Holbrook’s Two Skirts: $7600 to Telluride Med Center Response Fund

19 May Holbrook’s Two Skirts: $7600 to Telluride Med Center Response Fund

In 2014, the Telluride Foundation named Kristin Holbrook of Two Skirts Citizen of the Year “for her unwavering commitment to volunteerism, community service and philanthropic giving.” Truth be told, Two Skirts has a long history of supporting the Telluride community. In 2019, for example, the store gave over $50,000 in merchandise and monetary donations to local nonprofits.

“She generously donates to dozens of charities, both personally and through her business,” said Melanie Montoya, former director of the San Miguel Resource Center, just one of many beneficiaries of Kristin’s ongoing largesse.

And in the Age of Corona, Kristin Holbrook remains innovative – and generous. For an update on latest on her efforts, continue reading below.

Two Skirts opened in Telluride in 2001 and has rarely closed it’s Main Street boutique doors for business, even during off-season. So when COVID-19 and Governor Polis shut down ski resorts on March 15 and San Miguel County put a shelter-in-place order in Telluride days later, Two Skirts managing owner Kristin Holbrook had no choice but to follow suit:

“I had to get creative,” said Holbrook, who within a week was up and selling again, remotely and for a local cause. “In a resort town selling seasons are short and we rely on tourism, so closing mid-March seemed devastating.”

But Two Skirts was not closed for long.

“Within the first week of working from home I had an idea that would potentially support local health care workers and help sell merchandise while the store was closed. It seemed like a win-win. I had a Telluride product to sell and a Telluride cause to support.”

Holbrook reached out to friend Kate Wadley, Telluride Medical Center’s Director of Philanthropy, with an idea to sell Two Skirts’ “Telluride” sweaters and donate 10% to the Medical Center’s needs.

Wadley had just launched the COVID-19 Telluride Medical Center Response Fund so a fundraiser was born.

“Our ‘Telluride’ sweaters became the perfect fundraising tool. Anyone connected to Telluride would want to support our local health care workers and get a Telluride sweater, too.”

At the end of eight weeks, Two Skirts helped raise $7600 for the Telluride Med Center’s COVID-19 Response Fund through sweater sales – and help from matching donors.

“I am overwhelmed and extremely grateful for the generosity. Giving back is significant in Telluride and important to Two Skirts as a business. The people who live here and visit Telluride love and believe in supporting our little town. We are all lucky for that.”

Holbrook says this time around her philanthropy was inspired by her neighborhood, especially the hard-working nurse across the street who worked daily at the Telluride Medical Center and kept her neighborhood abreast of the latest COVID-19 news.