Ivy Hill: Stop on By; We're Open for Business

Mystery of the Universe: how did Ivy Hill boutique get its name? Good question. Let’s go to the source, Hillary Olk Dutcher, the owner.

Nina Engelsmann manager of the new location at 8835 Ladue Rd in the newly-rebuilt Colonial MarketPlace in Ladue wasn’t sure.  So she jumped  onto the phone and called her boss at home. Seems that Dutcher just gave birth to her second child, a baby girl Alex late last week.

For one, people call Hillary “Hill,” hence the Hill part of the name. Secondly, she likes the name Ivy. She always thought it was pretty and classic.  And she used to live in Boston and is very fond of Beacon Hill. Hence you have the name “Ivy Hill.”

Dutcher started her first boutique in Columbus, OH and opened up her first store four years ago in her home town at 304 Euclid Ave. and Maryland Avenue in the Central West End.

The two stores won’t necessarily have the same clientele, though the look and feel of both stores are similar and hot fashion trends will be mostly the same,” said Engelsmann.

Engelsmann, pinch hitting for the mom of two explained what’s happening right now.

“We wanted to expand our customer base. We think we will draw women from Ladue and Clayton who won’t necessarily shop in the Central West End.”

More images on the Ladue-Frontenac Facebook page.

The store has everything from tops and jeans to custom-made “design your own” jewelry and other eye-catching accessories.

“We’re near I-170, this is a whole new location for us, and gives us a whole new customer base,” said Engelsmann.

These are some of the brands carried by Ivy Hill

• Shoshanna

• Trina Turk

• Ella Moss

• Susana Monaco

• Wai Ming, St. Louis brand designed by Emily Koplar

• Lauren Moffatt (in New York, exclusive to Ivy Hill)

So what is the story featuring during the opening?

“We are definitely into resort wear and lots of bright spring colors. Hillary has a great eye for what to sell in the store. She doesn’t just pick out things she would wear. Rather, she picks out things that would look good on lots of different people.

We are so excited to be here. We think this will be such a great place for women, and men too,” she revealed.

Engelsmann has some insight into who the new customers might be.

“We’ve gotten a lot of moms who have just dropped their kids off at schools in Clayton and Ladue. There are a lot of walkers in the area, and some people who are familiar with our store in the Central West End come here too.”

Ivy Hill will have something for everyone--ages 15 to 90. “We have a lady, 90-years-old who comes into our Euclid store and shops all the time. We love her,” said the manager.

“Hillary really knows what works well for her customers.

This is what sets Ivy Hill apart from other boutiques and stores. “Hill instinctively knows what people will respond to: comfortable fabrics; flattering cuts, bright colors and unique patterns makes us much different from shopping in any retail store.”

Find Ivy Hill on the Web here.