Stepping into Top Hat Supply for Journeys, you immediately feel invited to linger, explore, and ask questions.
Founder and artisanal weaver Darcie Shively explains the origin of the unusual name. After moving to Boulder 17 years ago, she lived near East Pearl and (over the past few years) began working out of the former Top Hat Supply building, once a cleaning supply store.
“I used to think the place was a front for something,” Darcie says. “People would come by while I was working and ask, ‘Where are the hats?’ There were never any hats. I wanted to keep some of the history of the block, so when we got a grant from the city to open our studio, we kept the name.”
‘Journeys’ refers to the studio’s mission to reconnect people with their creative spirits, as well as its shamanic journeying, tea ceremonies, and musical events. Co-founder and ceramist Michelle Polizzi says its aesthetic could be described as “letting the mystery unfold and reveal itself, alive and joyful.”
The studio’s multipurpose, open-door aesthetic reflects Darcie’s own artistic path.
“Starting this nonprofit studio was personal to me because I felt like I lost touch with myself creatively, especially in college when I stopped making time for art,” Darcie says.
Later, burnout from the Los Angeles advertising industry ultimately prompted her move to Boulder in 2010.
“I took a year off and did a project called '52 To Do,' where I learned something new every week for a year,” Darcie says. “I taught myself tapestry and over the last 15 years found my creative self again.”
This personal journey shapes the studio.
“Top Hat Supply for Journeys is a creative sanctuary where we hope other people are inspired to reconnect with something in themselves creatively, which I don’t necessarily see as art making, but a sense of possibility in oneself,” Darcie says.
One thing she and Michelle enjoy is when people walk in and ask, “What is this place?”
“There’s a sense that something different is happening here,” Darcie says. Visitors often meander through the studio—talking while she and Michelle weave or hand-build ceramics—sipping tea, and browsing books. While the studio offers goods to help pay the rent, it’s designed first as a place to simply be—and, ideally, to leave carrying a sense of possibility. Handmade craft sits at the heart of the studio’s philosophy.
“For me, handmade work is not just the result of skill or technique, but of listening—of knowing one’s own voice and allowing it to move into form,” Michelle says. “These pieces are not made for mass consumption; they are made for connection, for those who feel the resonance.”
As Boulder’s craft and lifestyle scene evolves, Top Hat Supply for Journeys highlights the value of spaces that prioritize process, presence, and connection. Rooted in its East Pearl history, the studio offers more than handmade goods. It’s a place to pause, engage, and rediscover creativity together.
“I hope the City of Boulder will continue to invest in the work of local artists and artisans… but I also hope to see more people in our community supporting local artists’ work so artists can stay in Boulder,” Darcie says.
Keep up with Top Hat Supply for Journeys on Instagram @tophatsupplyforjourneys.
For me, handmade work is not just the result of skill or technique, but of listening—of knowing one’s own voice and allowing it to move into form. — Michelle Polizzi