A Warm Welcome and a Fine Hat

Family-owned Walters & Hogsett Jewelers readies CU celebrations

Story and Photos by Matt Maenpaa

As CU Boulder students return to campus and the Buffs ready themselves for another exciting season of football under the guidance of Coach Prime, Boulder’s family-owned jeweler, Walters & Hogsett, is throwing a party to celebrate. As one of the official sponsors of the CU Athletics department, the jeweler is bringing out the best they’ve got, along with some other local favorites, to hype up the first conference home game of the season.

Calling the weekend-long party Haturday, marketing lead Patty Nilsen has helped orchestrate a celebration for the ages. Not only will Walters & Hogsett be showcasing their gorgeous Buffs charms, but they will be joined by Denver hat creaser Parker Thomas and Laws Whiskey House as well. Sample the finery in their gorgeous retail space with unmatched attention to detail, alongside sustainable and accessible luxury fashions.

Parker Thomas, a third-generation hat creaser, is also a CU Denver football alum, Nilsen says. Thomas will have a pop-up shop at Walters & Hogsett on September 20 and 21, where he will be custom-shaping hats right in store. 

“It’s really fun. You get to pick the color, the shape, it gets fit to your head and you can even customize the branding on it,” Nilsen says. “When I had mine made, the branding underneath is the name of my dog.”

Walters & Hogsett owner Mark Vieregg caught wind of Thomas and the custom hats some time ago, he says, seeing them pop up at the National Rodeo and events with Casey Boots out in Napa Valley. From there, Vieregg reached out about bringing Thomas in to make hats for a company party, and the relationship has grown from there.

“He’s just got this great story,” Vieregg says. “He’s a third-generation hat creaser, his dad did it, his grandpa did it. He’s got this legacy and there’s a great demand for it, and he’s just a cool kid. So, he’s going to come out and meet some players and make these hats.”

Generational legacy is something that matters to Vieregg and the company. For almost 45 years, Walters & Hogsett have been celebrating special moments and the community in Boulder County. The company has been in Vieregg’s family since the beginning, started when Walter and BJ Vieregg partnered with Ron and Gail Hogsett to bring a finer class of jewelry to the county. 

The Viereggs were later joined by Don Janson, and Mark took over for his aunt and uncle when they retired in 2013. More recently, Lanie Downing and Emily Lantaff joined the ownership team as the business continued to grow and expand. Across four decades, Walters & Hogsett went from a small one-room shop on Main Street in Longmont to the beautiful location they currently reside in at the Water Street Complex in Boulder. The legacy stays in the family name, but also in the care and compassion for the community that the business was founded on to begin with.

“We’re proud of our name. As a second-generation owner, I feel fortunate,” Vieregg explains. “My daughters work here. One of the co-owners’ sons works here, and we try to keep it a family here.”

Vieregg’s uncle Wally may have started things off, but Vieregg and the team have continued that growth with help in the community. The jeweler contributes to more than just sponsorship and branded jewelry to organizations like the Humane Society, YWCA and CU Athletics. In the business of celebration and special occasions, the jeweler has even gifted a “Hearts on Fire” engagement ring to a CU student who proposed on field during a game.

With Haturday approaching, Nilsen is excited about the new opportunities to share their passion for jewelry and help the community see that the pieces aren’t only something pretty to wear on special occasions, or a status symbol to be flexed. The adornment can be a function of the piece, but Walters & Hogsett Jewelers wants it to be more than that. More than glittering jewels and precious metals, the pieces can be moments of celebration that create a generational legacy, or wearable art and a form of self-care.

“There are milestone events that stoke a purchase from us of course,” Nilsen says. “But we also like to say that this is a casual luxury that’s meant to be lived in and lived on you, not just in a drawer.”

Be sure to visit the jeweler for their Haturday event on September 20-21, and know that you’ll only be a stranger there once.

Walters & Hogsett is located at 2425 Canyon Boulevard, Boulder, CO. Visit waltersandhogsett.com for more information.