A new boutique focused on sustainable fashion has popped up in Breckenridge’s Main Street Station. Owner Alyssa Pullekines opened Folcland with the vision of curating a store with quality products that are ethically sourced.

The store’s name comes from an old English term associated with common land. As the store focuses on sustainable, independent brands, Pullekines felt the word was appropriate. The new retail store features mostly domestic brands that design small batches of products.

“You’re getting a really nice, quality product, but you’re also getting something that when you go down the supply chain, everything is traceable, everything is accounted for, you know you’re going back to the source, and you’re getting an ethically grown material,” Pullekines said. “… There’s not the same exploitation that sometimes is rampant in the fashion industry.”

The store carries women’s clothing as well as jewelry and accessories like candles and fragrances. If there’s interest, Pullekines said she’d like to bring in complementary men’s clothing, as well. Pullekines said she has been in the retail industry for nearly a decade. While she was working with independent retailers in New York City, she found her love for working in stores and envisioned focusing on something exclusively sustainable.

“I feel like the future for what new clothing is — and not recycled or repurposed or vintage clothing — is smaller boutiques and more intimate connections with the brands and the customers that you work with,” Pullekines said.

Business partner Nathan Plourde added that the two are trying to be the part of the industry that is moving away from fast fashion and called himself and Pullekines “anticonsumerist consumers,” as the duo strays from fads and attempts to offer timeless pieces.

“There’s a certain side of the industry that we love, but then there’s a side of it that we hate, which is the waste. It’s the environmental degradation,” Plourde said. “There’s a lot of improvements to be made without sacrificing the joy of shopping (and) people buying things that are aesthetically pleasing.”

Pullekines chose to set up shop in Breckenridge for the vibrant community feel. She hopes to eventually host pop-up shopping events with other local shops, workshops and sustainability talks when pandemic restrictions ease. As for opening amid COVID-19 restrictions, Pullekines said she moved to town at the end of the summer with the intention of starting the business.

While the county moved into level red after she arrived, Pullekines said she was used to the ebbs and flows of business restrictions after coming from New York. While the restrictions have made for a slower start to her business, she’s been using the opportunity to ease into things and network with the local community.

“When you look back, there’s so many things that were established during unexpected times like 2008 and 2009, which were incredibly hard times for a lot of people,” Pullekines said about the Great Recession. “(It) was the time where you saw a lot of these independent brands emerge.

“… 2020 is a pivotal year in my life, and I think it really gave people a lot of reflection on what they were doing and where they wanted to go and what they wanted to focus on, and even though it’s certainly a risk to be starting something new at this time, it also feels like a great time to do it.”

Items in the store range in price from $85 for a cashmere beanie to $550 for a cardigan by DemyLee. Pullekines said the pieces are meant to last for years, which is why there’s a higher price point.

Folcland is at 505 S. Main St., C-2, in Breckenridge. The store is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays and is available for shopping in-store, curbside and online at Folcland.com. Private shopping or virtual shopping appointments also can be arranged, Pullekines said.