Country Christmas 2025 | Sending season’s greetings: Warm Hugs Boutique in Greeley 

This time of year, tucked away in a festively appointed shopping district along the Eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains, a Greeley woman and her crew can be found working away at the family business. 

Warm Hugs strives to be a feel-good boutique that lives up to its name every day that it opens its doors. Anchored by food and gifts, Warm Hugs invites shoppers to browse gourmet savory and sweets, jewelry, apparel, and home decor. 

In business for roughly thirty years, Warm Hugs backs the standard greeting of “Hello, how may I help you?” with the confidence of a business that takes pride in its origins.  

---

---

For owner Suzanne Sereff, those origins revisit family ties and a little help from above. 

“I thank God and support from my husband and family,” said Sereff, adding that “grit and determination” played a part, too.  

---

---

Humble beginnings   

Sereff will tell you that the desire to live as a stay-at-home mom with her first child provided the inspiration for the brand. That brand began as a searching question and thoughtful conversation with husband Jim. Daughter Beth, who operates the business today, was only just in diapers. 

“We needed some extra cash, and I thought to myself ‘What can I do that will help out with that?'” 

The answer arrived loud and clear to Sereff who began sifting through her options – literally. 

Turning over, in her mind, her personal skill set and family heritage, Sereff called upon beloved experiences as a child, young adult, and new mother. Sereff decided to tap her grandmother’s cache of favorite recipes and her own love of baking for the proper foundation for a cottage business. 

“I love my grandmother’s desserts and baking. That is a core memory,” Sereff said.  

In short, Sereff went back to what she knew best in order to move forward. 

Testing the market 

At the time of the business’s inception, Sereff remembered she had some skills of her own. Sewing, in particular. 

It was decided that Sereff would adapt her grandmother’s recipes to mixes she could offer for sale. 

Sereff made up the mixes, baby at her side, applying trial and error to create the perfect blends, going on to sew attractive packages for each product. 

Ready to gauge the interest in what she had to sell, Sereff approached a friend whose trade as a crafter Sereff could leverage for herself. 

Daughter Beth was eight months old at the time.  

“I asked my friend if she would spot us a corner of her craft booth, and she said ‘yes.’ I set up a card table in one corner, taking my daughter with me.” 

First go 

For the first few years, Sereff said, the business made its way from the card table in the craft booth to a solid clientele. 

The business grew, along with the family, and before long, Sereff was traveling to craft shows herself, graduating to her own booth and involving her daughter and two younger sons.  

For fifteen years, selling mixes out of a craft booth with the help of family served as the status quo. Regular prayer remained part of the business plan along the way. 

It was prayer that helped Suzanne take the next step, from mobile business out of craft booths and craft shows to something more stationary and conventional. Again, Sereff approached her spouse with a big idea.  

“I said to my husband, ‘Jim, I think we’re supposed to open a store.’ That was fifteen years ago.” 

Greeley space  

Today, Warm Hugs boasts 2500 square feet of show space, open every day of the week except Sunday, of course.  

The business still makes mixes on the premises, using a dedicated room in the rear of the store. And while you may find Sereff getting her hands full of flour every now and then, these days Sereff is more typically occupied with the responsibilities of an owner who provided the original vision but who has stepped back from production and sales. Daughter Beth, now 32 and having taken the name Beth Irish, serves as operator. Mother and daughter work closely together, each with their particular role, and other family members assist as well.  

The store employs roughly 10 people in all at the holidays, including seasonal help.  

Select items 

What Sereff terms “an eclectic mix” of inventory offers customers much to choose from.  

No longer simply a stop for specialty cake mixes for the discerning person, Warm Hugs also features carefully chosen clothing, jewelry, and gift items. Online shopping and shipping are available. For the complete experience, you’ll want to shop in person where you’re likely to be greeted by friendly staff and inviting sounds and smells.  

The aroma of garlic coming from the mixing room is what many customers remark on upon entering the store, Sereff said. 

“Something fruity” is another common observation overheard on the premises as customers take stock of the Warm Hugs experience, sniffing out clues that delight the senses. 

Taste buds awaken to sample wares set out for customers to try.  

“And we typically sound like laughter, music, and fun,” Sereff said.  

You may also hear Sereff “banging the drum of ‘shop local.’ We do a good bit of that.” 

Advice to share  

For someone who has a business idea of their own, Sereff offers straightforward advice. 

“Let God lead.” 

In addition to keeping God at the center and applying grit and determination to a venture, Sereff cautions a small business person to be quick to reinvest but to trust their common sense and avoid overspending.  

Holiday spirit  

For 2025, Warm Hugs will be full of shopping options for the holidays. 

“We can help you get your shopping done for that person who is hard to buy for.”   

At the end of the day, Sereff feels she’s right where God placed her in what may be the warmest hug of all. 

“I’m doing something I love. I am helping people and doing what I believe I’m supposed to do.”