Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Ninety percent of the products in Carolyn Holden’s elegant shop are made on site. After selling soaps to friends and then at farmers’ markets, she opened the brick-and-mortar in 2010. Holden is inspired by the scents and colors she encountered on her backpacking adventures across Europe. She mixes mica-covered bath bombs, bath butters, and bar soaps infused with essential oils, clays, and salts. She also sells a collection of products made from ingredients found in vintage cocktails and liqueurs. (The Peach Bellini, for example, contains peach kernel and grape-seed oils.) What’s your dream mixture? Visit the shop’s scent bar, where you can whip up your own fragrance, to find out. 311 S. Main | 636-577-1972
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
“I want things that are made well enough to find in a big-box store but that you’re not going to find there,” says Shaina Groaning. “I think I’m the only shop on the street that does on-the-spot personalization.” A monogrammed cutting board or a photo puzzle featuring a picture of a child or a pet can be ready to go before the client leaves the store. 424 S. Main | 636-896-4055
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
“It’s easy to sell what you love,” says Julie Brack, who travels in search of what she calls high-country Americana. Brack fills her shop with goods reminiscent of New England. Made with American craftsmanship, items tend to be in the genre’s tones of mustard, navy, and barn-red. In addition to Windsor chairs and benches, the shop’s hallmark is Lt. Moses Willard Colonial lighting, designed by Brack’s parents. 803 S. Main | 636-949-0721
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
4. Joys
When a party steps into Joys, owners Ali and Austin Warren say, its members typically disperse, each finding a niche within the two shops: Joys by Austin Warren Design and Joys Collective Market. The first offers clothing, jewelry, and accessories. The backyard building houses Joys Collective Market, where more than 50 vendors show their wares. “It always looks different,” Ali says. 600 S. Main | 636-724-2124
Let’s Have Lunch
Recharge at these two stops.
Salt + Smoke Visit around lunchtime and you’re sure to find the barbecue eatery’s 200-person multitiered patio filled with diners. “We focus on making the best, most consistent barbecue that we can,” says owner Tom Schmidt. Try the best-selling brisket smoked over post oak. 501 S. Main, St. Charles. 314-727-0200, saltandsmokestl.com.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Picasso’s Coffee House At one of the coffee shop’s two locations, try the Traditional Capp. Owner Chris Schulte says it’s a store favorite. If you’re not in a hurry, ask for it in a ceramic mug, so baristas can pour patterns atop the foam. 101 N. Main, St. Charles. 636-925-2911, picassoscoffeehouse.com.
