A new retail philosophy is sneaking into the Loop
By Sarah Baicker
Even if you make a weekly pilgrimage to the Delmar Loop, you may have missed R.Sole, with its window frosted, its owners insisting on anonymity and its mystique already cultlike. Or you may have confused R.Sole with the sole store on the Loop’s east end (that’s Soul for Your Sole) or with Sole Survivor (which obviously had a sense of irony, because it closed).
R.Sole opened in April, billing itself as St. Louis’ first sneaker boutique, and it has already set itself apart. Akin to an art gallery, with Pumas in place of paintings, R.Sole carries familiar brands—Nike, Adidas, Vans—but in hard-to-find, exclusive, whimsical or limited-edition styles. Sneakerheads zero in on the Nike Quickstrikes; smooth-edged professionals reach for the Dassler Puma; skateboarders grab IPath or Gravis. And connoisseurs buy originals. Each month the store invites a different artist to alter a limited number of pairs as he or she pleases. In July, R.Sole held a Friday night party for graffiti artist Peat Wolleager, who painted six pairs of Vans exclusively for the store, putting art in motion.
R.Sole | 6662A Delmar | 314-721-7653
