Category: Ladue News Feature Stories

Ladue News Feature Stories

Beauty Meets Function

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In a world where women’s accessories are often either beautiful or functional, Ronke Faleti wanted a solution that merged the two for one of a woman’s most basic everyday items: the handbag.

The mother of three never had the desire to carry a diaper bag, but with a 6-, 3- and 1-year-old, she needed something that would work with her on-the-go lifestyle. She found a Parisian brand she was happy with, but the handbag still didn’t have all the components she needed.

Last June, Faleti put her thoughts to paper and began sketching out what she wanted to be the perfect toddler-friendly bag. She designed a statement piece first, then added in the functional aspect of the design.

“I wanted to carry a bag that I’m proud to have but one that also is able to have everything I need inside of it,” she says.

In July 2017, korédé was officially an incorporated business. The name, which means “bring goodness” in Nigerian, is at the heart of Faleti’s company. In August of last year, she was able to take sample bags out into the world and get customer feedback. She asked women what they would pay for a bag like the one she had manufactured and got their feedback on functionality.

Her first sample bag has evolved into what is now the Milola clutch. The leather handbag has three internal compartments and retails starting at $150 for a black clutch and $245 for snakeskin. Its shining feature is a dispenser opening that can be used for facial tissues or baby wipes.

“Women were gaga over that feature,” Faleti says with a laugh. “The thing about the bag a lot of women like is that it’s deceptively small. It packs a punch and has five pockets.”

The clutch also features gold-tone hardware and has a cross-body strap that’s detachable for carrying solely as a clutch. She offers the bag in black, light-toned snakeskin and a black-and-red combination.

The second bag Faleti designed was the Annabelle, a carryall relaxed leather tote that retails for $395. After doing research at retailers like Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue, hearing what was selling and what wasn’t, she came up with a tote that checked all the boxes. She heard complaints about women not being able to find their belongings in a black-interior bag, so she designed hers with a light-colored interior. She heard about water bottles spilling and ruining purses, so she created a water-resistant nylon interior that can be shaken out in case of a spill, as well as an interior insulated water-bottle holder. Personally frustrated with organizer inserts for large tote bags being sold separately, Faleti incorporated hers into the Annabelle.

“The issue I saw in the organizers was that it never really fits your bag appropriately and it just eats up the space,” she says. “Ours is just built right in.”

The Annabelle has a zippered 8- by 10-inch pocket that Faleti says she often uses for keeping a change of clothes for her kids. In addition, the tote features two elastic pockets, one insulated, one mesh see-through pocket, and a key clip right at the top to keep your keys from disappearing.

“With these bags, we start with beauty – then infuse function,” she says. “I think that’s something that’s missing in the marketplace. Today’s women want function, but we love beauty.”

In the year since her launch, Faleti has worked tirelessly to pin down what the korédé persona looks like: who she is and where she’s shopping. While she’s selling her bags at shopkorede.com and at DotDotDash in Clayton for now, Faleti has big hopes and dreams for her company. She envisions a $100 million company 10 years down the road, uniting women in products that make them feel feminine, confident and attractive.

“We want to enter into the intersection of womanhood and motherhood and focus on the womanness of that person,” she says. “If our life for whatever reason adopts a new role, we don’t have to abandon those traits.”

Faleti says korédé’s ethos is “beautifully functional” and is all about products that are transitional through multiple life stages.

“From boardroom to play dates to a weekend away, korédé will take you there.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Conscientious Closet

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In a world where single-use items reign and clothing often gets retired after a year or two of use, many people aren’t actively aware of where their everyday products come from. This weighed on the mind of Christina Weaver, who founded a company 10 years ago to help bring ethically sourced fashion to Missouri.

What is known today as Route started in Columbia as Mustard Seed Fair Trade. From its early days until today, the nonprofit has always been focused on smaller vendors and organizations that are just getting started, enabling them to have a more direct impact on the makers.

“We have always wanted to be – as far as design and look and items we’re purchasing – up to date,” Weaver says. “We’re giving people the option of buying what they would buy somewhere else, but just buying it safely and sustainably.”

After rebranding to Route three years ago to showcase a more midcentury modern, minimalist feel, Weaver and her team turned their focus on women’s clothing, jewelry and accessories. The organization’s team split its time between Columbia and

St. Louis doing pop-up shops and managing the Columbia storefront. But managing people and driving back and forth proved to be both time-consuming and a lot of work, so Route closed the Columbia storefront last summer and moved her business solely to online – for now.

“It was great to be in Columbia for 8½ years, but it was time,” Weaver says. “It feels good to have contracted a bit as a business and focus on who we are and what we’re doing.”

Currently, Route sells in St. Louis, does free St. Louis delivery, pop-up shops and occasional home parties, and sells goods online.

At shoproute.org, visitors will find a carefully curated selection of women’s fashion items and accessories. Each piece has been carefully selected to fit with each aspect of Route’s mission. These pieces come from partnerships Route has established via social media, word of mouth in the fair trade community and often the vendor reaching out to Route, which has a vetting process for the partners that includes a series of emails, phone conversations and a requirement, when possible, of video or a photo of the factory.

Current pieces on the website include a bright tunic T-shirt made in Nepal by women rescued from sex trafficking; a gorgeous purple skirt that’s part of zero-waste Cambodian-American clothing line tonlé; and the chic Rosario jumpsuit, handmade in Peru.

“It’s not just what looks good and fits with our curated line,” Weaver says. “It’s also maximizing the impact.”

Weaver seeks products that will help people who most need employment, like women coming out of trafficking, the disabled and others, in mainly third-world countries. This plays into the “know the route” aspect of the organization’s mission. On the website, a graphic shows the process: Makers are safely employed by Route’s partner organizations, which flows into Route curating a modern and impactful line. From there, customers purchase from Route to sustain employment and let each piece be a symbol of empowerment and a story. “We create Routes for relationships that change lives and change the world,” reads the last step of the Route process. Weaver also started a branch of Route this year that’s secondhand, still keeping with the carefully curated attitude when selecting pieces for it.

The organization is in what Weaver calls a “transition year,” and though it’s downsized considerably, the mission of making a difference remains. Right now, it’s just Weaver and a few part-time staffers, along with salespeople who help when they can.

“It’s neat working for a company that has such a focused mission because it just draws in the best people,” she says. “We’ve worked with passionate, mission-focused women and men, and it’s been great.”

Weaver is quick to give credit to Jessica Penner, who co-founded the Route brand with her in 2015.

“She’s very creative, and the visual part [of Route] is really hers,” Weaver says.

Route has been well-received in St. Louis – particularly South City – as well as within bigger cities on the East and West coasts.

“People get excited about the look of the brand and what we’re carrying,” Weaver says. “Every time people hear about what we do, they’ll tell us how they’ve been looking for [a brand like Route].”

For the second half of 2018, Weaver’s focus is on the online store’s featured pieces and what else to bring in for the cooler months.

“We took some time off at the beginning of 2018 to rethink how we wanted to do business,” she says. “We’re thinking through what our buying looks like for us right now and how we keep that fresh-looking. There’ll be some products we haven’t carried before in the fall and holiday season.”

As for her long-term goals, Weaver is open to seeing where Route takes her – with one overarching goal in mind.

“We want to help people curate their own conscious closets so they feel good about every piece they put on,” Weaver says. “That’s the goal. We want to make women feel as beautiful as they are and create positive impact with what they own.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

The Gateway to the West Takes A Bow

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Since 1965, St. Louis’ Gateway Arch has stood strong as the 630-foot monument to westward expansion. In those 50-plus years, millions of people have flocked to the iconic landmark annually to admire its sleek design, enjoy the museum below and peruse the community around it.

Unfortunately, the Arch’s initial design had Interstate 64/40 running just outside of its bounds, making walking from St. Louis’ downtown straight onto the Arch grounds nearly impossible. Seeking to instate Arch designer Eero Saarinen’s original vision of making the Arch accessible from downtown, the National Park Service created a new general management plan for the Arch grounds in 2009. From there, CityArchRiver Project partners broke ground in 2013 on a new plan to reimagine, connect, enhance and transform the Arch.

In the time since, members of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation and partner organizations have been working tirelessly to reveal the new and improved Arch to the world – which they did on July 3. The $380 million project was funded by $221 million of private donations and $90 million of sales tax revenue from the passage of Proposition P in 2013. The revamp includes a reimagined museum that adds decades to its predecessor, an expanded visitor center and revitalized park grounds that include more than 5 miles of pathways – including a green space that directly connects the Arch grounds to downtown.

Executive director Eric Moraczewski and communications director Samantha Fisher took LN on a tour through the upgrades and pointed out the difference the revamp will make in how both St. Louisans and out-of-towners view the bow-shaped landmark.

The front desk – one of the first things visitors see when they come through the new west entrance – will be staffed by members of both the National Park Service and Explore St. Louis. Moraczewski says this will allow visitors to get recommendations of what to do in the surrounding area.

“The park service is going to do an amazing job of telling you what’s here on these grounds, but we’ll also have someone to guide you through the rest of the community, too,” Moraczewski says.

On entering the underground facilities, visitors will find a gigantic terrazzo floor map that displays all the trails the pioneers took on their journey west, with St. Louis highlighted in yellow.

“It’s the first glimpse of establishing why this museum is here in St. Louis and the important role our city played in the exploration of the western part of our country and the settlement of it, too,” Fisher says. “We lay out not just Lewis and Clark but also the impactful role we had on the California exploration, the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail.”

The new museum, which has been in the works since 2010, has more than 100 years of additional history and 46,000 additional square feet. The new exhibits incorporate universal design, which is accessible for people of all abilities. During the museum’s creation, there was also an effort to showcase different perspectives of the people of the time – like those of the Native Americans, Mexicans, women, African-Americans – which are scattered throughout the exhibits.

“That’s something the park service is very intentional about and has highlighted throughout all of the galleries in the museum,” Fisher says.

Unlike the original museum setup, which was off to the side of the tram entrance, the new layout has visitors walk through the center part of the museum to get to the trams, encouraging guests to peruse along the way. Soundscapes and touch screens help bring the museum’s spaces to life and make for a more interactive, dynamic experience.

“A large majority of people were just coming in and going to the trams,” Moraczewski says. “Now, you’re noticing it right away, and something will catch your eye.”

The museum is set up chronologically, beginning with establishing colonial St. Louis in the late 1700s. Key features of the first section include an animated fly-through of what the village of St. Louis would’ve looked like in 1797.

“Our park historian wrote a 40-page essay that detailed everything down to the doorknob of what the village was like,” Fisher says. “Our animation studio built this beautiful film for people to see. It’s neat to see what village life would’ve looked like, especially for St. Louisans.”

That section of the museum also contains an example of the kind of home that would’ve been built in French colonial St. Louis: a vertical log cabin. The National Park Service preservation team built the museum’s cabin on-site using mostly traditional tools, which added an authentic touch.

Another featured structure is the Old Rock House: built in 1818, torn down in 1959 and resurrected from the basement of the Old Courthouse for the new museum.

“The park service preserved the stones and the frames in the basement of the Old Courthouse, so the historic preservation team came out and rebuilt this on-site,” Moraczewski says. “When you walk in, you walk through a piece of history.”

Within its 100-year addition is a section on the actual building of the Arch – something that wasn’t touched on in the old museum aside from the film shown to tram riders. The exhibit showcases the five designs that were part of the monument competition and demonstrates Saarinen’s innovative model in comparison to the other finalists’ offerings.

“There was no competition,” Fisher says with a laugh. “He won unanimously.”

Now that the project has been completed and the Gateway Arch National Park is fully open to the public, Fisher says the organization’s focus is on stewardship.

“In addition to continuing to provide additional funds for the support [the National Park Service] will need to maintain the park, we’re also working really hard to engage the people of St. Louis to come and experience the park with event series all year long,” Fisher says. “We want to get people down here. We have a national park in our backyard, and we want our city to take part in it. The Arch is for everyone.”

Gateway Arch Park Foundation, 314-881-2015, archpark.org

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Thoughtful Totes

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Haley Black comes from a rodeo family. Growing up in Bloomington, Illinois, Black’s father crafted equestrian saddles, so she was always around leather goods. After moving away and getting her undergraduate degree in speech and hearing science at the University of Illinois and then her master’s degree in deaf education from Washington University in St. Louis, Black felt a part of her was missing: a creative outlet. The stress of teaching was weighing on her, and she wanted to express herself in another way.

Going back to her roots, Black turned to leather. “I wanted to create something,” she remembers.

The first thing she made was an envelope-style clutch – something she designed with a very specific purpose.

“Whenever we go anywhere, my husband always hands me his wallet and phone,” she says. “I wanted something that would hold all the things I need as an adult woman, along with things like his wallet and phone.”

Her initial design would become an elegant yet heavy-duty bag that had countless people asking where they could get one. Seeing the interest, Black realized there might be a business endeavor possible there. In 2015, she created Mandolin Handbags – a name carefully chosen from an instrument she and her father both play.

“I learned the skill of leather from him, and we both play the mandolin,” she says. “I’m nowhere near intermediate level at this point, but it’s another thing passed down from him. I like the music that comes from [the mandolin]. It feels like home.”

Black turned her passion for fine-quality things and the current fashion revolution into her efforts with Mandolin Handbags.

“I value the fact that things aren’t made in a factory and are all a little different,” she says.

The current Mandolin Handbags line consists of her inaugural clutch, which retails for $180, the Sequoia Crossbody ($220), the Commuter Bag ($320), a wallet that starts at $50 and a few other home goods like coasters. Each piece is made to order by Black herself and usually arrives within two weeks of the order being placed.

“With the clutch and other pieces, I’ve tried to take the things I liked in my dad’s equestrian background and pare them down a lot,” she says. “Like the commuter bag, for example, has handles made from infinity braids – the same ones you use for horse reins. Because of this, it can hold a lot of weight, and the braid gives when you’re walking so it’s not so much weight on your shoulder.”

Black has put considerable thought into the design of each of her pieces. When she was creating the designs for items like the clutch, she would “do the worst” to it to see what needed to be reinforced. In keeping with the individualized character of every handmade piece, Black doesn’t use a lot of processing on the leather so “it can become yours.” The clutch has suede lining and is accented by polished gold- and silver-toned hardware.

She says the larger crossbody bag has been a best-seller, noting its versatility.

“You can take it anywhere,” Black says. “I’ve taken it on a hike and also to a fashion event.” She adds that the commuter bag is also popular due to its accommodating size. “It’s great to take on vacation, to carry a laptop or even be used as a diaper bag. The size works for so many things.”

Since she began selling bags under the Mandolin Handbags name more than three years ago, Black has received overwhelmingly positive feedback on her creations.

“You can clearly identify that these bags are handmade,” she says. “I think that sets them apart and opens them up for more inquiry.”

In the future, Black says she’d like to expand her line but is careful about what that expansion will look like. She doesn’t want to overlap the functionality of the bags she’s already creating.

“If I went on vacation, I would use the commuter bag as my carry-on, the crossbody during the day and the clutch to go to dinner,” she says. “So I will ask myself, ‘What’s the purpose other than what’s already there?’ I want to be thoughtful and systematic in my growth.”

For now, customers can find her bags locally at Union Studio, a shop in St. Louis’ Botanical Heights neighborhood that carries a collection of goods made by area makers, or via her website.

Mandolin Handbags, themandolinhandbag.com

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Emboldening St. Louis Women

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In 2014, Jennifer Ehlen noticed that St. Louis ranked near the bottom of an American Express study on cities that support women entrepreneurs. She was troubled by this, and wanted to change the statistics for the region.

Ehlen founded Brazen, whose mission is to help women entrepreneurs and CEOs grow their businesses. According to its website, the group encourages women at all stages of business and industries to join a like-minded community, access curated online and offline resources, leverage best-practice tools and feel supported on their entrepreneurial journey.

Since its humble beginnings four years ago, the organization has expanded both locally and beyond – and now has branches in Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit and Philadelphia. To date, it’s helped more than 1,000 women entrepreneurs in St. Louis and continues to grow.

Mindy Mazur, the executive director of Brazen St. Louis, a local 501(c)3, says Brazen helps its members through customizable immersive programming. The members must meet three criteria: they identify as women, are the owner/founder/CEO of their own company that’s not already part of a parent company, and are serious about building their business. Team Brazen members pay a $40 one-time registration fee and $19.88 recurring monthly fee for access to “Power Hours” and member events, including roundtables and online curated resources.

“We’re focused on the nuts and bolts of how to build and scale your business, regardless of industry,” Mazur says. “This includes accounting, raising money, legal, technology, marketing and more. We’re focused on the building blocks.”

Brazen St. Louis’ flagship program is Growth Groups, which are peer mentoring groups of seven to nine women who meet once a month for three hours. During those meetings, the members work together on one another’s business challenges. Growth Groups is an add-on program that costs $30 per month.

“It’s an ongoing network of support,” Mazur says. “Everyone has an opportunity to talk through and share their challenges. They work through those challenges together and hold each other accountable.”

Another angle of support through Brazen is its Power Hours – one-on-one subject matter expert mentoring sessions, rotating through topics like marketing and fundraising each month. Brazen St. Louis brings in experts from its sponsor organizations so members can have one-on-one time with experienced business professionals and get firsthand advice on issues they may be struggling with.

Brazen St. Louis also hosts roundtable events for up to 12 members and guest speakers, along with member events throughout the year for larger groups.

In between in-person events, Brazen St. Louis members also have support through a private Facebook group that’s loaded with referrals, funding opportunities and conferences. There’s also an online vault of resources that includes guest columns and other articles.

“Our members span all industries and different stages of business,” Mazur says. “Nonprofits, for-profits, people who have products, services, tech apps … It’s a nice mix of different businesses that enriches the membership. We try to provide that support network for our members as they’re looking to scale and give them confidence.”

Mazur sees Brazen St. Louis as “sitting at the cross-section of women in leadership, equity in entrepreneurship and economic development.”

“We play a unique role here,” she says. “Imagine the economic impact if we helped every business add just one job or increase revenue by 1 percent. It’d be a huge boost in St. Louis economic development.”

One such example of Brazen’s help is to local business owner Kimberly Moos of Cotton Cuts, a subscription-based company that delivers pre-cut quilting fabric to your doorstep. She’s been a part of Brazen for more than two years, having started by going to one of the group’s office hours.

“It was the first time I’d spoken about my idea out loud,” Moos recalls. “But [Brazen co-founder Aimee Dunne] was so supportive and so motivating.”

Moos became a Brazen member before she officially launched Cotton Cuts, and credits where she is today, being able to buy out her competitor last summer, to her first-year growth group. She says the structured, regimented organization of the growth group was “the right resource at the right time.”

“Taking the first step is always the hardest,” Moos says. “But once you do, you won’t regret it.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Honoring Land and Family

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Andy Busch was born into a beer empire.

The son of the late August Anheuser Busch Jr., Busch grew up around Anheuser-Busch brewing company and Grant’s Farm.

Pursuing a passion for polo, for which he was asked to serve as captain of the U.S. team representing America in the World Cup, Busch and his wife, Kim, began visiting the Santa Barbara, California, area in 1998. Four years later, the Busches made the leap and moved their family from St. Louis to nearly 2,000 miles away.

The couple wanted to find a ranch and land to purchase – something that reminded them of Grant’s Farm and of home to keep their children grounded in working on the land. Over the next two years, they looked at 50 ranches, but none of them felt right. Then, in 2004, they came through the gate of a property they were touring and knew it was going to be their next project, later purchasing a contiguous ranch in 2011.

“Folded Hills was in gross disrepair,” Andy Busch remembers.

But the property was perfect and reminded the Busches of Grant’s Farm. It had once belonged to the Morton Salt family and was called Folded Hills because of its location in the folds of the mountains. As the crow flies, it’s only 5 miles from the ocean. After learning more about the property, the Busches found out that there had been a vineyard on the hillside of the property and that wine had been made in the basement of the farmhouse during the pre-Prohibition era. (The farmhouse in question will be the estate tasting room, set to open in spring 2019.) Learning this history, the couple brought in experts to research the land and climate to find out what they’d be able to grow.

“The land told us what it wanted: Rhône varietals,” Kim Busch says.

And Folded Hills Winery was born.

Andy and Kim Busch approached their new venture from a land perspective. They sought to keep the acreage organic and agricultural, and wanted to “honor the valley,” according to Kim Busch. “The grapes are remarkable; the growers can’t believe it,” she says. Along with meticulously researching the terroir to discover which grapes might grow best in the soil and climate, the family also made many improvements to the property.

Folded Hills is a 600-acre working ranch and comprises 12 acres of Rhône reds, including grenache and syrah; 3 acres of Rhône whites, including the grenache blanc, marsanne and clairette blanc; and land for cattle, pigs, chickens, Clydesdales and 15 acres of organic row crop vegetables and fruits. The property also features a polo field for one of the Busch family’s favorite hobbies, hosting games weekly during the summer.

They launched their first set of wines more than a year ago in St. Louis – all named for members of Andy Busch’s family or Grant’s Farm. The Lilly Rosé is an estate rosé named after the numerous generations of Lillys in the Busch family.

“There are six generations of Lillys in our family, all the way to our daughter and granddaughter,” Kim Busch says.

She notes that many people dislike rosé because it’s typically a byproduct of making other wines. But at Folded Hills, the vintners both plant and pick specifically for a crisp, dry Provençal-style rosé. This deliberate process led to Folded Hills’ rosé being named “year’s best rosé” by Wine & Spirits magazine.

The winery’s collection also includes a 2016 Estate Whole “Cluster” Grenache, which honors the traditional Beaujolais style; a 2015 Grant Grenache named for Grant’s Farm and Ulysses S. Grant, which was named the best grenache in California and top tree in the U.S.; a 2015 August Red Wine that pays homage to Andy Busch’s father and grandfather; an August White blend; and two reserves of Ballard Canyon Grenache and Syrah.

The Busches hired New Zealand winemaker Angela Osborne and grower Ruben Solorzano, who ensures the best picking times and the highest-quality process that honors the land where the grapes are grown organically and biodynamically, which Kim Busch describes as “a very natural style of winemaking that allows the quality of the grapes and terroir to speak for themselves.” As the winery’s website states, “It’s all part of our promise to make wine in an honest, time-honored way.”

On top of the day-to-day vineyard operations, a typical day at Folded Hills is anything but.

“A ‘typical’ day for me at the ranch could be anything,” Andy Busch says. “It could include maintaining the polo field, clearing roads for cattle, baby pigs being born, doing a wine tasting, greeting guests … anything that needs to be done.”

Andy and Kim Busch are in the process of remodeling the 100-year-old farmhouse on the property, which, as noted earlier, will open in spring 2019 as a tasting room. They encourage visitors to visit the ranch and feed the animals, pick their own produce and tour the vineyard. Interested parties should contact info@foldedhills.com for a private wine tasting.

Kim Busch says she and her spouse love having St. Louis friends out to the property and look forward to the ranch’s continued growth. It was also important to the Busch family to have Folded Hills wine available locally, and it can be purchased at a dozen St. Louis retailers and restaurants (see sidebar).

“If you enjoy what you’re doing and the people you are sharing it with … getting a table together and enjoying a farm-to-table meal and getting out in nature … that’s what this is all about,” Kim Busch says.

Andy Busch echoes her sentiments by relaying an old family saying.

“Gussie’s motto is ‘making friends is our business,’” he says. “We’re trying to continue that on with this wine.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Savvier Than Ever

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Since 2010, Ladue’s Savvy Surrounding Style has been providing St. Louis with all things home: from gorgeous couches to lively holiday décor to dynamic artwork. The store has also been a full-service design firm since its inception, working with clients to help create their dream spaces.

In 2018, though, Savvy is honing its focus on its design services. The Savvy team is currently in the process of completely updating and remodeling the showroom, and the new and improved space will be unveiled in mid-May.

Savvy owner Diane Fogerty is excited for what this revamped effort will be able to bring to the area. She notes that since Savvy added commercial design last year, its design services have really taken off, which led the Savvy team to dial back on the retail end and emphasize another aspect.

“We’ve revamped our showroom with new lines that aren’t generally available anywhere else in St. Louis,” Fogerty says. “We’re going to have a lot more product that will enhance the experience. We offer very unique pieces to enhance our customers’ homes. Sometimes that key element is all you need to complete a project.”

The new and improved Savvy will feature a brand-new design library and facility where Savvy designers will be able to interact with their clients and to present design plans, including renderings and 3-D models to help with visualization.

“The updated studio will make the process easier for our clients through the selection and decision-making process,” she says.

When customers step through the doors of the remodeled space, Fogerty hopes they’ll be inspired by the atmosphere it provides. She’s traveled all over the country seeking the best pieces for the new showroom and is enthusiastic about what she’s found.

“Our first goal for this new space is to bring new looks to the St. Louis marketplace, which is why I traveled so much looking for lines of furniture and accessories,” Fogerty says. “When you visit the West and East coasts and realize there’s so much out there that isn’t readily available [in St. Louis], we’re looking to bring the newer trends to this area.”

She notes the incorporation of metallics and faux hides in Savvy’s new pieces, along with “great pieces for mantels and bookcases, coffee tables and exciting new lighting.” Fogerty even found a light fixture made out of feathers in Las Vegas.

“The use of color right now in design is exciting to me,” she says. “It used to be the neutrals weren’t very interesting. You had your beige, your ivory … Now there [are] so many new neutrals, like navy and even metallic.”

She’s seeing this resurgence of color on ceilings, in patterns and in wallpaper – which she notes is making a huge comeback.

“It’s unbelievable what you can do with wallpaper,” she says.

Fogerty also notes the importance of lighting, saying it’s “not just a function, it’s a design element.”

“There are so many ways to enhance a room by lighting it correctly,” she adds.

When it comes to overall style and themes, Fogerty says the trend of mixing styles has become a revolution.

“Not everything has to be the same style,” she says. “Choose pieces you love, and put them together. You don’t have to fit in a box.”

To celebrate the store’s reopening, Fogerty and her team are planning on hosting a grand opening event, along with an invite-only open for past clients.

“We’re so excited about the opening,” she says. “Everyone wants to update their look in spring and summer and dust everything off. It’s a great time for us to be reopening.”

Savvy will be taking walk-ins for design services from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays and by appointment the other days of the week. The team features three full-time designers, two full-time projects managers, a design assistant and a full-time manager and accountant. Fogerty also hopes to hire an intern this summer, too, citing that she likes to work with up-and-comers in St. Louis’ design community.

When it comes to design services, Fogerty says Savvy is able to stand out because it doesn’t have a “look.”

“Our look is our clients’ look,” she says. “A lot of firms have a specific look, but ours is whatever the client wants it to be. At the end of the day, someone else is going to enjoy it, so we want it to be what [he or she] is looking for. You just have to help them find it.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Carefully Curated Classics

robyndexter

In a beautiful building on the corner of Shenandoah and Thurman avenues, visitors to and residents of St. Louis’ Shaw neighborhood will find the new home of Future Ancestor.

The curated vintage furniture and modern housewares shop is the brainchild of Julia and Brian Leenig. It originally started as an online Etsy shop, founded on Julia Leenig’s love of and eye for design in all forms. Years spent moving residences and decorating and styling each new space fueled a growing love for interior design and collecting vintage pieces. Realizing she couldn’t keep all of the pieces she had collected, though, Leenig started the Etsy shop with her husband, which turned into a holiday pop-up concept on St. Louis’ Cherokee Street in November 2014. The success of the holiday event led to the Leenigs’ deciding to stay in the pop-up space for three years under the name Future Ancestor.

After three years, the need to expand both their space and their selection led the Leenigs to start looking for a larger storefront. One day, Leenig was driving through the Shaw neighborhood and saw the perfect spot. On Feb. 23, Future Ancestor opened the doors on its new, much-larger digs in this ideal location. Leenig says things have been great since relocating and praises the surrounding community.

“This neighborhood is just so welcoming,” she says. “You can tell people are always looking out for you. So many people have stopped by or brought us a bottle of wine.”

Visitors to Future Ancestor will be instantly wowed by the store’s bright interior. The Leenigs painted the floors, walls and ceilings white, giving the store a showroomlike feel. Natural light pours from windows that make up the front portion of the store and illuminates a carefully curated selection of vintage and modern goods ranging from dressers to rugs to plants.

Leenig notes that the majority of her and her husband’s vintage pieces are unique because they’re often one of a kind. On top of that, the Leenigs are choosy about what they bring in.

“We want everything to be high quality,” Leenig says. “We put everything through the test before we sell it to somebody. I think that’s what makes it unique.”

Dressers are top sellers and always sell quickly due to their high quality and durability.

“Most of the dressers we carry are midcentury, which is popular right now,” she says. “They’re all so well-built, so they really sell themselves.”

Gift-type items like earrings and plants are also popular, which Leenig attributes to their going along with the lifestyle vibe of the store. Her personal favorites include gorgeous, brightly colored rugs that hang from the walls, along with a selection of textured pillows that are made from old Turkish rugs.

Because the Shaw location is double the size of Future Ancestor’s previous location, Leenig says she and her husband have been able to grow their selection of gift items, along with their contemporary selection.

“We’ve been able to expand with our modern line, not just all vintage,” she says. “[The store] is a mix of the two because that’s how most people live their lives.”

A self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur,” Leenig is always looking for her next venture.

“I have a lot of ideas cooking in my head,” she says.

One goal for this year is to convert the apartment above the store into an Airbnb since it’s currently sitting empty. She’s also taking Future Ancestor out the door and into the St. Louis community.

“A lot of people have been interested in design services, so the store is now offering them,” Leenig says. “It’s fun to bring Future Ancestor out of the store.”

While she may have an eye for design, Leenig says she often hears that customers are struggling with the arrangement and décor of their own homes.

“A lot of times people think they’re not good at interior design, but we’re always telling people to just have fun with it and don’t think about it too hard,” she says. “Don’t try to do everything one style. If you just buy what you love, then it’ll all go together.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Life of Luxury

robyndexter

Across the metro area, upscale apartments provide a wow-worthy living experience that contends with the most luxurious of houses.

A wave of luxury apartment complexes is sweeping the St. Louis area, providing its residents with a wide selection of upscale amenities, roomy spaces and smart technology. LN talked to representatives from three new establishments about what they bring to the already-vibrant St. Louis community.

Ceylon

Ceylon opened in late 2017 in Clayton with a vivacious grand-opening party that included tapas and cocktails from neighboring businesses Barcelona and The Wine Merchant, Ltd., along with live music and a chance to learn more about the building’s offerings.

Inspired by the ever-popular Saint Louis Art Fair, Ceylon provides a minimalistic, modern feel from the moment you set foot inside. Located at the corner of Maryland and North Central avenues, the boutique apartment complex offers studio, one- and two-bedroom stylish apartment homes.

General manager Ali Graeff says that while luxury is expected in Clayton, Ceylon is set apart by its outstanding service and staff members.

“I like to say our best amenity is our staff because we truly focus on our residents and making their transition to move in smooth,” Graeff says. “It’s more of a feeling than a service.”

Inside the apartments themselves, residents will find modern floor plans and color schemes, private patios and balconies, expansive windows with solar shades and much more. The community also features an interior courtyard with a fire-and-water feature as the centerpiece where sunrise and sunset yoga classes will be held, secure electronic access throughout the building and a studio-style fitness-on-demand program that includes yoga, spin, kickboxing and dance.

Ceylon has a Walk Score of 96 out of 100 – a national gauge of an address’ walkability based on distance to amenities, pedestrian friendliness, road metrics and more, developed by leading academic researchers – making it one of the most walkable places in the area.

Residents can enjoy countless dining and entertainment opportunities just a block or two away, along with proximity to MetroLink.

“Many people don’t want the responsibility of a house but still want the luxury of a beautiful place,”

Graeff says. “We have that here.”

Ceylon, 25 N. Central Ave., Clayton, 314-833-8999, liveceylon.com

The Euclid

The Euclid in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood opened its doors on March 15. The 71-apartment building celebrated its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Lyda Krewson and a chance for prospective residents to see what is available. Maggie St. Geme, marketing manager for building owner Koman Group, refers to The Euclid as a “boutique” building with features including beautiful ceilings and fixtures.

“The 71 Euclid apartments are sleek and sophisticated and are adapted to today’s modern lifestyle,” she says.

Each of The Euclid’s apartments offers fine finishes, quartz countertops, tiled bathrooms and wood-look luxury vinyl plank flooring. Natural light pours into the building, and most of the 71 units feature balconies.

“The Euclid offers the latest in building technology and design. Our access control system provides the utmost in resident privacy and convenience,” St. Geme says. “At the entrance is a touch-screen intercom box with a video chat feature whereby residents can use their smartphone to receive calls from guests and quickly, easily allow them to come up.”

The second floor of The Euclid offers a 24-hour gym and fitness center, along with a community lounge with shuffleboard, a bar area and a balcony that overlooks the picturesque neighborhood.

“Most of our residents are working professionals,” St. Geme says. “They come home and want a true retreat from the energy and bustle of the Central West End.”

She notes that technology is offering people products and services to make their lives easier, more convenient and more luxurious. Many people are looking to update their lifestyles to match, truly bringing every aspect of their lives into the 21st century.

“Apartment living is coming in line with that,” she says. “There’s such a vibrant energy in our neighborhoods, and being able to walk out your door and access everything is exciting.”

The Euclid, 40 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314-787-2013, theeuclidstl.com

The Barton

Another new addition to the Clayton area, The Barton, just opened March 15 on Maryland Avenue. The Barton features 229 apartments in its community, with several upscale amenities that make it feel like home.

The Barton makes an impression the minute you walk in the door, with a high-ceiling lobby and adjoining club room. Residents can store their wine in a climate-controlled wine cellar and enjoy a glass in the bar area. The club room hosts bubbly brunches and happy hours, and it might even include a continental breakfast in the future. Spacious hallways lead to the apartments, which all have 10-foot ceilings and 8-foot doors.

Julie Garcia, community manager of The Barton, says the facility has paid great attention to fixtures and finishes in the apartments themselves. Kitchens feature white cabinetry, brushed nickel hardware and energy-efficient appliances. Other luxury features include TVs embedded in the mirrors and heated tiles in the bathrooms, USB outlets in the bedrooms (both one- and two-bedroom options) and kitchen, and Nest thermostats that can be controlled from a phone or tablet.

The Barton features a 24-hour fitness center with fitness-on-demand services, a pet spa and 24/7 valet dry cleaning. Work is currently being finished on a heated saltwater pool, along with a dog park and a bridge that will connect The Barton directly to the greenway that runs to Shaw Park.

“We’re a community, and we strive for that,” Garcia says. “The Barton truly offers all the benefits of luxury living in a location that has it all. You can come home and be only steps from the same amenities others have to drive to.”

The Barton, 8500 Maryland Ave., St. Louis, 314-551-9387, thebartonstl.com

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Taking Fun to New Heights

robyndexter

For years, St. Louis Treehouse has been taking fun to new heights throughout the Midwest. The company, founded by Colorado native Cord Moody, started after a tornado swept through his neighborhood in Hazelwood years ago. Seeing a damaged tree with little desire to cut it down, the Eagle Scout turned engineer decided to build a treehouse for his kids. He enjoyed building it so much that his wife suggested he pursue other, similar opportunities.

Years later, Moody gave a presentation at a Business Network International meeting, and Bill Hayes, a sales representative for a construction company, was one of many in the audience. He listened to an enthusiastic guy stand up and talk about how he built treehouses for a living. Hayes was intrigued that Moody could make a living building treehouses and talked to him after the meeting.

“He was just one of those people you want as a friend,” Hayes recalls. “He just has an awesome vibe to him.” They both talked at length about Moody’s treehouse business, and Moody suggested Hayes see a project in the works in Ballwin, and Hayes agreed. Hayes helped a bit on the Ballwin project that day, handing Moody tools and carrying wood. “It was just a really cool experience, and seeing that little girl’s playhouse up on a tree was awesome,” Hayes recalls.

The next day, Hayes called Moody and asked if he wanted help with his treehouse endeavor. They clicked, and the two worked together for five years before Hayes decided to go to school to become a medic and before Moody wanted to move back to Colorado – where the paths of St. Louis Treehouse began to diverge. Moody moved back to Colorado less than a year ago, and Hayes now works as a firefighter for two departments and as an EMT. St. Louis Treehouse isn’t over, though. Moody still owns the company and even started an effort called Denver Treehouse out west. Hayes now runs St. Louis Treehouse and works with one of his friends building treehouses on the weekends.

St. Louis Treehouse does three types of builds: platform, roofed-over platform and cabin. A platform is the simplest, consisting of a floor with railings. A roofed-over platform is exactly what it sounds like, but it lacks walls. A cabin is the most houselike of the three options, with a floor, walls and roof – a true cabin.

After the size and type have been selected, clients are able to select accessories and features. St. Louis Treehouse installs everything from zip lines to rock-climbing walls to trapdoors. The company’s team has put in windows, skylights, fireman poles, monkey bars and more.

“Big treehouses need big accessories for support,” Hayes notes. “Things like rock-climbing walls and multiple ladders can help with that. You want your treehouse to look like it’s actually suspended up in a tree, and that’s what we specialize in.”

While the treehouse projects vary from yard to yard, the safety of the kids is always the biggest concern.

“Kids by nature are adventurous,” Hayes says. “These are treehouses – they’re up in the air. So when you have to go up a ladder, you have to go under a railing. If there are any openings, we always set up a chain or a rope, too.”

The company’s team also takes the health of the tree into account, bolstering the weight of the structure with as many features and accessories to help hold the weight as possible.

“We build hundreds of treehouses around St. Louis, but we’ve never had a tree die because of a treehouse being put into it,” Hayes says.

As a precaution, though, the company’s team will come out and do yearly checkups and maintenance as needed. This can include tree trimming, upgrading bolt support or modifications to adjust for tree growth.

St. Louis Treehouse structures are built with the entire family in mind and are strong enough to support the weight of mom and dad, should they choose to come up to play with their kids, too.

“Mom and dad can get up in the treehouse, and son and dad can ride the zip line together,” Hayes says. “We’re not building an average playset. This is about getting the kids outside and having fun with the whole family.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.