I love the idea of dressing to be the person that you want to be. I love fashion because of the individual creative freedom. – Kelly Valentine

One of the most exciting and fun things about creating Fashion Denver back in 2004, is meeting the brains behind our local fashion companies! From designers and stylists to boutique owners, we get so inspired by what FUELS these minds and hearts and gives them the courage to go out and passionately pursue their dreams!

It was so much fun walking into the new Scout Dry Goods (formerly Buffalo Exchange) on S. Broadway and being greeted by Kelly Valentine, brains behind the company! I met Kelly through her identical twin sister Anna whom I had met back in 2004. I had followed Kelly’s adventure of opening up Scout Dry Goods in Omaha and when I saw she was bringing Scout to Denver, I was thrilled!

I wanted to find out where her passion for thrifting came from, what it was like to be a twin, what inspires her… and drum roll please… the official interview!

Where did you grow up and what was life like as a child? 

I grew up on the East Coast in a military family with my twin sister, parents and younger sister and brother. We lived really close to Virginia Beach, Washington DC and a cool and huge amusement park called Busch Gardens in Williamsburg. I spent most of my childhood running around there like an untamed animal.

My identical twin sister and I are the oldest kids in the family. I was painfully shy as a child, incredibly creative, and always very entrepreneurial. I’d create neighborhood events like art sales, haunted houses, and car washes to make money. It was the 80s, so I usually had the family camcorder in my hand recording dance routines and making music videos. My dad wasn’t around much because he was in the Navy and out-to-sea often. We spent plenty of time on aircraft carriers and dreamt of traveling to the exotic places my dad went and told us about.

What was your first memory with fashion and your love of fashion? 

I was blown away by the first supermodels, My first memory of fashion was probably more of the sense of realizing the power of clothing. I knew almost instinctively that what people wore changed the way people treated them. What I wore made me feel included or not included in the group. We were not very wealthy. Lower middle income family, our budget for the school year was $100 per child and that was supposed to last us the entire year. So back in the day Kmart was the cool store, believe it or not, so we would go to Kmart for our school clothes and I’d try to spread that $100 as far as I could. It never went very far but it was a fun challenge.

I don’t remember when or how I discovered thrift stores. It was like the most amazing thing I could’ve discovered. It checked all the boxes, the price was right, the volume was perfect there was so much of it in so many different stores! when I discovered thrift stores it was a true game-changer!

My first memory of fashion, let’s see, well, I grew up as an identical twin and my parents did not dress us the same. My mom always encouraged us to have our own identities. Looking back, it would have been fun to dress and look really identical at least for a few photos.

I love the idea of dressing to be the person that you want to be. I love fashion because of the individual creative freedom. There are essentially no rules, nothing is wrong, anything goes, it’s shallow and deep at the same time, it’s always changing, it’s always open to expression, it’s always open to interpretation, it’s always evolving, it’s just fun. It’s just a fun deal all around. 

What are your thoughts on Denver’s fashion and creative scene?

I absolutely love Denver. I lived out here in Denver about 20 years ago when I went to art college out here. Denver is especially cool when I compare to Omaha because people in Denver take a chance! The styling is more experimental. Denver folx wear that statement piece they just go for it. I love the boldness. I love the individualization of it, I love the color I love the extreme, I love the street style, I love the energy. Denver is one of my favorite cities in the entire world, it’s incredibly creative.

Do you and your twin have the same fashion sense?

Haha that’s a funny question. I’d say similar in some ways especially for casual time, like we both just mostly live in jeans and t-shirts and hoodies. But when it comes to OUTFITS and actually getting dressed, I’d say we do not have the same fashion sense. Overall, I tend to be a little more flamboyant in my clothing choices than she would. For example, the other day I wore this amazing vintage sequin flame shirt and she asked if I was wearing it ironically, and I said no, and then she made a sad face.

I tend to go towards interesting stand-out pieces in quality fabrics. I’ve worked at the Scout buy counter for over 13 years so I know what I like. Classic shapes that are really flattering that work on my body despite trends. Anna, my identical twin sis, is really focused on the coziness level above anything else 🙂

Do you and your twin ever trick people?? I would do that all the time!!!

Yeah! Absolutely! Why not? You’ve got to when you have an identical twin sister, right? 

No, in reality I wish I could use her as my body double and go be the bad cop and fire people when I need to and go to work in my place when I don’t want to and things like that, but I don’t. When we were kids, we did trick people a lot and it was really easy and super fun.

What made you decide to open up a 2nd location here in Denver? 

It was definitely not on the radar to open a new 5,000 square foot location 8 hours away and out of state during Covid in 2020! It was absolute serendipity how things went down and that I was in a place in my life to actually be able to do this and replace Buffalo exchange. It was an absolute opportunity I could not pass up. I used to shop at Buffalo exchange, in fact, I used to secret shop Buffalo exchange to try to make my Omaha store run better. And now, THIS is my store. Everything fell into place so easily and organically, I truly feel like the Universe handed me this and wants me here doing this.

How do you manage your time between both stores?

I split my time equally between Omaha and Denver. I’m in Denver every other week and I’ve been doing that since August when Scout taking over the old Buffalo exchange looked like a real possibility. So far, so good! I’m really enjoying it right now! It’s still fun going back and forth so often. I imagine that pattern will continue for at least the first year open if not longer. I fly so its a quick 1 hour flight, and about $100 roundtrip.

How has Covid affected your Omaha location and the opening of the Denver store? 

Covid affected the Omaha location more than anything. We were closed for two solid months, thankfully with retail, we have it slightly, ever so slightly better off than restaurants. The main difference for us is we are doing zoom meetings internally. We have moved everything over to selling by appointments to pace out our buy room and to reduce congestion. There’s a lot more cleaning, there’s a lot more awareness and precautions. It’s been a challenge, but the one constant thing about being a small business owner for the past 13 years that I’ve learned is that the only constant is change. You roll with the punches, it’s all gonna be good, it’s all gonna work out. Everything works out. The universe has a plan and just try to enjoy each day for what it brings.

Who or what inspires you personally? 

I am inspired by strong women that live authentically and are their true self. That encourages me to be that type of person. I’m inspired by the wildness, grandeur, and bigness of the mountains and mother earth. I’m inspired by the universe and how things just work out really the way they’re supposed to work out. I’m inspired by my sisters and brother and my family. I’m inspired by my 16-year-old daughter who is a natural leader, spunky and bright, and just incredibly cool. I think the future is really bright. I think we’ve got young leaders and young creatives that are coming up that are really aware and have their priorities and motives in the right place. They inspire me to keep fighting the good fight.

3 things if stranded on a deserted island? 

iPhone with a really long extension cord, a skimpy string bikini in a funky print, and a well of fresh mountain spring water.

Social media / website links:
@Scoutdrygoods @scoutdrygoodsdenver

www.ilovescout.com on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter just search “scout dry goods”