fancy feet
St. Louis native and Pediluxe Footwear owner Joanna Smith has brought one of her company’s shoe brands, Crowne Comforteur , directly to consumers in our area. Normally sold only through various retailers around the country, the shoes are now available at Smith’s first-ever stand-alone store at Taubman Prestige Outlets. Named Crowne Comforteur, it operates like a boutique, offering one-on-one service to customers. “We call ourselves feel-good fashion footwear,” Smith explains. “Women should have fashionable shoes that are comfortable!”
belt brigade
A group of local entrepreneurs is putting Midwest style into needlepoint belts with its newly launched belt brand, Never Back. Patrick O’Hara, Jon Woo of the CWE, and Stephanie Zipp took Patrick’s affinity for the stylish accessory and embellished the product with casual designs depicting the American flag, nautical flags and a golf theme. Each belt, made of high-quality cotton and leather, is designed in-house. They’re $95 each on shopneverback.com, with more styles to come.
tennis pros
St. Louisans have a new place to shop all things tennis with the opening of String ‘n Swing Tennis in Frontenac, at 721 Old Frontenac Square. The specialty retail store, with locations in Memphis and Nashville, was founded in 1972 and is one of the largest of its kind in the country. It offers tennis and court equipment, apparel, stringing machines and accessories from manufacturers around the globe. The local store also will house the St. Louis Tennis Hall of Fame.
natural beauty
A line of nontoxic, high-performance makeup, W3LL People, is now exclusively available at Whole Foods stores in the Midwest, including the Town & Country and new CWE location. The line is built on simplicity and all-natural formulas and includes foundation, blush, lipstick, eyeshadow and more.
dine with rachael
Eating healthy isn’t always easy, but Clayton personal trainer Rachael Mintzlaff is trying to make it an effortless priority for everyone from working moms to busy corporate execs. She launched A Perfect Fit by Rachael after noticing her clients struggling with their diets. The new venture adds personal fitness chef to her service offerings. For those who opt to do the cooking themselves, she can create healthy menus or recipes that will keep them on track.
