My name's Bailey Ratliff (Whitcomb) and I'm the hands behind CCB. I grew up in small town, America - right in the heart of Southeast Kansas. I was blessed with an amazing family and spent a lot of my Sunday's gathered around my grandparent's kitchen table. I graduated high from a class of about 70 kids in 2016, where I then went on to attend Hutchinson Community College. At Hutch I was a member of their cheer team, where I competed at the National Coed level for two years. At hutch, my boyfriend (and now husband) was a member of the livestock judging team. Adjusting to college life and being 3 hours from home was hard for me, but having Chase throughout all of it really helped make college feel a little more like home. In 2018, we both graduated from Hutch. Chase went on to Oklahoma State University and I went off to Kansas State. As much as I want to say this was one of the hardest, darkest points in my life, it really is the sole reason why CCB emerged. Chase and I started dating our Sophomore year of high school - which means growing into our adolescence was really based around one another. For 5 years we were always just 20 minutes (at most) apart from one another. We were so lucky to spend so much time, to make so many memories, where our lives ultimately focused around one another.
When Chase went to Oklahoma State, it was the first time in honestly, ever, that I had to be alone. I was so far away from everyone I loved, and for a long time I felt alone. CCB really was the outlet I needed in such a dark time. It gave me an identity, it helped me find a part of myself that I never knew I needed.
I started Cherry Creek Boutique back in November of 2019, ultimately because I just needed a hobby. My great grandmother made jewelry and growing up seeing her work, it inspired me. Looking back I was always the little girl begging for those tacky, overpriced, friendship bracelet and necklace hits. I used to sit at our kitchen table for hours, making them for ever person I knew. Although that hobby died before I left elementary school, I think it's safe to say it resurfaced in my later years. We were getting ready to go to the NFR and I wanted some new turquoise necklaces, but since I was on a college girl budget who was about to go to Vegas of all places, I decided I'd by the supply to make my own. It's something I have always known how to do, but it wasn't until I wore my pieces and got so many compliments on them that I decided to sell them. I bought enough stones to make 10 more necklaces and the day they came in, I sat down and made all 10, posted them on my personal social media pages, and sold all 10 in under an hour. In all honesty, it felt really good. It was cool to see people wearing pieces I made and it truthfully felt so good to just have something to put my mind on instead of missing Chase.
It's crazy how we find beauty in times of pain, but it's something I'm so glad I was able to do.