by Christy Parrott
The lack of clothing stores that compliment Grand County’s lifestyle combined with the poor quality of internet fashion has posed a challenge for many local women looking for stylish items at reasonable prices. Kremmling native, Anastasia Cunico is changing all that, recently launching her online business Mountain Peaks Boutique.
As West Grand Class President of 2014, Cunico went on to earn her bachelors degree in Agricultural Communications from the University of Wyoming 2017. Soon afterward, Cunico found success working with Farmers Business Network, where she quickly advanced from sales-development representative to chemical-seed sales account executive. Yet, Cunico had a dream. “My parents have always owned their own businesses, and I learned from them how to go the extra mile and provide what others don’t,” Cunico explains.
Cunico set out to provide options for the women in her community: “I’ve always loved fashion and creating unique outfits.” Having grown up in Kremmling, Cunico knows that the local area is under-served by clothing retailers: “We really only have Murdoch’s, which has a limited selection in general and carries even less in the way of body inclusivity,” Cunico says. With Mountain Peaks Boutique, Cunico’s working to provide the community with styles that fit while also remaining on-trend. For example, high-waisted wide fold pants will certainly flatter anyone, and Cunico provides detailed descriptions of the items as well as the models height to ensure proper fit and customer confidence. “I spend hours every day sourcing quality materials. It’s important to me that the clothing is made in the USA as often as possible,” Cunico assures.
Fellow West Grand graduate and boutique model, Kristina Ekren shares, “I was genuinely surprised with the quality of the clothes. The shirts remind me of a better version of Francesca’s, and that’s saying a lot. Mountain Peaks Boutique is good quality material and very cute.”
Current brands include Doe and Rae and Blu Pepper. Yet, while stocking her boutique, Cunico admits that finding clothing to fit every body type has been a challenge. “I’ve branched off to carry a curvy section that’s all it’s own, because many retailers don’t make clothes to fit every body. It’s been difficult to find comfortable, quality clothes for everyone, and the Victoria Secret concept of ‘curvy’ is a smack in the face.” In the world of fast fashion, with unrealistic models, cheap materials made overseas, and difficult return policies to navigate, Cunico is setting herself apart. “I want my customers to have confidence. They won’t have to ask themselves, Is this going to be high quality? I make sure the brands I source have good reviews, and I get feedback from my models on style and quality,” Cunico assures.
Boutique model and Kremmling native, Jaime Jensen asks everyone to, “Look at all the amazing collections on the Mountain Peaks Boutique website. Anna has great taste and has teamed up with so many talented artisans.”
By working with local artisans, Mountain Peaks Boutique carries items customers won’t find anywhere else. As Mountain Peak Boutique expands, Cunico plans to have pop-up shops, as well as a brick-and-mortar store by the end of the year. “I want Grand County residents to have a physical presence to come in and try on clothing or buy something nice for their significant other,” Cunico
says. Moreover, Cunico understands in Grand County—with its fickle weather and strong culture, “We have winter and spring seasons year round.” Ekren explains the thoughtful collection Cunico has curated, “Not everyone dresses wild and crazy. Not everyone dresses simple and modest. Ana did such a great job finding the perfect balance of relaxed, cute, functional and fashionable.” Filling yet another void, a maternity section, to include receiving blankets, diaper bags and more, will soon be available.
Cunico is a family name well-known in Grand County for hard work and strong values, so it’s no surprise when Anastasia told her father, Jeff Cunico, about her dream of opening a boutique, he responded with, “Stop talking about it and do it,” she shares, laughing, “I want my success and failures to be my own.” Ekren states it best: “Supporting a local gal on her way to the top is the most Grand County-like thing one could do.” Go to mountainpeaksboutique.com.
