After operating Fox and Hound in St. Charles for 12 years, owner Daniel Hobbs is scheduled to open a second location in Kirkwood on July 21. A slowdown in business, coupled with the current building’s challenging landscape, are two reasons for the move.
“My building in St. Charles is really cut up because it’s an old home,” says Hobbs. “There are 15 steps outside and three little steps to get into the downstairs shop. It’s not accessible at all.” In addition, many of his clients won’t often cross the river to visit the shop.
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“When the opportunity for this building came up, I took that as a sign that it might be time to scale back and put my focus elsewhere,” he says.
Hobbs is partnering with longtime client Kelly Layton to run the new store. Two years ago, after Layton retired from a corporate job, she opened her own shop, fulfilling a lifelong dream. “After retiring, I owned a home decor store with a friend and found that’s what I really wanted to do, [but] with a focus on vintage and antiques rather than wholesale and retail decor,” she says. At the Kirkwood storefront, Hobbs and Layton will source and sell large antique pieces for clients who are redoing their homes. Meanwhile, the inventory at the St. Charles location will include smaller antiques that can be carried out of the shop that same day. “I love St. Charles, it’s my home, but for what I do, and now that I’m 42, it’s hard to carry huge pieces of antique furniture in and back out of the store,” says Hobbs.
Back in January, when the downtown Kirkwood building came on the market, Hobbs contacted Layton to go see it. The partners say that the location, the building’s ample square footage, and a thriving neighborhood motivated them to act quickly. “We looked at it and it felt like a perfect fit,” says Layton.
The new store will also feature more Midcentury modern and contemporary pieces–a specialty of Kelly’s–and a second floor for larger items, such as a 12-foot antique library ladder. “The goal of our partnership, the blending of our two styles, is to give examples of how to style a home using a mix of design [eras],” says Layton.
“If you’re wanting to spend a day antiquing in St. Louis, you can hit a couple of stores in the Central West End, or in Warson Woods, and then we’re just five minutes away,” says Hobbs.
Address: 110 E Argonne Drive, Kirkwood, MO 63122
Hours: Open Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays Noon to 4 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday but open for appointments.
