The Fur Boutique is a nook, but what a nook it is. Occupying a portion of GiddyUp Jane (9670 Clayton Road) for the past two years, it is owned by Ann Hurth, a 23-year veteran of the fur business. She moved into GiddyUp Jane after the success of a seasonal pop-up shop she had there in 2014. And she hasn’t looked back.
“It is a great fit, a nice complement,” Hurth says, surrounded by her sumptuous wares. The choice of styles is broad: coats and capes, hooded parkas, vests, bomber and down-filled jackets. There are tassled suede jackets, gorgeously floppy sheared mink coats, fur-trimmed shearlings, and the swingy, “very fashionable,” fox and cashmere cape. The mink and leather vests are reversible, as are the mink-trimmed raincoats. The coats of Spanish lambskin leather are the softest you can find, Hurth says, running her hand down the buttery, three-quarter length car coat, or stroller.
One look around tells you these aren’t your grandmother’s furs. For one thing, they are tinted all shades. An infinity (circular) scarf of Rex rabbit comes in smokey blue, gray and a bright, blood-red crimson. A sheared beaver vest or parka can be navy as well as the more traditional chocolate, white or black. One hooded sheared beaver parka is—naturally—a beautiful rosy cream. Hurth says in her opinion, every woman should have a vest or fur-trimmed cape. “Capes make you feel so pretty,” she says. “A vest is versatile: wear it to a party, wear it to the gym.”
She notes that fur is hot at the moment, although it has been ever since she can remember. Its popularity is driven by the runway, and by the fact that “it just feels good.” At the moment, the catwalks are full of everything fur imaginable, Hurth says, including adornments on shoes, boots, stoles, coats, capes and hats. “The fur trade has really evolved over recent years,” Hurth says, referring to improvements in technology and breeding. Most of the fur items she carries are made in North America.
Her customers are not only women and men buying for women (particularly during the holidays), but teens and college students, too. Mostly, the younger crowd comes for the fur-ball pom-pom key chains (lemon yellow, wine, sky blue, pink, green and white), scarves and foxy pom-pom hats. Hurth also receives special orders for men themselves, though less frequently. As for her own tastes, she says the sheared mink coat is her favorite. “Everybody loves it. It’s lightweight, soft and luxurious.”
Fur Boutique prices range from $25 for key chains to $10,000 for a full-length mink. Blankets, particularly popular these days, come in sheared beaver, coyote, mink, lynx and fox. Overall, Hurth attributes the success of her business to the traditional tastes of St. Louisans. “Our business is strong,” she says. “Fur never really goes out of style.” Neither do the relationships built over 23 years.
Pictured: Ann Hurth and Georgene Frazier of the Fur Boutique with Angie Glik and Jane Lavey of GiddyUp Jane
Photo: Bill Barrett
[The Fur Boutique, located inside GiddyUp Jane at 9670 Clayton Road in Ladue, features fine furs for the holidays and beyond. For more information, call 314.401.0317.]
