Hooked on a Feeling

Visitors leave this unique Telluride shop with a smile on their faces

A place where nautical sea horses and chili peppers hang next to bear-shaped bottle openers, HOOK, a Telluride boutique, brings its own sense of flair to home décor. Credited to the unique perspective of owner Lynn Moore, the appropriately named store has an entire wall dedicated to the often-overlooked decorative hook.

Lynn Moore is devoted to delivering a lighthearted shopping experience. 

Fueled by her desire to create a captivating shopping experience, Moore stocked up on hundreds of hanging hooks to unveil the mundane household object in a new, imaginative way—so much so, that the shop’s major draw-in is its unique, thoughtful selection of hooks.

“You try to get creative and think, ‘well, what is an item that everyone uses in their home and it never goes out of style?’ It’s affordable for everyone, it’s fun—and after much thought [Moore determined], it was the wall hook,” she explains.

Moore’s awareness for keeping fresh styles of hooks in stock plays a major role in the store’s success, making each trip a rewarding scavenger hunt with an always-developing collection on hand.

Ornamental wall hooks in different shapes, sizes and materials monopolize an entire wall of the 1,460-square-foot space.

With ample options including water spigots and bicycles pegged onto the hook-only dedicated wall, there’s one that took the spot as Moore’s favorite among the bunch.

“There’s this great hook that’s a diver, and I look at it and I love it. It doesn’t look like a hook, and that’s probably why I love it—it’s so sculptural. It’s very decorative and not so utilitarian looking,” Moore says.

Behind the comedic greeting cards, signs and hooks is an ode to the store owner’s family. “I have great amateur comedians in my teeny tiny family. I just grew up with humor all around me–and I still love being in that atmosphere,” Moore says.

Moore’s journey to Telluride entrepreneur began after she moved from Biddeford, Maine, to the quaint boxed-canyon town in Colorado 31 years ago. Consistently in tune with what her customers are looking for, her first retail venture was a made-to-order furniture company dubbed Customs House that created more accessible home furnishings for Telluride locals. Over time, this was slowly nurtured into an atmosphere with novelty merchandise that officially opened in November 2015.

Knick-knacks and trinkets galore: this industrial-chic space boasts a wide array of novelty hooks and artisanal gifts all gathered meticulously by store owner Lynn Moore.

In addition to hooks, patrons can expect black-and-white 1950s greeting cards stacked neatly on spinning racks, and vintage swings made from reclaimed wood in the windows that reinforce Moore’s sense of whimsy throughout the store. “Not only is it a store for hooks and hardware, but it’s blossomed and evolved into a store for great gifts, gift combinations, funny products and super fun greeting cards,” Moore says.

Many of the items in the store are a reminder of Moore’s family back East, who she credits for the sense of humor ingrained into the bricks and mortar. “I think of them all the time just from being in the store because they’d all just get such a kick out of all the products,” Moore says.

A celebration of a home’s identity, HOOK’s unique inventory is a reminder that the home should feel like an extension of the homeowner’s personality—even if it’s where the coats and hats hang.