Colorado musicians rally behind family who owns Mi Vida String shop after devastating fire
In a small shop in Westminster, Eric Trujillo works on another instrument. It's a 100-plus-year-old upright bass.
"We really value the importance of keeping these instruments healthy and happy. They've existed for centuries, and the music that they've played and the people who have made, worked on them, and invested in them. It's really humbling," said Trujillo. A luthier by trade, he repairs and builds stringed instruments. It's a highly specialized field.
"Eric spends his time restoring. That's what he does to these instruments. And they have a life before us. And a life after us," said Eric's wife, Michelle Wilson Trujillo. As co-owner of the store, she helps manage things. They call it a humble place. Their humble existence has benefited from other, less tangible benefits, like friendship.
They found out just how strong those ties are after a fire at their Westminster home in December 2023. The Trujillos and their three children were not home, but their son came home to the brick house, opened the front door, and found the place in smoky flames. The fire was eventually blamed on an electrical short in the wall between the kitchen and garage. But the damage was heavy.
Within days, musicians who rely upon the Mi Vida String shop started showing up and checking on the family. They came in and played at the shop, an effort that helped them forget the fire for a few moments.
"All the friends that showed up to our door here at the shop the day after the fire and couldn't give much financially, but what they could give was the gift of music, and they were all our close friends," said Eric.
The fire brought them reactions they did not expect, like seeing their belongings on the ground outside the home.
"It's something where you're just kind of ripped open wide to the world. The whole neighborhood sees this. All the first responders see it. Then once the fire is out, people still see what's happened."
Soon after, thieves, apparently knowing the home was empty, ransacked the house twice. Following that, there were rebuilding troubles, including delays and permitting issues, the Trujillos said, that came from a bad experience with a contractor. The fire followed the Marshall Fire by less than a year, and there was a lot of competition to get people to work on the house.
"It becomes just mental warfare in a way. So you're victimized by the fire. Then all these other things come. And we've talked about it many times. It's no wonder so many people just walk away. Because it becomes all-consuming," said Michelle.
The Trujillos believe their return to their home was set back about a year. In December of 2025, two years later, the rental help they were getting from their homeowner's insurance ran out.
Eventually, they were able to get a new contractor, and things are moving along. The power is back on, but the house is still unfinished. They hope to be back in their home soon. It's like a finish line, but they haven't reached it yet. Fortunately, the friends who have helped along the way are still at it.
"Our friends at Dazzle have been just some of the most caring, embracing, amazing people we've ever known in our lives, and we're so proud to be friends with them and call them friends and family," said Michelle. The friends are planning a benefit at Dazzle the night of Feb. 16.
And a family that has been through a lot, it's going to get another positive experience. Eric and Michelle will share with their three high school and college-aged children, who are all talented musicians.
"When something big like this comes along, you want to handle it in such a manner that when they're grown, and they have their own children and look back to that time, I want them to remember the love. I want them to remember our closeness and how we had to become so close," explained Michelle. "That's what will make all of this worth it, if something like this has to happen and it did, if something good comes out of it, then it's worth it."
