It was never just about owning a cute store.

Even though that’s what people see when they walk by or walk in the door of Nicole O’Rorke’s shop on the busy Ruxton Avenue roundabout in Manitou Springs.

An outdoor light-up sign welcomes people into a bright room full of cute things, like tie-dye dresses, jean jackets, farmhouse-style artwork, plants, coffee mugs and candles. There’s a sign hanging behind the front desk that says, “Today is a good day for a good day.” And all day long, customers comment on how cute this or that thing is.

But O’Rorke doesn’t light up when she talks about the range of items, some local and some from around the country, that she’s carefully curated here. She will say that she simply wanted to stock the store with “stuff that sells.”

Because this store isn’t just about selling stuff.

It’s about changing people’s lives. People like Erin Bogue.

When the door swings open at Barn + Swallow, a booming smile washes over Bogue as she says, “Hey folks, welcome in!”

It’s the kind of smile that comes from struggle. The kind of smile you have to fight for.

The 37-year-old’s past isn’t pretty. Her childhood was violent. She got into abusive relationships and got addicted to drugs. She was often homeless.

She’s the kind of person that doesn’t get many second chances.

Then she met O’Rorke, who in August opened Barn + Swallow with the mission of exclusively hiring women who are homeless or in recovery or, as she says, “overcoming another life-altering situation.”

Before she even had a space for the shop, O’Rorke, 38, made calls to local group homes and recovery centers telling them about the idea and looking for women who might be interested in a job.

Over and over, the person on the other end of the phone would tell her, “You just made my day.”

“We see it so much how people are struggling and just need someone to give them a chance,” O’Rorke said. “I wanted to do something where I could give women in the community a chance.”

She employs and trains one woman at a time, teaching them job skills and helping them get to “the next level” or “get back on their feet,” she said. At the end of their training, which could last three to six months or more, she helps them create a resume to find a more long-term job.

In the short time she’s been open, O’Rorke’s mission has paid off. She’s employed an 18-year-old woman who was without a home because her parents are addicted to drugs. She’s employed women who are trying to start over after being addicted to drugs. Most are referred to her by local organizations. A couple of women have stumbled upon her store and just asked, “Can you help me?”

“I’m not a religious person, but there’s something about that,” O’Rorke said. “Of all the stores, they walk into mine?”

And there’s Bogue. When she was hired, she was recovering from the most horrific moment of her life.

While in the car with her ex-boyfriend, Bogue got into a wreck that broke her neck in three places.

She was pronounced dead on arrival. Bogue, who’s full of infectious jokes, likes to share that the EMT peed her pants when Bogue shockingly opened her eyes.

It’s serious, though. That was her wake-up call.

“God brought me back,” Bogue said. “So I just thought I have to be here for a reason.”

To find that reason, she knew she had to get her life together. She moved into a sober living house, where she still lives now. And she jumped at the chance to work at Barn + Swallow and get back into the workforce.

Bogue said finding another job, with her past criminal record and current situation, would’ve been impossible.

That’s why she’s so grateful to O’Rorke, “for being willing to help people when others wouldn’t.”

“She gave me a shot,” Bogue said.

After three months at Barn + Swallow, Bogue has regained her self-confidence. She got another part-time job at a cafe, thanks to her experience at the shop. She’s planning on going into real estate. Her biggest dream is getting back custody of her two young kids.

She feels ready for what’s next.

Part of that will mean leaving the shop in a few months and watching as another woman in need starts working there.

“I can’t wait to see the look on their face,” Bogue said. “And to see them grow like I have.”

The store owner has her own story. And her own reasons for being here.

“I’m sort of a lost soul,” she said. “It took me a while to find my path.”

She grew up on a farm in rural Illinois with a dad who valued hard work and without her mother being around. She’s always had a job, whether it was waitressing or owning a photography business, since she was 14. But she didn’t always have that female role model to ask for advice.

O’Rorke’s grandmother, though, was the kind of woman who helped people, whether it was volunteering or giving people rides, until her final days. And that inspired the need to give back.

“I just think about when I die, will I have done anything in the world to bring a little good to the world?” she said. “That’s what I think about when I go to sleep at night.”

That thought has led her here, a place in life where she’s not as lost anymore. She lives in Woodland Park with her girlfriend and 11-year-old daughter. And she spends her days at her shop, where she tries to help people in small ways and big ones.

Maybe customers notice the small way: With every sale, they choose a charity to donate 5% of the proceeds.

And maybe they notice the bigger way, when they meet Bogue, who can’t wait to talk to them about the cute plant or ring they might buy. Who walked 5 miles to get to her job. Who has been through hell, and who is happy for a chance at another life. Who says “thank you” to O’Rorke for giving her that chance.

O’Rorke says “thank you” right back.

This is the kind of job that makes her “feel whole.”

“I always say that if I helped one person, this store would be a success,” she said. “If I close tomorrow, that would be enough.”