[more fun in the sun]
Fun in the Sun, a ‘beach shop’ that sells coastal, active and preppy brands, now has a second location on Clarkson Road in Chesterfield. Owners Nancy and Dan McGee opened the original store in downtown Kirkwood in 2012. Both locations are the St. Louis venue for exclusive brands Southern Marsh, Island Company, Rowdy Gentleman, and Lemon&Line in the St. Louis area.
[local fair trade]
Peru native Julio Zegarra-Ballon recently opened the doors to Zee Bee Market, 3211 S. Grand Blvd., specializing in fair trade gift items from developing countries. He previously sold the products online and at local farmers markets, but the storefront location allows Zegarra-Ballon to work with more artisans to better promote the fair trade certification, which assures producers receive a living wage and operate in safe working conditions.
[classic luxury]
Fine jeweler and timepiece designer David Yurman now has a greater presence in St. Louis. The company, founded in New York in 1980, opened its first Missouri retail store at Plaza Frontenac. The boutique reflects the brand’s luxurious, relaxed aesthetic and carries the classic gold and silver collections for men and women.
[foodie town]
Pete Manzo has taken his family’s passion for food and turned it into an innovative business. He started EAT Saint Louis Food Tours, which takes participants on a three-hour guided walking tour through 2 miles of the iconic Hill neighborhood, with stops at six food establishments for tastings. After running Manzo’s, an Italian market opened by his parents in 1955, Manzo decided to explore the growing food tourism industry. Next year, he hopes to add tours in historic Soulard.
[custom creations]
The St. Louis Galleria was selected to be one of the first three locations for the national launch of AvaStars, a line of personalized dolls cofounded by former Mattel CEO Jill Barad. Kids step into the AvaStarShip (in the Galleria lobby near St. Louis Bread Co.), an interactive portal where they create characters with customizable features like hair, eyes and skin tone and participate in a 3-D photo session to capture their own likeness. Dolls are shipped to the child within a few weeks.
[more in store]
Taubman Prestige Outlets, which opened in August 2013, recently announced four new tenants in the coming months. Talbot’s opens this month, and next spring will bring Hugo Boss, Forever Flawless and the first Midwest location of Kate Spade Saturday.
