New children’s hat maker celebrates mountain lifestyle with new line

Laura Stefanelli is hoping that a bear riding a mountain bike, a moose kayaking, a bighorn sheep snowboarding and an elk skiing will inspire the next generation to get outside and make Mountain Kid Lids a fashion statement.

“We just started this kids hat company because the options were lacking, especially for the mountain lifestyle,” Stefanelli said. “I feel like what’s out there is kind of for surfing lifestyles or just silly kids stuff. That’s where the idea came from.”

Stefanelli, who lives in Denver, helped start Mountain Kid Lids a month ago along with her brother Tom Stefanelli, who’s a Steamboat Springs-based artist, and friend Matthew Miller, who also lives in Denver.

Stefanelli said she lived in Steamboat for a decade before moving. Her brother, who still calls Steamboat Springs home, created the images that are being digitally printed on the patches that grace the front of the snapback trucker hats.

She doesn’t have children. However, her brother and Miller both do, and they all saw a need for stylish hats made especially for children. The company also offers a limited number of infant and teen hats, but Stefanelli said those are only available online at MountainKidLids.com and numbers are limited.

“The 3-year-old to 12-year-old age group is what we are aiming for,” Stefanelli said. “The idea is to get kids outside and enjoying the mountains, teaching them about climate change and things that matter.”

She said that right now, the company offers hats on the company’s website, along with a couple of stores in Glenwood Springs — Hookers fly fishing shop at 719 Grand Ave. and The Fourth Dimension at 710 Cooper Ave. — and will be coming soon to Dusky Grouse Coffee at 1585 Mid Valley Drive, Unit 4, in Steamboat Springs.

Stefanelli said she plans to bring some hats up this weekend.

Stefanelli said the company is focused on making baseball-style trucker hats that feature child friendly art and are sized to fit a child’s head. She added that Mountain Kid Lids may offer a beanie when things cool off this fall and winter, but really, they want to remain focused on the trucker hats.

“Right now, we’ve got this crazy animal collection,” Stefanelli said. “That’s just animals doing outdoor activities.”

The hats are made with snapbacks, which allow them to be adjusted as a child grows.

“They are premade, but we are investigating sourcing them and getting them specially made, so we can offer different color options and things like that,” Stefanelli said. “Right now, we’re sourcing them and just adding the patches to them.”

Stefanille said she has always loved hats, and Mountain Kid Lids is the perfect way to blend that with a love for the outdoors and the activities that get people outside.

“I’ve just always loved hats and have done some other hat-related kind of business ventures, so that’s kind of how I got involved in it,” Stefanelli said.

To reach John F. Russell, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.