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A Retail Legend Shares Customer Service Secrets What do you learn after 27 years of running a famous store? Ask Roxanne Thurman, owner of Denver's Cry Baby Ranch.

By Grant Davis • Aug 25, 2016

This story appears in the September 2016 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Roxanne Thurman, owner of Denver's Cry Baby ranch

In the 1980s, Roxanne Thurman and her business partner were selling vintage Western wear at collectibles shows around the Rocky Mountain region. Then a chance to open a pop-up shop in downtown Denver turned into the retail store Cry Baby Ranch (named in honor of a memorable experience with one of her kids). In the 27 years since, she has dropped her business partner, weathered recessions, floods and the explosion of e-commerce -- and built a brand that's become an iconic part of its city and celebrated around the world. Now, at age 66, Thurman still manages the store every day and is thinking about what (if anything!) comes next.

Thurman on how to bootstrap everything:

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