring outside of Denver and did some events in Littleton, Evergreen and Castle Rock. Colorado is such a beautiful state, and I'm not opposed to traveling all around it."

Whether online, in Lucy or at the store, prices for clothing and accessories range from $4 to $600. "We sell vintage clothing for women, men and children," she says, "and everything else from restored antique furniture, vintage kitchenware, home décor and upcycled plant-life designs to my handmade, all-natural soy candles. Our products are primarily from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s."

But La Lovely Vintage also carries new items, including handcrafted jewelry by Kris Baxter of Erebus Adornments and Bronco and other sports tees from the 5280 Shirt Shop.

It's all part of Dover's mission to add a splash of color to people's lives while connecting with like-minded creatives. "If you're a vintage lover, small business owner, future mobile shop owner or artist, please feel free to reach out! I really enjoy helping and watching this community grow," concludes Dover.

Find out more on La Lovely Vintage website.

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Mauricio Octavio Rocha graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in English writing and a minor in cinema studies; He has been writing about fashion and style for Westword since 2012. Rocha also writes songs for his music and art project, VULGAR FEVER.

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