Tourists and locals alike can add a feather in their cap at The Mercantile Ouray, a new build-your-own hat bar and Western wear shop opening on Main Street in Ouray on May 3.

It was the city’s vibrant business community that encouraged Kelly Leggett and her husband, Josh Habben-Leggett, to open their own business just a year and a half after moving to the area from Denver. They came to Ouray looking for a smaller environment to raise their first-grader, Annabelle.

And once here, they wanted to find a way to hitch themselves to the place long term. They were heartened by the community of local business owners who had become their new friends and started looking to create something the tourism destination hadn’t yet seen.

Kelly Leggett, a sixth-generation Westerner, said the hat bar and retail store is inspired by the region’s art, style and visits to hat bars in other mountain towns. Right at the time she started thinking about creating her own, the former Twig+Feather space at 812 Main St. opened up.

Leggett is also familiar with running a retail storefront, having co-owned a wedding dress store in Denver for two decades. That also taught her how to create a detail-oriented, personal clothing item and experience. Her husband continues to work remotely doing operations work, and is bringing that expertise to the business as well.

She’s hoping the hat bar is another activity that brings people to town and leaves them with a token from their trip. She’s carefully designed the space to give it a distinctly Ouray character, rather mimicking stores in Telluride or Jackson Hole.

Hat bases — in either flat-brim rancher or curved-cattlemen styles — will range from $60 to $160, depending on the material. Then customers can decorate those hats with hat bands, feathers, pins and even brand them with initials or logos.

The physical bar itself is being custom built by a local artisan and Leggett is aiming to source the store’s other art and jewelry from designers and artisans regionally, like in Durango, and throughout the state.

Leggett said she’s open to hosting private events and parties, such as wedding groups in the future.

“We want to really make it clear that we’re excited to join the business community and contribute in any way we can,” Leggett said.

For more information visit mercantileouray.com or call 970-633-5503.