What up, Leadville!” shouted a bike messenger whizzing by as my husband and I were walking down the street in San Francisco a few years ago. I looked over at my husband, wearing what I have come to think as the only shirt he owns, his now paper-thin mustard yellow and grey Melanzana hoodie. This simple fleece sweatshirt has become synonymous with Leadville, a city of under 3,000 people located at an elevation of 10,000 feet at the base of some of Colorado’s highest mountains.

The owner, Fritz Howard and 20-year Leadville resident, has made some intentional choices—sometimes sacrificing profits—to be (and remain) a local Main Street business. As a result, Melanzana has become part of the local identity of Leadville. By producing a mountain product in the most rugged of mountain towns, employing local outdoor enthusiasts who mountain bike on their lunch breaks, and using a fleece fabric produced in America, they generate a truly authentic mountain vibe. This vibe has extended to other local businesses as well, encouraging improvements along the Main Street and creating momentum for new restaurants, businesses and placemaking projects.