White Peacock

October 16, 2019

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Peacocks are known to be especially social and fanciful birds. But white ones? They’re exceptionally rare, and some people believe they bring eternal happiness. 

Just like its namesake, White Peacock has everything the modern host or hostess needs to delight guests and bring high style to any celebration.

Molly Myers, Olivia Louis and Doug Parsons opened the home and gift shop this summer after they realized Denver was in need of a new go-to spot for upscale wedding registries and luxury gifts following the closure of International Villa in 2009. 

Sisters-in-law Molly and Olivia worked together at The Brass Bed, a fine bedroom linens and furnishings staple since 1978 and one of Cherry Creek North’s longest-standing family-owned businesses, where they met Doug, who joined their team nearly five years ago. Doug previously owned his own shop in northern Wisconsin and shared a passion for all-things luxe lifestyle.

“There really wasn’t a high-end gift store in Cherry Creek North since International Villa,” Molly explains. “At The Brass Bed, we did have bits and pieces of tabletop, but it wasn’t a very large section. We knew that it could be very successful, but we couldn’t allocate the space and time over there, so we were really excited to have a new shop to really showcase that. The three of us wanted to come together and share our vision into one store.”

“And we knew a lot of young people, including our friends, who didn’t know where to register (for weddings or gifts),” Olivia adds.

Through the store’s large glass windows on the corner of 3rd Avenue and Columbine Street, the crystal Baccarat picture frames and hand-painted golden Anna Weatherly dinner plates shimmer under the Colorado sunshine. Opposite the entry door, a wall covered in brightly colored, yarn-dyed table linens beckons shoppers to come admire the fine detailing. A couple of Witold-K paintings, all available for sale, complement the ornate china cabinets and fully decorated dinner tables that give shoppers a feeling of how the items may look in their own homes.

And that’s the idea: The White Peacock experience of creating a wedding or gift registry, or shopping for a unique hostess gift, is quite the opposite of the point-and-click big box store registration process, or mindlessly adding to your digital cart; it’s personal and intimate. Guests are greeted with a complimentary glass of champagne and walked through the process of building their registry (or pointed to the perfect gift) by knowledgeable staff, who will even visit customers’ homes to provide expert décor and styling tips.

“With the younger generation, they like more contemporary-feeling china patterns,” Doug explains. “A lot of it is mix-and-match now. You can take four different lines and put it all together. It’s so important to come into a store and do all that. You can look at things online, but you’re not going to get that experience.”

Nearly all of White Peacock’s are products unique to Denver, and some can’t be found anywhere else in the Mountain West. 

“Like The Brass Bed, we have a lot of exclusivity with our vendors in the Colorado area.” Molly says. “We’re trying to create those similar relationships with the vendors at this store.”

“When we go to market, we’ll say, ‘Does anyone in Denver carry it?’ And very seldom does it overlap,” Doug adds. “We always try to find something unique and different.”

Molly notes that while White Peacock caters to a similar clientele as The Brass Bed, they are constantly thinking about new things they can add that appeal to all kinds of brides, grooms, hosts and hostesses.

“We want the younger generation to feel comfortable,” she continues. “We don’t want it to be like, a stuffy store. We want there to be something for everyone when they walk in the door.”

Doug agrees, adding they’ve added more home goods and men’s gift options recently to “soften the feel” and help evolve the store to become a one-stop shop for entertaining.

“We really wanted to capture putting art into your home, but not just for the design aspect, to make it functional as well,” Molly says. “Our china pieces like Herend and Anna Weatherly are the only two companies left that hand paint their china. We’re trying to keep that tradition in place and that idea of art in your home that’s actually useful and utilitarian.”

The store’s exterior nods to the avian theme with a cascading white plumage design that perfectly pops against the dark gray building, but the trio admits that settling on the White Peacock name was their most difficult business decision to date.

“We kept going back and forth on what our name should be,” Molly says. “We wanted something strong, but beautiful and soft, but proud.”

After nixing several ideas, the branding company the team was working with finally pitched the winner: “They’re rare, they’re bold, they’re beautiful, they’re exotic,” Doug explains of why he loved the name. “I had someone come in and ask about the name the other day, and she said, ‘Oh, I thought it was White Peacock because white means a wide-open canvas.’ And I laughed and said, ‘Sure, yes, that’s what it was!’ I loved that. I’m going to say that moving forward.” 

But just in case they need one more reason to embrace their brand: three or more peacocks are called a “party.” And there’s no doubt the trio at White Peacock is ready to help you get your next celebration started. 

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