LIVERMORE -- One store has to apologize to senior citizens for selling sturdy jeans for $24.95. Another sells designer jeans made famous by the Hollywood elite for $319.

A Livermore pioneer started one. A Livermore newcomer founded the other.

One is celebrating its 124-year anniversary. The other recently entered its second month in business.

The long-standing store that honors Livermores Western heritage and the new one that is seeking to attract hip modern customers are part of the evolving story of downtown Livermore, which is undergoing a $12 million makeover.

Baughmans Western Outfitters is located just one block from the new store, Orghipchick, and while the two First Street shops share little in terms ofclothing options, prices and even sizes, they are both hoping to appeal to the anticipated influx of customers eager to see the new Livermore.

Last Saturday, merchants invited people downtown to show off the new narrowed roadway, wider sidewalks and large trellises, and thousands replied. Orghipchick had its best day so far, said owner Tanya Tyson, who is learning the ins and outs of running a regular shop after starting her high-end outlet on the Internet three years ago.

The store is quite a different experience than selling online, said Tyson, 34, a Canadian who lives in Livermore with husband Robert. I sell a lot of smaller sizes online, and people have been asking for larger sizes. They also want the pants to go higher up on the waist.

She may get higher rising pants and larger sizes, but dont expect to see radical changes in price, such as inexpensive T-shirts. The self-described shopaholic is intent on making Orghipchick one of Livermores first successful high-end boutique clothing stores.

The idea of a shop selling expensive womens clothing in Livermore may raise a few questions, and here is how Tyson describes her situation:

-Why Livermore? Tyson said she is thrilled with redevelopment plans for the downtown and wants to get in on the ground floor. Additionally, other communities were off-limits. For instance, there already is a shop in Danville that sells True Religion, her best- selling jeans that often fetch in excess of $300, so she couldnt open there unless she dropped that particular line of clothing. Her second most popular line of clothing is Velvet, which are tops that generally sell for under $100. She has the potential to tap into a market that otherwise would have to travel long distances, but there are challenges.

Sometimes a lifelong Livermore resident comes in and they almost have a heart attack when they see the prices, she said.

-Where did the name come from? Tyson loves organic foods, and she first wanted to name her online store organichipchick, but she thought it was too long and shorted the start to org, which had an online ring to it. The name was a hit online. She has had

4,000 customers during her time on the Internet -- many were attracted by ads on Google and elsewhere and by her write-ups in such magazines as Lucky.

What are her chances? Janes, the owner of Baughmans, thinks she will do fine. One of my teenage employees is saving her money to buy a pair of jeans there, he said.

There are many differences between the older clothing store and the upstart besides prices.

Unlike Orghipchick, Baughmans sells nothing online, although the store does have a one-page Web site. Orghipchick is sparsely decorated and has ample room between the clothing isles. The tall ceilings in Baughmans allows the store to be filled not just with merchandise but also snippets of Livermores past. Livermore is home to an annual rodeo, one of the oldest in the West, and photos, trophies and memorabilia from the event plays a big role in fill the store.

Signs advertise Lee and Wrangler jeans, and Stetson hats fill one wall. While the hats and boots always been a mainstay at Baughmans, things are changing as the city evolves from a rural town to a bedroom community for Bay Area commuters. There are many more weekend cowboys these days, including people who may live in suburbs but board their horse somewhere else, and need the clothes to fit the part.

The person who wears Western clothes is increasingly interested in fashion, as evidenced by the growing popularity at Baughmans for styles that were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Many of the new shirts, for instance, have smiley faces over the front pockets, just like those worn by actors in Western movies.

But styles are also becoming more forward looking, as well.

One of the most popular boots is made famous by the character Daisy Duke in the 2005 movie Dukes of Hazard. The decorated boots have high heels, among other modern features.

However, as styles change, dont expect prices to rise sharply. The most expensive pair of jeans at Baughmans probably sells for under $50, Janes noted.

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