By Lisa Nicklanovich; photos courtesy of the Ringgenberg family

Laura and Bruce Ringgenberg enjoying some time together in Telluride last summer. Laura recently transitioned from a law career to owning Mainstream Boutique in The Village at Castle Pines. Bruce also owns a business in the City of Castle Pines.

“For a while I wanted to move to a small town but then I realized I do live in a small town,” Laura Ringgenberg said with a smile. Laura has been a Castle Pines resident since 2004 and has lived in a few different neighborhoods before moving into her new home in Castle Valley.

Laura’s small-town roots began in Jamestown, North Dakota where Laura grew up. “I got my driver’s license when I was 14 and spent hours and hours ‘cruising main’ and driving around the countryside with friends. We didn’t travel much; I was 21 the first time I ever got on an airplane or saw the ocean,” Laura said.

After graduating from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, Laura moved to Colorado with her mom who had taken a job in Lakewood.

Laura worked as a paralegal but then decided to go to law school at the University of Denver. Law degree in hand, she started out in employee benefits law and worked at Deloitte. Her work in personal injury defense gave her the ability to travel before starting a family.

When her kids came along, Laura stayed home with them for eight years, then went back to a law firm, again working in personal injury and insurance defense.

Laura married her husband Bruce, who owns Berg Haus restaurant in Castle Pines, in 2014. They had been friends at the University of North Dakota and reconnected after Bruce moved to Castle Pines. “He looked me up and asked me if I wanted to go to a folk festival in Lyons,” Laura shared.

For the past three years, Laura was doing corporate litigation support, which involved reviewing huge mounds of paperwork that she was able to do mostly from home. Laura thought about wanting a change and setting an example for her kids about really enjoying the work you do.

“We’re going to be here for a while and I wanted something close,” Laura explained about her job search for something new and different. Which led Laura to becoming the new owner of Mainstream Boutique in The Village at Castle Pines in mid-January.

“I like to shop in smaller boutiques wherever I go, especially in Telluride and Edwards,” Laura said. Additionally, she enjoys bringing that “small town” experience to the Castle Pines community. “What’s important to me is that my kids understand what it is to be a participant in the community. They now see me go to work and that I like my work,” Laura continued.

In addition to her ladies golf league, Laura has longtime friends from when her now high school-aged kids were babies. “When I lived in Forest Park, I saw a pink flyer which was about a playgroup for babies aged 18-24 months. We met at the pool, and some of those ladies are still my best friends,” Laura reflected.

Laura has been to nine bluegrass festivals in Telluride and her dream is to retire there one day. For now, Laura and her husband, Bruce, along with their kids, love to go to the mountains and ski, hike and camp – when they can slip away from their respective businesses.