Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
For many women, an outfit isn’t built from the clothes down, but rather from the shoes up—after all, leopard-print booties or sky-high heels say a lot about the woman wearing them. That love of footwear is what motivated St. Louis native Sharlene Scruggs to open Fancy Feet Shoe Boutique (508 S. Main, St. Charles, 636-724-8400, fancyfeetshoeboutique.com). “I’ve always had a passion for fashion, and I knew I wanted to open a boutique,” she says. “But I wanted to do something different. A shoe boutique was it.”
Located between antiques shops and sidewalk cafés in historic St. Charles, the boutique is what Scruggs describes as “shoe therapy without a prescription.” “St. Charles didn’t have something that was modern or contemporary for people to choose from,” she says. “It had other stores, but nothing on this level—this is more fashion-forward.”
Fancy Feet carries shoes from the likes of Nine West, Chinese Laundry, and Jessica Simpson, along with a small selection of clothing. Scruggs says she does her best to make sure the shoe styles are different than those found in department stores. “I attend many shoe expos, so I’m able to stay current with all the different styles before they come out,” she says, adding that this season’s trends include leopard prints and Western styles. The store receives shipments of new styles at least twice a week. Says Scruggs, “My goal is never to have the same thing I had last season.”
