Her Story. Her Space.
Celebrating the Women Entrepreneurs of Stanley Marketplace
March is Women's History Month, a time to recognize the trailblazers, risk-takers, and community builders who shape our world. Here at Stanley Marketplace, we don't have to look far for that inspiration because we are surrounded by it every single day.
Did you know that nearly half of the businesses at Stanley Marketplace are owned or co-owned by women? That's not a coincidence, it's a reflection of our community's values, and we couldn't be prouder.
This month, we're shining a light on the women who didn't just open a business, they helped build our community into what it is today.
WOMEN WHO ARE SHAPING WHAT’S POSSIBLE
Stanley Marketplace was born inside a former aviation manufacturing facility in Aurora, Colorado, a building that once manufactured ejection seats and helped put Aurora on the map. When it transformed into a community marketplace, it attracted something special: women entrepreneurs who pioneered the incredible variety that makes Stanley Marketplace unlike anywhere else.
Fitness studios like Fly Kickbox and Kinesis Pilates, a creative makerspace in Mindcraft that inspires children with a love for learning through hands-on STEAM projects, a pet enrichment store in Bonez 4 Budz, a beloved salon in Clementine's, an occupational therapist in Parallel Play, a women's retail boutique in TRUE, and ZERO Market, Denver metro's first zero-waste store offering over 1,200 package-free products. A pottery studio and art café in Friend Assembly and Friends of Friends, where art is therapy and community is the whole point. And then there's Caroline Glover, a first-time restaurateur who was told by landlords she was a liability, until Stanley said yes. That restaurant, Annette, went on to win a James Beard Award.
These women didn't just open businesses. They dreamed it, believed in it and were brave enough to build it from the ground up. And Stanley is a destination today because of them.
MEET SOME OF THE BOLD WOMEN BEHIND IT ALL
Caroline Glover | Annette & Traveling Mercies
When Caroline Glover opened Annette in 2017, her very first restaurant, finding a landlord willing to take a chance on her wasn't easy. In her own words: "I was seen as a liability. Stanley welcomed us with open arms."
Annette went on to earn a James Beard Award, cementing Caroline as one of Colorado's most celebrated chefs. In 2023 she expanded with Traveling Mercies, a cozy oyster, cocktail, and wine bar on the third floor, a James Beard Best New Bar semifinalist and also named one of Esquire's Best Bars in America for 2024.
Rachel Lawrence | Parallel Play
Rachel Lawrence founded Parallel Play on a simple belief: kids with disabilities deserve to be part of an open, welcoming community. Using movement, gymnastics, ninja courses, and climbing, she turns occupational therapy into something kids actually want to do, helping children with sensory processing disorders, ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, and more unlock their full potential.
She works with caregivers too. As Rachel puts it: "Caregivers are the experts on their kids, and when we all work together, we can make an even bigger difference."
Parallel Play has won Favorite Pediatric Therapy Group, and Rachel was voted Best Therapist/Counselor by Colorado Parent Magazine.
Raquela Rose | Elita Specialty Market + Kitchen
Raquela Rose founded Elita Specialty Market + Kitchen on a simple but powerful belief: that affordable food can be uncompromisingly fresh. Her goal is for every person who walks through the door to feel seen, heard, and nourished, fed not just by food made with love, but by a story worth knowing.
That story runs deep. Elita's manager was once part of the janitorial crew at Stanley Marketplace, and has grown alongside Elita into a leader.
Women building up women. That's what it’s all about.
Jennifer Perez | Cheluna Brewing Co.
For co-owner Jennifer Perez, Cheluna has always been about more than great beer, it's about building a community worth showing up for.
Jennifer has cultivated Cheluna into a true neighborhood gathering place, organizing events like Tuesday Run Club, book clubs, and Zumba classes led by their own bartender Carmen. It’s a place where regulars become friends and strangers become regulars.
Recently named one of the 30 best breweries in the country, Cheluna's success is no surprise to anyone who has experienced it firsthand.
Karina Tittjung | Bonez 4 Budz
Karina Tittjung created Bonez 4 Budz with a vision that goes far beyond retail, a space where every customer leaves feeling more connected, inspired, and supported in giving their pets the best life possible.
In her own words: "My passion for creating meaningful connections between pets and their humans, whether it's bringing joy to an animal, supporting a pet parent, or building a community that shares this love, fuels me to keep going, even on the toughest days."
Sarah Schreiber | Friend Assembly & Friends of Friends
Sarah Schreiber opened Friend Assembly as a mom of a young child, determined to show her daughter what it looks like to bet on your own vision.
"It's important to me that I did it, and important to model to my daughter that I could do it."
What Sarah built is more than a pottery studio. It's a safe, inclusive creative community at a time when people need it most. Last year she expanded with Friends of Friends, an art café where creativity, community, and good friends all belong in the same room.
BUT THE STORY DOESN’T STOP THERE
These six are just a glimpse. Meet the rest of the women who helped build Stanley into what it is today:
Amanda Blaurock, Village Farms
Angela Chung, Chi Lin + Bad Peach Café
Anna Bangert, Tiffany Spector, TRUE
Cristina Hartman, Mindcraft Makerspace
Dani Everson, Clementine's Salon
Jamaica Cooke, FLY Kickbox
Jody Thomas, Nicole Hepler, Sarah Spurlock, Psychology at Stanley
Lorena Cantarovici, Maria Empanada
Nicole Landeck, Poppy & Pine
Shalini Tyagi, Nouveau Home + Trunk Nouveau
Stephanie Menuey, Kinesis Pilates
HOW TO CELEBRATE WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AT STANLEY
The women of Stanley aren't just business owners. They are chefs, healers, brewers, pet lovers, artists, creators, and dreamers. They show up every day and pour themselves into this community, and this community is better and more vibrant because of them.
This March, we invite you to celebrate with intention:
Shop, dine, and explore with purpose, seek out our women-owned businesses
Follow and tag your favorite Stanley women entrepreneurs on social media
Share their stories with your friends, family, and followers
Leave a review for a woman-owned business that has made an impact on you
And as always, thanks for supporting our independent businesses, we wouldn’t be the community we are without YOU.