The Fitter is 50: Twin sister co-owners talk about their 'wild ride watching Boulder grow up'

Mar. 30—After a tumultuous autumn, Boulder's University Hill has lost many a beloved institution to the tides of change: Albums on the Hill closed after 45 years in business in September; Boss Lady Pizza closed in November after nearly a decade operating on the Hill and Rosenberg's Bagels and Delicatessen shuttered its doors after only one year of providing students with its chewy, doughy delight.

The amount of turnover is not necessarily new, as it has proved a difficult place to survive for many shops, bars and restaurants of University Hill past.

One Boulder mainstay has remained steadfast and sturdy — a beacon in the night, an island in a stormy sea, never wavering in the face of adversity. After decades of providing the people of Boulder smoking accessories and more, longstanding Hill staple The Fitter turned 50 years old this year.

In the time that The Fitter has been in business, the Berlin Wall was torn down, the first female justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, was nominated for Supreme Court and the first Harry Potter book was published by J.K. Rowling.

'Can't stay stuck in the past'

The Fitter first opened its doors in 1973 by Bruce Klahr. After two years of running the shop at 1352 College Ave., Boulder, Klahr sold the Fitter — originally called The Pipefitter — to his younger twin sisters, Bonnie Dahl and Betty Gruskin.

And the rest, as they say, is history. The two sisters have demonstrated their flair for business, steering The Fitter through several turbulent periods —including a government raid in 1991 — while reinventing the shop on many occasions.

The secret to the Fitter's success?

"Adapting," Bonnie Dahl said. "One of our keys was changing with the times, because you can't exist without change. You can't stay stuck in the past."

When Bonnie Dahl and Betty Gruskin took over The Fitter, Boulder looked a little bit different than it does today. For one, Pearl Street had not yet been developed as Boulder's main cultural core.

"In 1975, there was no Pearl Street, really," Gruskin said. "The Hill was the centerpiece of Boulder. It was its own shopping district, and that's where everyone hung out. There was a lot going on."

The earliest rendition of The Fitter stocked inventory catering to the "hippie" crowd, the sisters said. That included waterbeds, bell-bottom pants, trippy black light posters and psychedelic light machines.

The pipe industry looked a little bit different back then, too — in the mid- to late-1970s, the twin sisters sold pipes and bongs at the shop that were made out of metal, stone, hardwood, ceramic and plastic. The '80s passed smoothly for The Fitter, a time when business was booming on the Hill.

But then in the 1990s, the sisters faced their first hurdle as owners of The Fitter. In '91, federal agents stormed in and boxed up pipes, scales and other items they deemed were illegal drug paraphernalia. They took over the phones, seized mail and froze bank accounts, including Dahl's personal bank account, according to a 2013 story by the Daily Camera. The government seized $55,000 in cash during the crackdown, plus thousands of dollars more in inventory. "Operation Pipe," it was called, where U.S. Customs and state regulators targeted Colorado and Wyoming head shops for "unlawful interstate trafficking of drug paraphernalia."

This paralyzed the sisters' business for a time.

Pivoting from bongs to Billabong

In 2003, after hearing stories of head shop raids across the nation during the investigation "Operation Pipe Dreams," the sisters decided to play it safe and pivot to a different market: women's clothing.

What came next was a successful era for The Fitter, with college students flocking to the shop to score a new pair of Uggs or to find the latest trends in boho fashion from Billabong.

To keep up with the success of the clothing sales, Dahl and Gruskin decided to make a branding move by shortening the name of the store to something more ambiguous.

"We found that kids were more comfortable charging things to their parents' credit cards if the name of the business on the credit card statements was called 'The Fitter,' rather than 'The Pipefitter,'" Dahl said.

Business then pivoted back to pipes and menswear after Dahl's daughter Erica Dahl launched a fashion store — Savvy, which still stands on Pearl Street — where they would sell women's fashion.

Things continued to thrive at The Fitter in 2012 after Colorado passed Amendment 64, legalizing recreational use of marijuana for adults over the age of 21.

Then in 2020, when many businesses in Boulder felt the economic strain and distress from COVID-19, The Fitter flourished. It remained open for curbside pickup during the lockdown, and students who stuck around on the University of Colorado Boulder campus for the duration of the pandemic had some extra time — and some extra money — on their hands, Gruskin said.

"We were very fortunate because the students were on Zoom calls," Gruskin said. "Once they came back to the university, they would be in their dorms or houses. Because these kids didn't have anything to spend their money on, they came to The Fitter. Nobody was traveling, nobody was going to music festivals, and a lot of kids were, ya know, smoking weed. I think that was actually the year that we made the most money."

Now, in 2023, The Fitter remains resilient as ever. Rather than plastic bongs and roach clips, patrons can find cannabis vaporizers, kratom accessories and now mushroom spores. After Colorado passed Proposition 122 last year, decriminalizing the personal use and possession of certain psychedelic plants and fungi, customers can now grow their own spores for personal use.

After celebrating their 70th birthdays in August, the twin sisters Bonnie and Betty stepped down from operating the business full time and now Bonnie's son Jason Dahl now runs the store.

However, that doesn't mean the Fitter is going to close up shop any time soon.

"We feel very grateful that we have a small business that has lasted this many years and is still full-speed ahead with business," Dahl said. "Whether it passes on to our family members — or wherever — we still want to continue the legacy."

Gruskin added: "It's been a fun trip, and I think it keeps us both very young at heart. It's been a wild ride watching Boulder grow up."

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Owners, Betty Gruskin, left, and her sister, Bonnie Dahl, outside...

Owners, Betty Gruskin, left, and her sister, Bonnie Dahl, outside their store on The Hill. The Fitter on the Hill turns 50.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)

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BOULDER,CO: March 28: One of the many newspaper clippings about...

BOULDER,CO: March 28: One of the many newspaper clippings about the history of The Fitter. The Fitter on the Hill turns 50.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)

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Jason Dahl, left, Betty Gruskin, Jason's mother, Bonnie Dahl, look...

Jason Dahl, left, Betty Gruskin, Jason's mother, Bonnie Dahl, look through memorabilia on March 28, 2023. The Fitter on the Hill turns 50.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)

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Bonnie Dahl, left, and her sister, Betty Gruskin look through...

Bonnie Dahl, left, and her sister, Betty Gruskin look through memorability with Nicole Kotov, right, on March 28, 2023. The Fitter on the Hill turns 50.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)

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The Fitter on the Hill is still thriving after 50...

The Fitter on the Hill is still thriving after 50 years. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)

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