Chelsea Self / Post Independent
Miles and Ivy Rattet opened their small business in downtown Glenwood Springs during the construction of the largest infrastructure project on the Western Slope in over 25 years.
“We didn’t want to delay it any longer,” Miles Rattet said. “Roll with the punches.”
Punches were certainly delivered, even after the Grand Avenue Bridge Project’s completion, when parking realignment was done directly outside of the married couple’s storefront followed by the Seventh Street Beautification Project just footsteps away.
Like the thrill rides at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, the Rattet’s who own The Fourth Dimension at 710 Cooper Ave. Suite 100 described those early days in business as a “rollercoaster.”
However, despite the prolonged construction, a knockout blow was never delivered thanks to one group of customers in particular.
“We had a lot of support from the locals. We really did,” Ivy Rattet said. “They helped us survive it.”
A ‘MOUNTAIN GIRL’ AND A ‘SKI BUM’
Ivy Rattet lived in Denver for eight years where, in addition to attending and later teaching at a cosmetology school, she bartended at Croc’s Bar & Grill in the city’s LoDo neighborhood.
“It was an Ohio State Bar,” Ivy Rattet said, which admittedly threw the bartender, who was in her early-20s at the time, off a bit. “I was surprised at how many Ohio State people were in Denver.”
“I didn’t even know sports bars in Denver affiliated with different states,” Rattet said.
When asked if she had any connection to the Ohio State Buckeyes, Rattet laughed and replied “not even a little bit.”
While Ivy Rattet enjoyed her time on the Front Range, the spirit and scenery of her hometown at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Colorado rivers reeled her back in.
“I’m a mountain girl,” Rattet said. “Small-town vibe is kind of the way I like to live my life.”
A lifestyle equally enjoyed by her husband, Miles.
The 32-year-old, who grew up in California just inland from Malibu, traded in the sandy beaches for the Lake Tahoe area’s snowcapped mountains.
“I moved up there to be a ski bum for one season,” Miles Rattet said.
While in Tahoe, the fresh out of college Rattet worked at Kirkwood Mountain Resort where “one season” quickly turned into four.
“I love the beach but the mountains have always had my heart,” Rattet said. “Tahoe’s a great place to visit, tough place to live.”
Seven years ago, Miles Rattet made the trek to Glenwood Springs and has called it home ever since.
HOME MEANS FAMILY
Ivy Rattet’s mom, Lisa Manzano owns Mona Lisa Ladies Unique Boutique, which neighbors The Fourth Dimension.
In fact, patrons do not even need to exit The Fourth Dimension to enter Manzano’s boutique as the two are connected from the interior.
“I couldn’t have a better neighbor,” Manzano said. “It’s a family affair.”
The Fourth Dimension, which offers an assortment of clothing apparel, jewelry and works from local artisans will host its “Holiday Hootenanny” on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 30.
Building upon the family dynamic, Ivy’s older brother and sister-in-law who play guitar and cello respectively will hopefully make the drive from Boulder to perform an acoustic set outside The Fourth Dimension at the event.
“I wouldn’t like to do this with anyone else but my beautiful wife,” Rattet said. “We have one big family affair down here.”
MORE THAN MONEY
For Ivy and Miles Rattet, owning their 377-square-foot business goes deeper than making money.
“We wanted a fun environment,” Ivy Rattet said. “A place that people could feel comfortable to come in, peek around and not feel like we are pressuring them to buy something.”
Both in their early 30s, neither Ivy or Miles seem to let the pressures of owning a small business in downtown Glenwood Springs in the age of Amazon phase them.
Instead, the Rattets simply enjoy getting to know each individual that enters The Fourth Dimension whether they make a purchase or not.
“Those engagements and those connections are more important and more valuable than any kind of monetary sale,” Miles Rattet said.