Photograph by Ashley Heifner

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Old-Fashioned Specialty Shops - Maplewood

In the new millennium, Maplewood has worked to bring back the boutique-style shopping that it once boasted. Park in front of Elizabeth House [1], near the intersection of Manchester and Southwest, then come in and inhale the sweet scent of lavender. Whimsical yet practical, Elizabeth House offers vintage jewelry and country-French home décor and even provides consultation for would-be redecorators.

Next door at Femme [2], the techno music sets a completely different mood. Resembling a little girl’s dream closet, the store carries clothing and accessories for fashion-conscious women, especially new moms. With stroller-friendly dressing rooms and open spaces for children to move about (there’s even a playroom in back), Femme combines func-tionality with style in both its décor and its clothing, which includes work by three St. Louis designers—Squasht by Les, Exquisite Corpes and Doki-Doki.

Farther along Manchester, you’ll come to Pom Pom [3], where intricately designed chandeliers hang from the ceiling and antique clocks chime on the walls. Then step into TheTime [4], where interesting pieces from more than 60 designers, including Kara Janx of Project Runway, are combined with a coffee shop in an effort to create an informal shopping environment with an ever-changing selection based on each designer’s collection that season. With clothes that are edgier and more rock ’n’ roll, The Time says it offers “the basics with a twist.”

What is truly great about Maplewood, though, is its array of specialty shops. Penzeys Spices [5], for example, has hunted down any spice a kitchen could ever require and a few that the average shopper never knew existed. Cheryl’s Herbs [6], specializing in aromatherapy, carries the oils and herbs needed for a holistic lifestyle and even allows customers to custom-blend their own. Fine Light Ltd. [7] showcases a stock of lamps that encompasses both classical and modern styles. Next door, T. Rohan Interiors [8] sells top-notch antiques. Also on Manchester, Jones Typewriter Co. [9] focuses on the technology we depended on before computers ruled the world.
 
Making a left on Sutton, shoppers will find Tiger Lily [10], a colorful shop that brings sunshine to the task of gift buying. They will monogram many of their products to personalize a purchase. Stop into Gisele’s [13], where owner Brenda Wolf flies to Paris and brings back iron-angel door knockers, jewelry, hand-milled soaps and old books in French. When you just can’t shop anymore, grab a quick bite and a microbrew at the Schlafly Bottleworks [14] or an elegant dinner at Arthur Clay’s [15] or Monarch [16].