Be Happy Boutique provides formal dress at no cost in honor of Rylie Guentensberger
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Brian Willie, Victoria Carodine
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The Be Happy Boutique in Castle Rock offers free formal dresses to anyone in need, removing any cost barriers and spreading joy in honor of Rylie Guentensberger who passed away in 2017.
Update, Feb. 23, 2022: In a post on Facebook, Rylie's ARK posted that the Be Happy Boutique has a new location. It will now take place at the Streets at SouthGlenn mall in Centennial, Colorado, from March 1-13.
"We have over a thousand dresses," the organization wrote. "We've got suits, pants, shirts, shoes and jewelry. Now we need people to come find their perfect prom attire."
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — In her short life, 12-year-old Rylie Guentensberger was overflowing with joy and gratitude for others.
“She just loved to make people smile,” Meghann Guentensberger, Rylie’s mom, said.
Now, four years after Rylie's death, the Guentensbergers and their community are honoring her legacy through the Be Happy Boutique, a donation-based pop-up store that offers formal dresses to anyone in need. With homecoming and other school formals around the corner, the volunteers at the Be Happy Boutique want to remove the cost associated with finding a dress.
Colorado Voices
Be Happy Boutique
The donation-based pop-up shop offers formal dresses to anyone in need.
“High School is hard. You're competing against people and everyone's looking at each other,” Guentensberger said. “So this is our way of leveling the playing field...It’s really about creating joy for people.”
The brick-and-mortar, which is located at the Outlets of Castle Rock, is filled wall-to-wall with sparkly and colorful dresses, shoes, and accessories in every size and length.
“[Rylie] often said ‘be happy,’ which is why we named the boutique that and a beautiful example of a community where people are just helping each other out,” Guentensberger said.
As an extension of Rylie’s love of life, the Be Happy Boutique—which is run by the nonprofit organization Rylie’s ARK (Acts of Random Kindness)—only accepts cash and dress donations. The shop's pay-what-you-can model allows anyone to walk out with a gently worn dress. Donations, of course, are accepted.
“We have an opportunity, through Rylie’s ARK, to do something good and put a smile on somebody's face,” Guentensberger said.
Now until September 26, customers can browse through hundreds of dresses for any upcoming formal event. While the store is open seven days a week, appointments are required Monday through Friday.
Later this fall, Rylie’s ARK will open its doors again with the same concept in mind for the Halloween BOOtique, a pop-up shop filled with costumes for infants through adults. Now through October 15, Rylie’s Ark is accepting costume donations. The Halloween BOOtique will be open October 22-24.
“Our biggest message is just that we want everyone to be the ripple and anyone is capable of doing something kind,” Guentensberger added. “Those all have the ability to impact someone and that ripples out and impacts someone.”
Just last week, 100 dresses went home with customers in a single day according to Guentensberger's Facebook page. Rylie’s ARK is still accepting ready-to-wear dresses and costumes. Donations can be dropped off at any of the locations below.
While Rylie's ARK continues to accept donations, 100 dresses went home with customers in a single day last week according to Guentensberger's Facebook page.
Brian Willie is the Content Production Manager with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at brianwillie@rmpbs.org.
Victoria Carodine is a Digital Content Producer with Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at victoriacarodine@rmpbs.org.
