The first men’s section at Michelle Poirier’s Blue Pear store in Ouray was a single apple crate labeled “Men’s Department.” But when dudes headed into the store they went straight for it. Poirier expanded the idea to a bigger section and, finally, a whole store dedicated to this audience.

On Labor Day weekend, she launched the Blue Pear Men’s Shoppe at 645 Main St. in the same building as the original store. The collection is carefully curated, as Poirier looks for upscale, unique products that men want for themselves, and that their loved ones will buy as gifts. The collection ranges from French body care products to bar games to supplies for man’s best friend.

Some standout items include a glass globe that doubles as a lamp, solid cologne, Blackwing pencils – the brand favored by American author John Steinbeck – and thin, carbon wallets that can hold up to 15 cards. Poirier said she asked men what kind of items she should carry before opening the store, and at least three whipped out the skinny wallets. A large coffee table book featuring 50 years of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit coverage is also displayed, and while this may not seem like a gift that Poirier’s female patrons would go for, she said one lady walked out earlier this month with three copies.

Photographs of ice climbers shot by local artist Mark Knight hang behind the counter, while sturdy rugs, forest green walls and dark wood displays contrast with the natural light entering the store. The design is carefully laid out, as Poirier wants to give patrons an idea of what their own homes could look like. She said that with over four blocks full of stores on Ouray’s Main Street, it’s important to stand out.

“We’re trying to give the men a little bit of ‘bouj,’” she said, referring to the popular slang term “boujee” which is used to describe something that’s considered high-class. So far it seems to have worked. Even on a Wednesday afternoon the shopkeeper hardly has a few uninterrupted minutes to chat, as guests file in and out of the store in twos and threes. Poirier said there’s no store like hers that targets men in Ouray, and she doesn’t know of any nearby.

The shoppe is the fourth in Ouray that the Beulah native has started. Poirier opened the Blue Pear in a 7-by-25 foot spot within the Wright Opera House about 15 years ago when she first moved to the city. She opened her second effort , Bloom, as a summer pop-up in an empty storefront, and eventually moved them both to the current location on 645 Main St. With the opening of the Men’s Shoppe and Twig and Feather, Poirier’s home goods store at 812 Main St. in Ouray, Bloom was dissolved into the other three locations.

Poirier began her entrepreneurial career in North Carolina, where she opened a business renting out sailboats and other watercraft. She moved to Ouray in 2007, a city she had visited as a child. Though she had planned to move to Telluride, Poirer fell in love with Ouray on the way and a chance meeting with a real estate agent convinced her to seal the deal.

Even decades after opening her first business, and 15 years after starting the Blue Pear in Ouray, Poirier said she is still humbled every time a customer walks through her doors.

“I feel grateful and lucky and charmed to be able to be successful and make a living here,” she said.

Kylea Henseler is a journalist with Report for America, a nonprofit national service program which places reporters in underserved areas. To make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work, contact [email protected].