Vail Boutique Skipper & Scout Expands to 1,500 Square Feet

Skipper & Scout isn’t just selling clothes. It’s selling a feeling. And that feeling is getting bigger.

Kerry Roach didn’t just open a boutique in Vail Village. She built an institution. The brand has marched in every single Vail America Days Parade since it started a dozen years ago. That kind of consistency isn’t luck. It’s commitment.

But the real story isn’t the parade. It’s the expansion.

The store has grown. It’s no longer the tight, under-1,000-square-foot space that forced compromises. Roach hit her goal: 1,500 square feet of retail space. The reconfiguration is complete. The flow is better. The inventory is wider.

And it’s targeting a demographic the old store ignored.

Tweens. Teens. Moms. Non-moms.

“The existing store at just under 1,000 square feet was tight,” Roach said. “I didn’t want to sacrifice not having the tweens and a little bit of that flavor and clothing for the older girls.”

Now, the space breathes. Roach says the new section for tweens and "cool moms" brings excitement. It brings energy. It’s playful. It’s new.

This isn’t a generic big-box store. This is a curated experience. You’ll find Free People. Free People Movement. LoveShackFancy. Alicia Bell. Enewton’s stack bracelets are popular because they’re customizable. You don’t just buy them; you build them.

The inventory shifts with the seasons, too. In winter, Skipper & Scout is the headquarters for Moon Boots. In summer? Frye boots. Specifically, the Campus boot.

“The Campus boot by Frye is so popular right now,” Roach said.

Roach started this business when she and her husband moved to Vail. Her son was small. She was expecting her second. She had spent most of her life in finance. She wanted out. She wanted a kids' clothing store. Not just for her own kids, but to fill a void in Vail’s shopping scene.

“We wanted to be the go-to place in Vail where you could feel special at every age,” Roach said.

The mission is mental health. It’s retail therapy with a purpose. “When you feel good in what you’re wearing, you feel good about yourself.”

They do modeling shoots with local kids. They host events. They boost confidence. The focus has always been on the intersection of looking good and feeling good.

There’s an online presence, sure. But the physical store is the point. You can’t get the same experience clicking through pixels. You need to get into the clothes. You need to create outfits.

Roach is active on social media, but she doesn’t just post static images. She puts kids in outfits. She takes them up the gondola. She takes photos. It’s immersive. It’s local. It’s Vail.

The Austria Haus location in Vail Village is now the stage for LoveShackFancy, sported by local models. The brand is growing with its clientele. It’s not static. It’s evolving.

Roach’s vision was specific. She wanted 1,500 square feet. She got it. She didn’t want to sacrifice the tween market. She didn’t.

The store is no longer just a place to buy a dress. It’s a place to belong. It’s a place where the community sees itself.

That’s worth watching.