The list of St. Louis shops you need to visit has gained a few new offerings in recent years. Here are five that recently opened that highlight what the area has to offer.
Roots Oasis: A Liberated Roots Collection Boutique
2216 South Jefferson Avenue
Open Thursday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Kimberly Franks opened the Liberated Roots Collection store in September 2022 to create a "platform that is regenerative and supportive of Black-owned brands supporting each other." When Franks looks for brands to include, she assesses their missions for community impact, representing communities of color and sustainability. The result is a store filled with feel-good merchandise such as candles with Maya Angelou on them or shaped like female torsos and graphic tees emblazoned with "Black and Nerdy." The store includes vintage clothing that Franks personally shops for, as well as skincare products from brands such as Nuria, Pure Vibes and Butter Love Skin. There are sage sticks and jewelry along with ephemera such as stickers and buttons that say things like "I heart Being Black" and "Black Therapists Matter."
Most of the inventory is fully shoppable online. That's where Franks started the brand in 2020, when she realized that there was a need in St. Louis to elevate Black creators. Liberated Roots "centers Black joy and creativity," Franks says. "If you're Black, I want you to walk in and feel this is for you."
Lamiaa Botanicals
1907 Thurman Avenue
314-354-8545, @lamiaabotanicals on Instagram
Open Thursday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Walk into Lamiaa Botanicals and enter a cozy garden oasis. Owner Alaa Jorani started selling plants when she realized during the pandemic that she had too many. "I had so much free time and not much to do, so my plant collection just grew between propagating and grabbing plants on sale every time I'd go to the store," she says.
Jorani began selling them at the Tower Grove Farmers Market, and she opened a brick and mortar in the fall of 2022. She has all of the popular, easy-to-care-for options for indoor plant lovers, including pothos, snake plants and zz plants. But you can also find Christmas cactus, hoyas, and lemon lime dracaena. The plants are organized according to how much light they need, so you can shop smarter. Plus, you can pop in with questions about plant care, even if you bought your plant elsewhere. The shop also sells pots, candles and art from local makers. "Plants bring so much joy to me personally, and I wanted to spread that," Jorani says. "So much filtered air and so much [life] in your room, and I wanted to bring that to the community." It's no wonder that she named the shop after her mother, who first got Jorani into plants.
Frenchtown Records, Antiques & More
941 Park Avenue, 314-630-1163
Open Tuesday through Fridays 1 to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4 p.m.
Part record store, part your zany aunt's attic, Frenchtown Records, Antiques & More has both John Coltrane records and a VW bug in its store. You have to be careful as you weave your way through the aisles because you might bump into a Confucius statue or a display case full of pastel blue pottery. But if you're on the hunt for hard-to-find vinyl, this is the place. Nearly every genre of music is represented in this five-month-old shop, and it even has a good selection of new releases. There is a back room dedicated to CDs and in the back-back room is the country music, movie soundtracks and old audio equipment. We also found a random family album with black and white photos of a severe looking German family. The place is a little nuts. You can find swords, art work, marionettes and a Valentine's train featuring the Peanuts characters. Nearly everything was found at garage and estate sales or brought in by customers, but the place is teeming with so much inventory you'll still have a bit of a hunt to find what you want. Fortunately, the friendly store employees are always willing to help.
Your Friend's Apartment
2617 Cherokee Street, yourfriendsapartment.com
Open Saturdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4
Located on Cherokee Street near Jefferson Avenue, Your Friend's Apartment is a vibe. The second-hand clothing and furniture shop is suffused in beige and cream-colored wares, soft browns and lots of touchable fabrics. On one visit, a coffee-bean-shaped sofa in velvety-brown fabric sat near a glass coffee table decked out with '70s-era-style green plates and brown mugs. Whimsically shaped sculptural candles from Liv Greene accented the display.
The shop is the brainchild of southern Illinois native Megan McCalla, who formerly worked in Los Angeles in fashion PR until COVID-19 had her looking elsewhere. "I had a great support system in St. Louis with family and friends," McCalla says. She opened the shop in September 2021, and describes it as "a little bit of anything you'd find in my apartment."
For McCalla, one great thing about returning to St. Louis has been joining the young creative community here. Instead of it being cutthroat, as it was in LA, she's found a lot of support. "There's a receptive creative community here that's always willing to collaborate and help each other," she says. McCalla even hosts the YFA Market at the Luminary about once a quarter and features booths from entrepreneurs selling ceramics, art, housewares and more. Check Your Friend's Apartment's Instagram for the event schedule.
Procure by the Women's Creative
City Foundry, 3730 City Foundry Way Unit 137, shopprocure.com
Open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Featuring more than 60 local, women- owned brands, Procure by the Women's Creative is all about uplifting female entrepreneurs. While the shop, which opened in February 2022, has clothes, books, jewelry and wall art, it also has more than 25 brands dedicated to self-care.
Get Forest & Meadow tea, hemp extract and CBD gummies from Recommend and skin serums from YSkin. Mixhers offers women's wellness supplements that can aid with menopause support, PMS and hormonal health, while Yoga Rocks solves the problem that you thought had no solution: grippers on yoga mats so your hands don't slip. The clothing in the shop leans irreverent, with tiered tulle skirts from Tina Lee and graphic tees that rep St. Louis and feminism. There are even baby clothes and snacks, including spun cotton candy from Art of Sucre and wine jams in flavors such as peach bellini and sangria. Co-creator Christina Weaver told St. Louis Magazine: "We really believe shopping to support women supports and lifts our entire community. So prioritizing that is hugely beneficial for all of St. Louis."
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