This morning, Ivy Hill Boutique, one of the most popular stores in the Central West End, opened a new location in Ladue (8835 Ladue, 314-721-7004). The new store, which is a third larger than the original location, has the same vibe but will carry some lines that are new to the boutique and new to Ladue. Although the store is now open, there will be a grand opening party on May 3 with champagne and special sales and giveaways. Yesterday, we spoke with store owner Hillary Dutcher about the expansion and plans for the future.
What prompted you to open a second location?
There were people that I always ran into who said that they wanted to come to the Central West End but they never got down there, and parking is always an issue. For the last couple years, I’ve hoped to find someplace where I could reach a broader audience. The new location is at a great place right at the crux of Ladue and Clayton and 170, so I was hoping that this would give me an opportunity to reach more people.
Why Ladue?
I live in U. City, which is right in between the Central West End and Laude, and it seems like there are a lot of great boutiques in Town and Country and on the other side of Ladue, on Clayton Road. When I heard about this space opening up, I was really interested. There’s a big parking lot, and I just felt like it was a great location.
How is this location different than the original boutique in the Central West End?
It has the same vibe as the Central West End store, but it’s a bit bigger. This location is 1,200 square feet and the one in the Central West End is 900. We will be carrying a couple different things here because other boutiques in the area overlap some of our lines, so I’m excited to bring in a few new jewelry designers and apparel lines coming later this spring and summer. We are also going to have a build-your-own-jewelry bar here, which I’m really excited about. One of our best sellers is jewelry, so we have a few different lines in the CWE location where you can order monogrammed jewelry and custom charms. What we’re going to do at this location, since we have a little more space, is that we’re going to make some of those pieces available so that you can come in and create something personalized that day and leave with it, which is really fun. I always say I just want to create a homey, warm, relaxed environment where people feel like they can shop and just feel comfortable coming in and browsing. I’m hoping that translates to the new location as well. We have about 50 percent clothing and 50 percent jewelry and accessories in the new location. We actually have a ton of handbags right now that are in for the spring, and we have a lot of the same dresses, denim, scarves, home accessories.
What new brands are you carrying?
We have a few new brands right now: Envi, which is a line of awesome summer dresses, like maxis; we’ll have Lauren Moffit and Orla Kiley, which are lines no one else in St. Louis carries, and we have in the Central West End, but will be new to Ladue; Robbi and Nikki, which is the lower-priced line of Roberto Rodriguez; and I’m super excited about Matta, a line of awesome silk scarves with cotton pom-poms. In April in May we’ll be getting some more really great new lines too.
What are your plans for this location?
I think the new center where we’re located is a great thing for the area, so I’m hoping that it will be busy and bustling. Just like I did in the Central West End, I really am trying to search for different designers that aren’t carried by other stores in St. Louis. Moving forward, we’ll definitely be getting some more fun new jewelry and accessories. When I opened the Central West End store I said that I was really hoping it would be a place where someone could come every week and buy something. Not everything in my store is $200, so shoppers can come in and buy a piece of jewelry for $20 and then they can stop in the next week and see what we have new. I hope to do that at this store as well.
Any more plans for expanding Ivy Hill Boutique as a brand?
We are at The Collective too, so right now we’re in three places. I would love to expand further and do more in the future. I’m not sure what that includes right now, but it’s in my future plans. I’m also having a baby in three weeks, so I’m focusing on that first and then after I have a baby maybe I’ll get back to more planning.
The Ladue location will be open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 314-721-7004 or visit ivyhillboutique.com.
