Photographs by Kevin A. Roberts
Forget the Professor’s pedal-powered washing machine—no achievement on Gilligan’s Island was as impressive as Ginger and Mary Ann’s ability to look ravishing week after week. Why it is that Ginger packed so many evening gowns for a three-hour tour, we’ll never know, but we appreciate her eye for fashion. So do Carrie Wurm and Pam Debandt, owners of Ginger & Mary Ann, a new Kirkwood boutique housing a range of stylish women’s wear for ages 40-plus.
Why did you name the boutique after Ginger and Mary Ann? Pam Debandt: The women personify the concept behind our shop—bling and basics. Both were fashionable in their own way, but certainly not stick models. They were real women.
Have you always wanted to open a boutique? Carrie Wurm: Friends told us they were tired of going to the mall; everything looks the same. We kind of came to it that way—it would be really neat to bring fashionable clothing to women our age in a trendy, boutique setting.
Blush Boutique’s owner, Sarah King, found success at this location. CW: We are certainly benefiting from all the hard work she has done establishing the address as a boutique. She’s been so helpful to us, and conversely, so many people are coming by, looking for Blush, and we’re able to steer them over to her. It’s really synergy.
Give us a rundown of the labels. CW: We really run the gamut from high style—Samuel Dong and Lynn Ritchie—to great-fitting jeans for any type of figure. Our whole premise is to bring in a couple of items in any style. So if you get a great jacket from us, at most there are going to be two others in the city. PD: We’re also buying domestic products as much as possible. One of our favorite lines is Nally & Millie, which is made in the United States.
What’s your ultimate goal with Ginger & Mary Ann? PD: We want women of all sizes to shop here. Women who are an average size, which in the U.S. is a 12 to 14, often can’t find clothing in a boutique. We aren’t a plus-size shop, and we aren’t a boutique-size shop; we’re a shop for the average woman.
Ginger & Mary Ann
151 W. Jefferson
314-821-4646
gingerandmaryannboutique.com
