When Elle Gordon moved to St. Louis a little over a year ago, she was on a medical track and planning to go to PA school. The realization that she wanted to be around people, plus a conversation with her boyfriend’s sisters-in-law, changed that. Both women were pregnant, and when Gordon asked them where they were registered, they answered, “‘We do it online because there's not really a place to register here right now that has what we're looking for,’” Gordon says. “That was a huge bummer to me because I'm originally from Kansas City, and we have baby boutiques every couple of miles. People register all over, and sometimes even multiple places—I think that's such a fun experience.” She decided to open a retail store that would address this gap in the market. The Ellenor (20 Allen, Suite 105; @the_ellenor) specialty baby boutique debuted in Webster Groves last month.
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Photography by Alyssa Reine
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Photography by Alyssa Reine
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Photography by Alyssa Reine
Tell me about the style of clothing you selected for the store. You have the vintage vibe that I love.
My goal was to pick pieces that are timeless. We do have quite a bit of that traditional style—cute, a lot of pink and blue and color. I would say almost like a preppy style, which I love. And then I also brought in a couple of brands that are more neutral. I tried to choose brands that have a really good reputation for being high-quality, handmade, and ethically made. I did a lot of brand research, looking into how the clothes are made and the stance behind each brand, before I bought them. I take a lot of pride in what's in the store. It is higher-end stuff—it is more expensive, but it’s more comfortable, ethically made, and better quality. I think looking more at quality over quantity is a great thing to do.
What are some of your favorite brands?
One of the brands is Antoinette Paris. That brand is owned by a young woman in Paris, and her goal was to bring back old Paris fashion for little ones. She wanted these garments to be handmade, and she wanted them to last forever. So many things that are made now are never going to last. So many people say, “Oh, my kids are really rough, that's not going to hold up.” Well, it's not going to last because it's not made very well.
Another one of my favorite brands is Lila + Hayes. A lot of their stuff is made from nice cotton, so it's very soft. They make great pieces that can be monogrammed. I think St. Louis is the monogram capital of the United States—we have more monogram places per square mile than I've ever seen. It's so fun for gifting, and it looks great in photos. These clothes also have that timeless look, like Peter Pan collars and the traditional light pinks and blues. I also carry Paty, which is made in Houston, and that brand has been around forever. They make beautiful newborn pieces that are great as coming-home-from-the-hospital outfits or for taking newborn photos.
You mentioned you also have some more modern-looking, neutral pieces.
I have one sister-in-law who is super traditional, wants everything to be a color, and then I have another one who hates that look. She wants everything to be neutral.
Rylee + Cru is my more neutral brand. They are out of Southern California, and I love their designs because they're still really fun, but they’re that sort of new neutral style that a lot of people love. They make some beautiful knit pieces, and they also make some great play items that are perfect for throwing on and going to the zoo, but they look a little bit nicer.
You mentioned monogramming. Are you offering that service in-store right now?
I’m referring people to The Initial Design or Embroider the Occasion right now. In the near future, we will have it more in store, so you'll buy it from me and pick out the design with me, and you won't have to make two stops.
You’re going to be offering custom registries, too. What will that experience look like for moms-to-be?
We will have an online store hopefully in the next couple of weeks. With the registries, I want to make it super unique to each mom. I want them to feel special. We will bring them in, have coffee and pastries, and really talk about what they want their baby to wear. What do they care about? Do they care about where it's made? Do they care about a particular look? Or do they want an array of everything? We’ll either pre-pull things so they don't have to walk all around, because it's a little bit overwhelming, especially if it's your first time and you've never bought this kind of stuff. Or I’ll show them all the brands and the different styles that we have. No one else will be in the store—it's going to be appointment-only, so you won't have to feel rushed or like you’re in someone’s way. My goal is to launch that in April.
Are you offering items beyond clothes?
We have a lot of amazing toys that are really great for education at all levels, which is huge now. I feel like when I was a kid my parents let me watch SpongeBob, and it was no big deal.
We have a brand called Pehr that is a really good mix of timeless and neutral. They have pinks and blues, but they're more muted, and the quality is really nice. We have their sheets, changing pad covers, quilts, and mobiles, as well as some of their clothes. We’ll be expanding to offer more of their stuff.
You’ve hinted on Instagram that there will be some wellness events for moms.
I studied nutrition, so that's a huge part of my life and I also feel like there are incredible women and business owners here who focus on prenatal and postpartum health. But when you're pregnant or you’re postpartum, you don't really want to go find those people. You don't have the time. My goal is to connect the community with those people and host some really fun classes. I want a super welcoming and fun environment for people to come into.
