Business extra: Jan. 5

Marisa Ware

Published February 4, 2009 at 5:55 p.m.

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PETITE PATOOT

* Upscale resale children's boutique

Price: $3.50-$120

Where you can get it: petitepatoot.com, 1238 S. Broadway

Business owner: Renie Mayfield

Location: Denver

Tidbits: The children's clothing at Petite Patoot includes items that have been previously owned and ones that have never been worn, but either way, all the selections look brand new and are "in pristine condition."

"I like to say that someone has chosen to 'wear it forward' because it's really all about reducing, reusing and recycling," said Mayfield. "People come to find something that's fabulous for a fraction of the cost."

In addition to buying new clothes, Mayfield also buys "gently used" clothing from a select list of brands.

"I buy clothing that's really well made with quality fabric that will last through your child and look brand new," Mayfield said. "Those are the brands that look so great that even though it's been pre-owned, it's high quality so it's not going to fall apart."

Mayfield said part of her motivation to buy Petite Patoot, which was started 15 years ago, was knowing that billions of pounds of fabric are thrown away every year.

"I'm not going to compare it to saving the Earth, but we could ask the manufacturers to make a little less and use what's already out there," Mayfield said. "Then the customer can get the clothes at a lower price. It's a win-win situation that just seems to make a lot of sense in this economy."

For more information: petitepatoot.com

COYOTE GOLD

* "The microbrew of margaritas"

Price: $20 for 1.75 liters

Where you can get it: Liquor Mart in Boulder, IP Liquor in Aurora, Willow Run Liquor in Broomfield, Marczyk Fine Wines in Denver

Business owners: Maureen Schaffer and Randy Zwetzig

Location: Fort Collins

Tidbits: "We're margarita lovers and we discovered that you couldn't get a good premium margarita in a bottle," Schaffer said.

After being urged by friends to market their margarita recipe, Schaffer and Zwetzig started Coyote Gold on the premise that a quality margarita needs real tequila. Most companies that bottle margaritas use tequila flavoring and neutral grain spirits instead of real tequila to avoid extra taxes, Schaffer said.

"We decided we were going to do it right," Schaffer said.

In addition to using premium Reposado tequila and a proprietary Triple sec, Coyote Gold uses real fruit juice and natural flavors.

"Our product is actually gold-colored because that's the color of the ingredients," Schaffer said. "It's much more authentic than the lime-green, chemically colored and chemically flavored margaritas."

Schaffer and Zwetzig, both electrical engineers, went through more than 30 iterations of the recipe before finally being satisfied.

"We wanted to make sure that it had all the characteristics of our recipe - the full body, the linger, the warmth, the whole experience," Schaffer said. "That's kind of the perfectionist engineer side of us wanting to get everything exactly right."

For more information: coyotegold.com

ADVICE

Gillian Hamburger

President, Alem International Management Inc.

* "Take a step back, relax, recognize that no one is going to die here and move on."

In the world of event management where last- minute changes can cause loads of stress, "flexibility, calm and cool heads are always needed on site."

Hamburger learned this lesson during a new car launch for BMW when she first started working for Alem. In the middle of the stress and chaos, her boss Steve McCarthy put his hands on her shoulders and gave her the above advice.

"It helps me take a step back and put things in perspective," Hamburger said. "It really calms me so I can gather myself, prioritize and realize that no matter how bad the situation may be, no one is going to die."

FIRST JOB

Cathy Gale

Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP

* First job: Associate

"I have two careers," Gale said jokingly. "I can waitress or I can be a lawyer."

Gale's waitressing skills helped her pay for law school, but as soon as she was out, she got a job as an associate at Davis Graham and Stubbs LLP in Denver.

"It was just a great foundation to go right from law school to a firm that had such a wide variety of experience and training," Gale said. "I had wonderful mentors."

She recalls being "unbelievably nervous" while arguing her first motion in federal court.

"It was one of those moments that you always remember."

After working at the firm for five years, Gale left to "head up" the land acquisition for Denver International Airport.

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