Sweetbriar turns 25!

RANGELY I In November of 2021, Rangely’s small town gift shop, Sweetbriar, turned 25. The best smelling place in town, the boutique holds treasures unlike anywhere else in Rangely. Owners Kathy and Gary Staley put their day’s work into making the gift shop feel like home. You will walk in and be immediately surrounded by flowers, cozy gifts, and scents that warm your spirit. 

Sweetbriar is located at 713 E. Main St. in Rangely, but that is not where its story began. The shop previously lived between the Loaf N’ Jug and White River Market with the 713 E. Main St. location housing inventory. 

The shop’s journey began with the original owner’s family which included Kathy’s mother and her sister-in-law. When the first owners were ready to move on, Kathy couldn’t leave the then tiny store to perish, so Kathy and her husband Gary took over. In 2008, they moved and grew into the spacious four-room showroom on Main St. 

In the spirit of teamwork, Kathy and Gary still work together in life and business as owners of Sweetbriar — even citing the shop as their second home. With no other employees, Kathy spends her days tending to the shop and fresh flowers that sweeten the space and are available for sale. 

Gifts and souvenirs are not usually the most important things in a small boom or bust town.

Kathy contributes her success in Rangely to staying true to her values. She believes in diligence, faith and honesty. She also believes that holding respect for your fellow business owner and neighbor is important. The challenges of providing a non-necessity through economic downturns are ones that many businesses don’t survive. While big businesses like Amazon may provide convenience, Sweetbriar provides small town service where the joy, love and warmth can be taken home along with a delightful customer service experience. Kathy remains hopeful that in times of economic challenges, people will realize that giving a gift to the community by shopping local will prevail over “…shopping here as an afterthought when their gift didn’t arrive on time.”  

As Kathy describes the delicate balance between customer service and holding space for customers to discover her delightful treasures in the store, her business acumen is apparent. Every consumer knows an overbearing salesperson and that is not the experience offered at Sweetbriar. Kathy shares her greatest business accomplishment as continuing to be in business 25 years later and serving the community. Sweetbriar won Business of the Year from the Rangely Chamber of Commerce in 2014. 

Congratulations to Sweetbriar and the Staleys on their 25th business anniversary. Be sure to stop by Sweetbriar the next time you are in the market for home decor, gifts or jewelry. The key to sustaining small businesses is the community’s efforts to support them beyond necessity and that last-minute Mother’s Day gift.