Nelly Bernal Joshua YETI Bredl interview on her Denver shop

The Nelly Bernal Joshua YETI Bredl interview for MILLIONS covered how Bernal runs Nellie Bernal Collective and Larimer Street pop-ups in Denver, why she wants to sell more secondhand fashion, and what interests her about Nando Mondragon’s Certified Tattoo Studios Academy. Speaking with Joshua "YETI" Bredl on Pull Up Show Live, she also traced her approach to selling back to her family’s peach orchard.

How does Nelly Bernal run her Denver vintage shop and Larimer Street pop-ups?

Nelly Bernal runs Nellie Bernal Collective in downtown Denver and sells at Larimer Street pop-ups when weather permits. She said the shop has been open for about six years and now brings together vendors alongside her vintage clothing, sports memorabilia and other collectibles.

Nellie Bernal Collective in downtown Denver

The store is at 1307 22nd Street, near 22nd and Larimer, and is open every day except Monday. Bernal described a mix of vintage clothing, jerseys, collectibles and sneakers; the shop also buys, sells and trades sneakers. Bringing other sellers into the space has made it more than a place for her own stock.

Bernal said she began collaborating with vendors after years of working in the shop on her own. She wanted a team of creative people she could see regularly and a place where local fashion sellers could share space. The collective also invites vendors to sell through the shop on consignment.

The Larimer Street pop-ups

Out on Larimer Street, Bernal said she is usually set up Thursday through Sunday if the weather allows. She named X-bar, Beacon and Federales among the places where she regularly sells. Shoppers can look for a pink tent, sunglasses and colorful coats near other street vendors.

She described Larimer as a place where tourists, artists and people heading to concerts cross paths. Bernal summed up the approach behind her street setup this way:

I don't sell products. I sell vibes

How did Nelly Bernal’s family peach orchard shape her approach to selling?

Nelly Bernal said her first sale came at about five or six years old, when she put peaches from her grandmother’s trees in a bucket and sold them to people walking past her house in Mexico. She wanted to buy a watch, and the experience gave her an early taste for finding something people wanted and selling it.

Selling peaches as a child

Her grandmother helped her with that first effort. Bernal said growing up without much made her reluctant to ask her parents for things, so she looked for ways to earn money herself. What stayed with her was not only the money but the challenge of making a sale.

The family orchard and Palisade Peaches

Bernal said her parents inherited an orchard about 20 years ago. Peach season runs roughly from July through August, and she has brought boxes into Denver to sell. Her family also makes peach products, including dehydrated peaches and jam; Bernal said she taught her mother to use Facebook Marketplace to help sell them.

Her parents are getting older, and Bernal said she has had the opportunity to take over the orchard but does not think that life is for her. She hopes someone else can operate it if her parents step back, allowing her to keep buying boxes to bring to the city. She praised Palisade Peaches for their flavor, which she associates with hot days and cool nights.

What does Nelly Bernal sell at her Denver events?

Nelly Bernal said sunglasses are the staple of her pop-ups, alongside rings, coats and statement jackets. She adjusts the selection to the setting: daytime events can include more pre-loved vintage clothing, while busy nights call for a smaller setup focused on the items people seek most often.

Federales and Denver Porch Festival

Among the events Bernal discussed were a Federales pop-up at 29th and Larimer and Denver Porch Festival in Baker. She described the festival as a neighborhood gathering with music, art and vendors. She also planned a larger pop-up at 16th Street Mall, where she could bring out more vintage stock than at a regular street setup.

Sunglasses work for both daytime sun and nights out, she said, making them a consistent part of the business. That flexibility helps explain why she keeps them prominent even as she changes coats, jackets and vintage pieces with the occasion.

Why does Nelly Bernal favor sustainable fashion?

Nelly Bernal wants to buy locally, reuse clothing and spend more time finding pieces in secondhand bins. Although she works in fashion, she said she has cut back on buying new goods because she does not want her business or her personal shopping to add unnecessarily to consumer waste.

For 2026 and 2027, Bernal said she wanted to keep supporting local sellers and wearing older garments that have already lasted for years. She contrasted those finds with new purchases that, in her experience, can show wear quickly. Rather than naming a major brand she relies on, she pointed to people who remake existing clothing.

One is Gracie of Rags to Swag in Denver, whose patchwork and upcycled pieces Bernal wears. Bernal said Gracie treats the work as a creative side project and does not want pressure to turn every piece into a product. Bernal admires that choice as well as the practice of making something new from clothing that already exists.

Her five-year-old son has joined her on trips to Goodwill, where looking for a toy can become a treasure hunt. Bernal said she discussed consumerism with him after they watched a Netflix documentary together and has encouraged him to consider used items instead of assuming a purchase must be new.

How is Nelly Bernal building a community around her shop?

Nelly Bernal said collaborating with local makers has made Nellie Bernal Collective a more welcoming place to work. After running the store largely alone for years, she wanted people around her whose ideas and work she could support, rather than filling the shop only with her own merchandise.

One collaborator makes custom pants, including patchwork pieces, and Bernal said customers can visit the shop for measurements. She showed Bredl examples made from different materials and explained that the maker can produce a pair to fit him. Custom work sits alongside the shop’s vintage clothing, sneakers and other goods.

That arrangement reflects Bernal’s broader goal for the space: vendors can bring their own work and customers can find several kinds of fashion in one place. She called it a community hub for Denver fashion sellers, with room for both regular collaborators and visiting vendors.

What did Nelly Bernal say about Certified Tattoo Studios Academy?

Nelly Bernal said she is interested in helping Nando Mondragon connect tattoo artists with Certified Tattoo Studios Academy and his Denver studios. She described the project as a way for aspiring artists to learn and for working artists to find studio space and support without giving up their own identity.

Training and studio opportunities

According to Bernal, Mondragon has four locations in Denver and is looking for artists and people who want to rent studio space. She said the academy challenges the idea that a prospective tattoo artist must learn only through an informal, difficult apprenticeship. Mondragon had contacted her about helping bring new artists into the project.

Bernal also described a setup in which an artist could concentrate on tattooing while the studio helps with appointments and other business tasks. She saw a connection to her own shop: sharing infrastructure can give creative people more time for their work while letting them remain themselves.

Her interest is personal as well as professional. Bernal said she has one tattoo and has felt uncomfortable as a customer in tattoo shops. She wants people entering a studio, whether to learn or to get tattooed, to have a more welcoming experience.