July: Closer Look
Fringe Western Wear
Riley Arends and Morgan Pingel, along with their mother, Charlotte Smarr, opened Fringe Boutique four years ago after noticing a sort of absence in Columbia.
“We saw a huge missing market for women’s clothing, boots, and accessories with a western edge in Columbia,” Morgan says. “We often found ourselves driving to different cities or shopping online to find the style that we wanted.”
Their previous location, in downtown Columbia, sold high-end Western clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, belts, hats, and cowgirl boots. A recent rebrand to Fringe Western Wear, along with an upcoming move to a larger location located on Vandiver Drive, offers the three partners a chance to reach a new audience.
“We will add men’s and kid’s Western wear in addition to what we already offer for women,” Morgan says.
Morgan says the new space and rebrand couldn’t have been possible without the welcoming support from the community.”We’ll go to concerts at the Blue Note or Mizzou Arena and often see customers decked out in our clothing after shopping earlier that day for an outfit to wear that evening,” Morgan says.
3310 Vandiver Dr.
instagram.com/fringeboutiquemo
fringeboutiquemo.com
Studio Flair
After a decade-long journey of seeking the perfect environment to create, Kyla Uhuru opened her own salon, Studio Flair.
“The beauty industry — and femininity as a whole — is endlessly diverse, and Studio Flair claims and celebrates this by offering a vast variety of services and accommodations,” Kyla says.
Located in the Forum Shopping Center, the full-service salon offers services in wedding hair styling, curly hair cutting, hair extensions, and hair coloring, including blonding, gray coverage, and vivid fashion hair colors. Studio Flair also offers accommodations in providing privacy for women in hijab.
For Kyla, Studio Flair isn’t just about owning her own place, but also having a chance to help someone have a positive self-image — after all, that’s what inspired the salon name.
“Flair, by definition, is the intuitive ability to do something well. It also refers to one’s stylishness and originality,” Kyla says. “Flair explains what a person is without even trying. It’s what comes naturally. Enhance your flair and you’ll feel unstoppable.”
1400 Forum Blvd., Ste. 30
(573) 445-9080
studioflaircomo.com
Strollway Market
Located in the downtown building where Harold’s Doughnuts once was, Strollway Market serves artisanal and locally sourced soups, salads, and sandwiches.
“Columbia and the surrounding areas have lots of farmers and artisans growing fresh and seasonal produce,” head chef Casey Callans says. “We thought it would be a great opportunity to turn some of that produce into good, staple classics everyone knows and loves.”
The menu at Strollway is constantly in flux to keep things fresh for customers. As of this writing, they’re taking a spin on classic menu items like grilled cheese, Caesar salad, and chicken and rice soup.
The collaboration came from the minds behind Beet Box and Harold’s Doughnuts — Michael Urban and Melissa Poelling, co-owners of Harold’s, and Ben Hamrah and Amanda Elliot, co-owners of Beet Box. “There was an absence of soups, salads, and sandwiches in Columbia,” Casey says.
114 S. Ninth St.
(573) 397-6322
instagram.com/thestrollwaymarket