DENVER — The light pink stucco walls and purple sign have stuck out on South Broadway's antique row for 31 years, but Turn of the Century Antiques will feel a little different going forward as a new owner takes over.
“I’ve had to summon a lot of courage because it’s scary out there," said Rachel Hoffman, the 34-year-old owner.
Her mom, Diane Hoffman, was the former owner.
Rachel didn't always plan to take over her mom's store, but after trying out different careers, she kept coming back, and found a passion for antique dolls later in life.
But when she came back, she always thought her mom would be there to help her.
Then the pandemic hit Colorado and both of her parents caught the virus.
Her 71-year-old mom died from pneumonia caused by COVID-19 on April 23.
"The grief has been monumental," Hoffman said. "But this is what she loved and so I feel like with this building, she not only left me that, but she left me her best days."
Hoffman said the easy way out would have been to sell the place and walk away, but she loves the building and the people who have worked with her mom for decades.
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The man who spent more than 100 hours refurbishing the sign outside the shop said he owes his career of commercial art on Broadway to Diane Hoffman because she believed in his art.
“To me she was a hardworking person who always had a heart of gold," Chuck Dorsey said. "But yet if you were messing up she’d let you know and people need that."
People in the antique world knew Diane as an aficionado of dolls, but her daughter said people knew her best "for the way that she loved."
"She set the stage, and it’s up to me to carry the light to lead the way now,” Hoffman said.
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