Meet the Founders Behind The Edit Boulder

Boulder has a way of keeping people. Just ask Kristie Shehan, who arrived in 1999 with her husband for what was supposed to be a three-year stint — and never left. Twenty-seven years later, she knows this city the way only a true local can: its rhythms, its hidden corners, its most exceptional people.

Or ask Erin Klau, who landed in Boulder in 2012 after five addresses in five states in twelve years. “We were desperate to find a place we could call home for the long term,” she says. What they found was a college town with an edge:  progressive, active, and endlessly welcoming. She’s never looked back.

Together, Kristie and Erin are the founders of The Edit Boulder, an invitation-only experience company curating bespoke, insider-access weeks in Boulder that go far beyond the festival.

Rooted in Place

Both women arrived in Boulder from somewhere else, and that perspective shapes everything they do.

Erin has lived in eight states, and each one taught her something. Virginia showed her genuine hospitality. Pennsylvania gave her a sense of shared history. Iowa instilled the value of hard work and family. Through all of it, one thing held true: the soul of any community lives in its local businesses. “Nowhere is this more true than Boulder,” she says. “The most successful spots are independent. It’s an incredibly inspiring environment.”

Kristie has watched that landscape shift over her nearly three decades here — beloved independent shops closing as rents rose and national retailers moved in. Pearl Street, once charmingly eclectic, began to feel more polished than personal. “Supporting local businesses isn’t just about shopping small, it’s about preserving the character, creativity, and soul of a community,” she says.

The Scout Guide Boulder became one way to honor that. The Edit is another.

How It Started

The spark for The Edit came from Sundance’s move to Boulder — but the foundation had been years in the making. The idea was Kristie’s, born from her work with The Scout Guide and the deep relationships she’d built with the city’s most exceptional business owners and creatives.

Erin brought something equally valuable: decades of experience crafting experiences that make people feel genuinely welcomed. During a long hiatus from corporate life — spent moving often and raising her daughters — she channeled her energy into planning events, from galas to bespoke private dinners. “Experiences that felt special and elevated for every guest,” she says.

Together, they’re uniquely positioned to show visitors the side of Boulder you simply can’t Google.

Access That Can’t Be Searched

What sets The Edit apart is the kind of access that doesn’t show up in a search result. Culinary experiences aren’t just reservations at great restaurants, they’re intimate moments, private tables, and personal encounters with the people shaping Boulder’s food culture. Wellness isn’t a class booking, it’s time with practitioners who live and breathe their work, woven organically into a client’s week. Art isn’t a gallery itinerary, it’s being invited into spaces and conversations that are rarely public-facing.

Outdoor adventures are guided by people who intimately know the land. Styling experiences offer insight into Boulder’s understated, deeply personal approach to fashion. And live performances? Intimate by design, fluid by nature — the kind that emerges through relationships and feel unexpectedly close.

A Week Designed Around You

Every Edit Boulder journey is different. Each guest is paired with a dedicated attaché who shapes the week around their interests, energy, and curiosity — leaving room for spontaneity and genuine surprise.

“What unfolds cannot be replicated, shared, or searched for,” Kristie says. “It can only be experienced.”

That’s Boulder, at its very best.