This week, we head to Ladue as part of our weekly series on profiling haunts in the Central Corridor.  Melanie’s in Ladue is famous for their jewelry, accessories, great prices and friendly staff.  They have a great variety of items including:  jewelry, personalized note cards, monogrammed totes and bags, custom belts, reading glasses, and even holiday items.  Owner Melanie Bascom values each customer who walks through her door, which is one of the reasons why her store has been successful for over twenty-six years. How did your business get started? Melanie:  Prior to opening Melanie’s I was…

Cakes by Nette is tucked away in a small shopping center in Olivette.  Shannette Redd, owner of Cakes by Nette, displays pictures of her masterpieces on the wall, but her creativity does not stop there. She can create a cake out of just about anything a customer envisions.  Patch: How did Cakes by Nette come about? Shannette Redd: When my daughter was 2 years old, I bought a cake from a local bakery that I did not like and I vowed that day to make her cake for her third birthday. I never dreamt about doing it, until I had the disappointment from my daughter’s birthday and then saw a woman …

This week, we head to Richmond Heights as part of our weekly series on profiling haunts in the Central Corridor.  Mesa Cycles is a one-stop shop for all of your cycling needs. As a former avid runner (I hope to return now that the kids are in school), the concept of a whole store devoted to bikes and cycling apparel is a foreign one to me. I was amazed to see that Mesa Cycles offers a wide variety of services including new sales, special orders, apparel and accessory sales, as well as maintenance and repair services.  In addition, the owners at Mesa Cycles offer customer service beyond what I…

Welcome to the inaugural column that focuses on the small, but significant, businesses in our Ladue-Frontenac Patch as well as neighboring Patch areas. We hope you learn about places that you previously didn’t know or learn something new about a familiar haunt. This week’s featured business is Ziern-Hanon Galleries, in Frontenac.How long have you been in business?Since 1932. Up until 1993 it was known as Ziern Galleries.How many employees do you have?TwoHow did Ziern-Hanon Galleries get started?Arthur Ziern was selling encyclopedias and he would exchange them for people’s old books. Some of …