From St. Charles to Soulard, the St. Louis area is full of pedestrian-friendly shopping districts. And while you can always trek out to the West County Center, isn't it much more fun to spend your pesos at businesses in older, more interesting urban neighborhoods? Shopping local is not just a way to support your neighbors; we guarantee you'll find better merch, too.
We reached out to six of our favorite St. Louisans — four individuals and one power couple — who've wowed us with their good taste and unusual passions. We gave them each $100, and in exchange, we asked them to go shopping. The only requirements? They had to choose a single neighborhood to do it in, and they had to let us in on the fun.
Photographer Corey Woodruff was there to document their shopping expeditions, from Maplewood to Cherokee Street, St. Louis Hills to the Delmar Loop, and South Grand, too. And while a few purchases were one of a kind, most of these goodies are things you could buy today — for yourself or the people on your Christmas list. What could you possibly be waiting for?
Click on the links below to see what they found on their expeditions.
Destination: St. Louis Hills
Shopper: Charlotte Sumtimes, Burlesque Goddess and Mom
Destination: Maplewood
Shopper: Leon August Braxton Jr., a.k.a. Miss Leon, Chef and Drag Queen Extraordinaire
Destination: Delmar Loop
Shopper: Christina "Steenz" Stewart, the Trillest Librarian You Know
Destination: South Grand
Shopper: Natasha Bahrami, Gin Girl
Shopping on Cherokee Street: Records and Resale
Shoppers: Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult, Rock Stars
