Walk into Sally Jo Ocasio’s The Vintage Vault in Ridgway, and you will see a wide array of fun, ageless treasures both retro and modern. Just give it another week or so before you pay her a visit.

Ocasio is in the process of hauling all of her one-of-a-kind items from the old location at 380 Sherman St., above Cimarron Coffee, to the center of the town’s arts district at 609 Clinton St., in the Centennial Building across from the Sherbino Theater.

Ocasio moved to Ridgway nine years ago from Park City, Utah. She was ready for a career change after 25 years in fine dining. She wanted to take some time to figure out what was next, and she started by asking herself: What do you love?

“I’ve always bought second hand, and reducing waste and recycling are important to me,” she said.

The Vintage Vault isn’t just about second hand, she says.

“I curate. I ask, what are those things we carry around with us? I specialize in vintage and also designer clothing. We’re so close to Telluride, and everyone should be able to have nice things. These are at a fraction of the original cost.”

Once the new location is running smoothly, Ocasio said, she would like to start playing with the items she acquires.

“Upcycling is my next thing. That’s the creative part. I’ve been collecting old, beautiful pieces of fabric for decades,” she said.

Ocasio also plans to set up an online store once things get rolling.

This is her sixth move since opening the business in 2017. Most recently, The Vintage Vault operated out of Susan Baker’s old space where she had Lupita’s Bizarre Bazaar for three decades. Ocasio took over the space and business after a fire in 2021 wiped out her storefront at 540 Clinton St.

“After the fire, I was in the process of filing an insurance claim when Susan approached me,” Ocasio said. But that building is now for sale, and rent increases that pushed other businesses out of the Sherman Street building had Ocasio wondering if maybe it was time to close or find another location.

The location she found is in the Centennial Building on Clinton, in the space formerly occupied by Lisa Issenberg’s business, Kiitella.

“I’m saving almost $1,000 a month by coming here,” she said.

She’s now also on the main street of the creative district, which suits her perfectly.

“I always liked being on Clinton Street. It’s nice to be back here,” she said.

It’s not an easy time to be a business owner in Ridgway, Ocasio said.

“I’m just trying to keep this going. Ridgway is in a weird flux. Post-pandemic growth was prevalent, but businesses aren’t making enough to keep up with the rent increases. There’s a chasm between growth on paper versus reasonable rent,” she said.

Ocasio wants to keep a physical presence, though, so she is glad to have a storefront.

“There was so much support after the fire, I felt the need to keep a brick and mortar location. And, I just feel like this works. The community really supported this business after the fire, so I kept going. And now, I’m really grateful that this space worked out and I still feel buoyed by this community,” she said.

Ocasio and other business owners applied for a grant through the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade’s Community Business Preservation Program in January, to help with increased rent, but it wasn’t approved. The only two Western Slope communities to receive the grant were Cortez and Gunnison. The hope was that the funding would help the Vault and three other Ridgway businesses weather rent increases and expand their offerings.

“It’s OK. There are other grants out there. We have all that information, now, that Tera Wick gathered. It won’t be hard to apply now,” Ocasio said, referring to the town’s community initiatives facilitator.

The grand reopening of The Vintage Vault is during the street market fair on May 5. Ocasio’s doors will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day, and the band Old Man Polly will regale visitors with their tunes. She will donate 10% of the day’s sales to the Ouray County Community Fund.

The Vintage Vault will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday-Monday in May, then every day starting in June.