Shop Local at These 23 St. Louis Stores We Love in 2023

Provisions
Buying a gift isn’t always easy, but Provisions St. Louis (228 North Euclid Avenue, provisionsstl.com) co-owner Debra Hunter has some advice: “My husband always says give something you’d like to have yourself.” The Hunters ought to know a thing or two about the perfect gift; their store is packed with them. Debra and Ross opened Provisions in the Central West End five years ago after moving from the Bay Area. “St. Louis is really, really supportive of small businesses. It’s always been that way since we’ve moved here,” Hunter says. “It’s palpable, and it’s not just us.” Browsing Provisions’ cozy confines on a recent rainy afternoon, it didn’t take long for the perfect gift to reveal itself. Among Provisions’ wares are candles, cookbooks, baking flour, books, pillows, scarves and paintings. The store’s relatively small square footage belies how long you’ll likely spend looking through it all. Hunter says the common thread among everything she stocks is that it is all gift-oriented, but that also includes “things to give to yourself.” To her point, we left that day with three items, two to give away and one to keep for ourselves, though which items fell into what category is something we still need to figure out. —Ryan Krull

Intoxicology
Andy Foerstel and Melissa Pfeiffer have seen major changes since opening in the Grove in 2016, but one thing has stayed constant: This is a neighborhood, and a city, that appreciates a stiff drink. Intoxicology (4321 Manchester Avenue, intoxicologystl.com) is different from the region’s liquor warehouses for countless reasons, but perhaps one of the most appealing is that this is not just a place to buy booze. There is booze, of course, and you’ll find some bottles that are hard to procure elsewhere in town. But that’s just the back walls. Front and center are all the accouterments — snazzy mid-century rocks glasses, cocktail stirrers that will evoke a Pavlovian response in martini drinkers, strainers, shakers and peelers. You can almost hear the glasses clink, that lovely sound of ice on crystal. Looking to buy something for the sophisticated drinker in your life? Intoxicology’s “Intox Box” offers everything you need to make a particular cocktail, no matter how obscure the particulars, in a gift-ready boxed display. Intox Box cocktail options include everything from a classic Aviation to local mixologist supreme Ted Kilgore’s beloved In a Pickle, a bestseller at Planter’s House. Thanks to this intoxicating shop’s packaging, yes, you can try it at home.
—Sarah Fenske

AO&Co.
It’s hard to reduce AO&Co. (1641 Tower Grove Avenue, bengelina.com/aoco) to just a few dozen words. On one side of the specialty market and coffee/tea shop, you’ll find cheeses, wine, beer, bread, pasta, olive oil and packaged foods from co-owner Ben Poremba’s restaurants. On the other side, there’s a coffee shop/espresso bar that along with its libations sells various baked goods (including, arguably, some of the best chocolate chip cookies in town). St. Louis isn’t exactly known for its selection of independent food markets, especially those that don’t sell their items at exorbitant prices. We’re much more of a Schnucks kind of town. But this Botanical Heights destination provides what few grocery stores can: chef-created foods at a shop around the corner that’s open seven days a week, with coffee and tea to boot. Food selections vary at AO&Co., but you’re sure to find some gems. On a recent weekday, we found fresh sesame bagels, strawberry schmear and chicken salad from Poremba’s Deli Divine. Schnucks could never. —Monica Obradovic

Big River Running
Everyone knows that Big River Running (three locations including 606 North and South Road, University City; bigriverrunning.com) is the place in town to buy a pair of running shoes. Their sales staff have both the expertise and the gait-analyzing gadgetry to make sure you find the right set of kicks for whatever sort of running you do. Their prices are competitive, with online deals, too. But what’s less well known about Big River is that the store also has you covered from the ankle up. Don’t ask us to explain it, but their T-shirt game is absolutely next level. The fabric is soft, yet durable; cool, without drawing too much attention to itself. Most of the designs incorporate St. Louis in one way or another — whether it’s RUN STL emblazoned across the chest or a map of the city’s neighborhoods. “They’re a fan favorite,” says general manager Michael Bain. “And a great way to rep local pride.” One great place to rock Big River T is on one of the store’s Monday night, no-pressure fun runs. Do the shirts make you faster? Hard to say. But they will make you look good at any speed. —Ryan Krull

City Sprouts
Molly Curlee and her sister Carrie Drda were running their delightful Phoenix Rising boutique in the Loop when Curlee experienced a life-changing event: She got pregnant. Curlee’s new role in life inspired her to open City Sprouts (8807 Ladue Road, citysprouts.com), which has all the style and wit Phoenix Rising (RIP) was known for, only with a kids’ focus. Eighteen years later, City Sprouts is all grown up, but it’s still going strong in Ladue for one simple reason: Curlee has a great eye for what kids like and the people shopping for them admire. The shop promises “cool stuff for cool kids,” which might be a wonderfully soft Jellycat stuffie or Klutz craft kit, a cool puzzle or a wooden dollhouse. And if you’re wondering where your most stylish friend gets the adorable outfits she uses to outshine other guests at baby showers, we’re here to tell you: It’s City Sprouts. Clothing runs from newborn to kids’ size 10 to 12. —Sarah Fenske

Elder’s Antiques
What spins the record on an archaeophile’s Victrola varies per person, and so choosing where to shop for antiques is a very subjective choice. You may like the massive antique malls that seem to stretch on for miles. Or maybe you prefer to stick to the smaller, more curated shops. Elder’s Antiques (2124 Cherokee Street) is a happy medium. You’ll still find a fair share of random and quirky shit, but you’ll also find nicer stuff from more elegant days when people didn’t buy all their housewares from Target. On the first floor, booths are often stuffed to the brim with everything from curios, china dinnerware and lost family photos. A massive space upstairs features room after room of vintage furniture and art. Helpful staff — who likely belong to the Elder family, which has run the antique store for four generations —- are always around to help and divulge history on any given item. —Monica Obradovic

Frenchtown Audio
For a certain type of music lover, the wares at Frenchtown Audio (1624 South Broadway, frenchtownrecords.com) represent the Holy Grail of the form. We’re talking about those for whom high-quality sound reproduction is an obsession, one capable of consuming the afflicted audiophile and draining their wallet with surgical precision as they plunk down yet more money for their latest fix. Owner David Boykin has long been one such obsessive, and together with electronics technician Bill Huber, a.k.a. the Repair Da Vinci, who fixes up the used audio gear that Boykin then sells, he’s brought a real-deal high-end audio store to St. Louis. In addition to the retro wares, Frenchtown stocks plenty of new gear ranging in quality from entry level to budget audiophile to used-car expensive and back again. Brand names in the shop’s well-appointed showroom include Pioneer, TEAC, Marantz, Onkyo, Sony, Integra, McIntosh and many more. A stocked bar in the back of the showroom affords the generous Boykin the ability to pour those customers who make an appointment in advance a drink as he enthusiastically demos the wares on hand with a level of knowledge that betrays the decades of obsession that make Frenchtown Audio a true gem. Two fingers of 12-year scotch and the opportunity to listen to music through some of the best equipment one can purchase? Sounds good to us. —Daniel Hill

Ivy Hill
A favorite among smart St. Louisans since it opened in 2008 in the Central West End, Ivy Hill (8835 Ladue Road, facebook.com/ivyhillboutique) has been comfortably ensconced since 2013 in a Ladue strip mall chock full of great shopping — and it more than holds its own amidst formidable competition. The colorful, cozy shop offers just about everything a girl could want, from chunky sweaters to chic dresses to cool jewelry. Owner Hillary Dutcher offers the right mix of useful and stylish, with bold colors and plenty of texture. On a recent visit, we ogled the Halloween-ready sweaters inscribed BOO!, the cute dresses with whimsical animal prints and puffer jackets, including one in an eye-catching magenta. The common thread among those pieces suggests one reason for Ivy Hill’s staying power: The shop never takes itself too seriously. —Sarah Fenske