After nearly 30 years in Summit County, sisters María and Elizabeth Veleta just began their lifelong dream. 

Since the pair opened Second Life Thrift Store at 130 Main St. in Dillon, their inventory of donated clothes, accessories and household items has almost doubled. The sisters said they’ve already been overwhelmed by the support from the community. 

“My mom, she’s always wanted to put a store up — like a life dream for years — but it’s not always easy to make it work,” said Alex Veleta, María’s son, explaining why she grew emotional when asked about what led her to opening a secondhand clothing store. 

The Veletas recalled the financial struggle they endured when they first arrived in Eagle County over 25 years ago. María Veleta said at the time, she could only afford discounted clothing at local thrift stores. 

“When we came here first to Eagle County, we came with nothing,” María Veleta said in Spanish. “The only places I shopped were thrift stores, and I always enjoyed them because they always had something different, and cheaper.”

Once they moved into Summit County, the sisters frequented a thrift store open in Dillon at the time. María Veleta eventually worked there for a few years before it closed. Afterwards, she and Elizabeth Veleta began searching for storefronts around the county where they could finally curate, design and run their own business.

Quickly realizing that rent closer to downtown Dillon or Silverthorne was too steep for their budget, María and Elizabeth Veleta said they were overjoyed to find a more affordable location at their current spot along a strip of Main Street near other retail establishments. 

The sisters said they had fun laying out clothing racks, leafing through bins of old T-shirts and dressing up mannequins in sequined blouses. 

“Yes, it was so fun, we (went) through so many old clothes and figured out how to map out the store,” Elizabeth Veleta said. 

The Veletas partially credited Buffalo Mountain Print and Supply for the ease of setting up shop. The apparel store provided Second Life Thrift with hundreds of hangers, wall shelving and clothing racks, insisting the Veletas not pay. 

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“Yeah, really huge shoutout to them,” Alex said. 

The Veletas remain committed to providing affordable clothes for working residents of Summit County. Alex Veleta joked that he and his cousins have encouraged María and Elizabeth to raise prices on certain items (like never-worn Columbia jackets), but the sisters always refuse. 

“Even us cousins yell at them, like you could charge way more. But my mom and my aunt, they’re always like, it’s supposed to be affordable — that’s the point of a thrift store,” Alex Veleta said. “They don’t see the point in overcharging people.” 

With the help of Alex’s cousin, Junior, María and Elizabeth operate the store seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Elizabeth runs the store in the mornings before going to work at Taco Bell. That’s when Maria takes over, following her morning shift as a housekeeper around the county. 

“Many people get rid of their clothes, and we thought we could help with that,” María said. “We see the support from people in the community, and we want to support them.”