The heart behind your favorite secondhand store
By Bella Goodson
Showing off in a sparkly sequins dress and clacking around in her mom’s kitten heels, as an adolescent, Madison Moorhead McCabe knew she loved fashion more than anything. Her mother’s closet was her playground, each piece of clothing a doorway to transformation.
Today at 36 years old, McCabe’s dream of owning a clothes store has come true. Five years ago, she founded Apocalypse, the Pearl Street secondhand store, a space where, she says, style is accessible to everyone. Her store has become a staple on Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall.
“The word Apocalypse means a cataclysmic revelation in which the forces of good ultimately overcome the forces of evil,” McCabe said.
Prior to Apocalypse, McCabe worked as an associate manager at Buffalo Exchange, another thrift store, from 2011 to 2014. That job inspired her to open her own shop. She wanted it to be more than a clothes store. She wanted to create a space where people felt safe, valued and seen. She realized she built something meaningful when a customer came in with a person experiencing homelessness. They found a coat on the outside rack but apparently couldn’t afford it.
“How much is the jacket?” the customer asked, prepared to buy it for the stranger.
“Eighty dollars, but we’ll do 75 percent off,” McCabe replied, moved by his compassion.
“It restored my faith in humanity,” she said.
McCabe’s husband Jed is the store’s co-owner.
“Madison’s passion for dressing people, from wardrobe styling to editorial shoots, is unmistakable,” he said. “She’s creative, expressive, and genuinely fun. She’s a natural leader who enrolls people around her with communication that’s direct, uplifting, and energizing.”
Lacy McKenny is the store manager and says McCabe has been a great mentor.
“Madison has consistently invested in my growth through honest feedback, real conversation and clear expectations,” McKenny said. “She’s also supported my personal growth and helped expand how I think about leadership, responsibility and impact.”
Behind Apocalypse’s vintage leather jackets and worn-in denim lies a challenge McCabe says she never anticipated as the boss.
“The most challenging thing is relationships, and it’s also the most fulfilling,” McCabe said. “You’re in a position of power, impacting people’s lives. It requires tons of vigilance.”
She also learned the discomfort of making decisions others sometimes question.
“You have to accept that as a leader, you won’t always be understood or seen the way you hope,” she said. “It’s about accepting where people’s emotions are and having understanding and compassion for that.”
Edited by Leah Meyer
