In today’s economy, in a sea of large businesses, there’s a surge of local, small business and entrepreneurs coming to the scene. Not to get too much into economics here, but these big shops can lower their prices due to the large volume of products and services they produce. Even so, it’s so important to shop local STL to experience the unique services and products small business can offer!

Shop Local–

There are at least two advantages to shopping locally at small businesses. First, just because the prices are cheaper does not ensure the quality of the product or service. When you frequent a small business, you are the priority! You can get more personalized service and the owners are passionate for their craft or service. Second, your money, instead of trickling down a large business or corporate structure, goes directly to your preferred business owner and their community, vendors, contractors, etc. You can actually put a face to where your money is going and give your money to people you like for services and products you love! They may even have brand values that you believe in that makes your purchase even more special and meaningful. And if you love St. Louis like I do, you can support local business owners and invest back into your city!
Now that I’ve talked about why shopping local is important and advantageous to you, I want to highlight some of my favorite local vendors in St Louis. I have so many businesses that I love, the products or services and owners alike! So here is part 1 of my Shop Local STL series (because I have many more!)

1. Dr. Koo Premier Skincare–

Dr. Michelle Koo is a board certified plastic surgeon and has been practicing for 23 years. She used her expertise to develop a skincare line using the finest ingredients and strives to give her clients the best skin they’ve ever felt. AND, she is totally committed to the St. Louis community! All of her products were designed, printed and fulfilled in St. Louis! Her hashtag is even #koointhelou.

I use her skincare line and it is AMAZING! I have switched from proactiv to hers and my face has done a 180. The redness/dryness/oiliness is gone, I am having fewer breakouts now than I did with proactiv. Overall my skin feels healthier. I highly recommend this, especially if you’re frustrated and tried a bunch of other products.

2. Savanah Summer Beauty–

Savanah Moore is the beauty and the brains behind it all. She is one of St. Louis’ best hair and makeup artists and she has an extraordinary team. What’s special about Savanah Summer Beauty is that Savanah and her team do so much more than just wedding hair and makeup. Savanah offers special packages that offer all day styling for the bride so that she’s red carpet ready at all moments. When she’s not booked out for weddings, she and her team do flawless makeup, hair, and styling for special events, too. Savanah Summer Beauty also offers lash lifts that are not extensions but enhance your existing eyelashes and last 6-8 weeks!

And to share the love and the wealth of knowledge all things hair and beauty, she offers private and group hair and makeup lessons! I feel like I could go on forever about how great this business is! It’s always been a pleasure for me to work with Savanah and she does incredible work to enhance her clients’ natural beauty and creates knock-out looks! Check out Savanah’s instagram to see more!

3. Liviara–

Liviara is a new lingerie company whose philosophy is to bring women edgy and luxurious lingerie to help them live unapologetically and feel sexy. Their mission of empowering women to feel beautiful and powerful really resonates with me and my business. I love the company but I also love the quality of their products and how beautiful they are. They pride themselves in the craftsmanship of their pieces as pieces are designed and sewn by skilled artisans in the US. While this brand is nationally renowned, Liviara is actually based in St. Charles, Missouri and everything is manufactured and designed locally.

I have had the pleasure of working with Liviara and shooting for them. Here you can see Vi rocking a lingerie ensemble, looking stunning as always. Liviara’s pieces are also popular and featured with some pretty big names, like Ariel Winter, Halsey, oh, and queen Beyoncé in her iconic pregnancy instagram post (the light blue panties are by liviara) This brand is high-end, artisanal, and has a great mission to help women feel their sexiest!

4. Pink Lemon Studio- Pole Dancing Fitness Studio

Locally owned and operated, Pink Lemon Studio’s mission is first and foremost to empower women to feel sexy and strong. This is St. Louis’ largest and premier pole dancing studio and offers some amazing classes. Beginners need not fear as there is a beginning pole dancing class. But it doesn’t stop at pole dancing fitness classes. Pink Lemon also has other dance fitness classes, yoga, lifting, and bootcamps for women of all shapes and sizes.

While Pink Lemon empowers women with fitness, there is a true artistry as they offer Aerial Arts classes like silks (when you see people hanging from silk fabric doing beautiful yogic poses), and hoops. They also offer acrobatic yoga which is so fun and a little hard to find in St. Louis. While Pink Lemon is a big deal, they are all so nice, friendly, and welcoming! I l love everyone at Pink Lemon! Check out Pink Lemon’s instagram to see what they’re up to!

5. There’s Moore To It Blog

There’s Moore To it is a blog written by one of my favorite St. Louisans, Maddie Moore. She writes very honestly and earnestly about all things food, fitness and lifestyle. Her writing style is really warm and personable and you can tell that she loves writing and sharing her expertise on all things St. Louis.

Maddie has visited the studio before and we had the most fun during her shoots! Not only is she gorgeous, but she is also so sweet. She partners with some amazing vendors in the area. And her recipes are healthy and out of this world good. She most recently teamed up with her bestie Carly to make ‘Fudging Chipfaced Cake’, launching a series of healthier desserts using protein powder and making it so delicious! To see more of Maddie, check out her instagram, too!

I’m so excited to share more about my favorite local shops in the area. Trust me, St. Louis has SO much to offer and I can’t wait to share more soon!

And if you’re ready to book a boudoir photography session and chat more about favorite local vendors, email me at hello@boudoirbytracylynn.com.