PHOTOS: Faces from Stop, Shop & Support Fair this Weekend

See some of the vendors and businesses featured at this weekend's holiday fair featuring local women.

Women from all over South St. Louis County gathered in Concord this weekend to shop, sell and network at the first Stop, Shop & Support event featuring local, independent female entrepreneurs. Kirsten Holschen, who makes aquariums out of vintage television sets, made her first public appearance at this weekend’s vendor fair. Click on the photos above to meet more of the vendors from Stop, Shop and Support. People usually order their aquariums online, but Holschen said she came to the vendor fair to show her creations in person and to support her friend and fellow Fox alumna, April Bobbish, who had the idea for the fair in the first place. Holschen takes a month to craft her custom aquariums, which she builds in TV sets she find in alleys …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (7)

Women Entrepreneurs Come Together for First Holiday Fair

Stop, Shop and Support is a shopping fair created by, organized by and exclusively featuring business-owning women in South St. Louis County.

April Bobbish had just launched her own business selling skin care products when she got the idea: a holiday vendor fair exclusively featuring local businesses owned by women. After all, Bobbish knew other women running their own businesses in Mehlville, Affton, Fenton and other South St. Louis County neighborhoods. She watched on Facebook as friends posted photos of jewelry, hair design and other products or services they were selling. “I just wanted to support small, local business and women in small business,” said Bobbish, who is an independent consultant with Apriori Beauty. “They wear so many hats these days and need the help.” Just a few weeks into her new business and just a month before Christmas, Bobbish returned to Facebook to …

•  8 Comments
• Photos (3)
• Documents (1)

Lingerie Football League Tryouts Pulls St. Louis Crowd

Seventy five women—including one from Shrewsbury—ran patterns, broke blocks and hopefully caught the ball on the Vetta Sports playing field

The Lingerie Football League came to town on Sunday looking for players. About 75 St. Louis area women—dressed in athletic gear, not lingerie—showed up to try out for the 7-on-7 tackle football league with franchises currently in 12 cities. The women ran pass patterns, caught the ball, fought through blocks and hit a tackling dummy on the fly like it wasn’t their first time. Several, like Amy Gamblin of Shrewsbury, said they’ve played before. “I’ve always wanted to play football,” said Gamblin, who used to play with her brother and his buddies. Jelisa Riddlespriger, of Florissant, said she’s happy women can finally play football. “Lingerie football is the way to go,” she said. “I’ve played touch football with my boyfriend and his friends …

• Photos (27)

Get Out

Carpentry, Ceramics and Beer Events This Weekend

From benefit auction and art exhibit to live music and beer, take your pick of what to get out of town for this weekend.

This week, we've got a good variety of activities to get you out of the house and, in some cases, out of town. Learn some carpentry projects, try your luck at a benefit auction or trivia, or check out some art, music and beer. Do you know something we don't know? Share your own events/ideas in the comments.

• Photos (1)

Churches, Charities and Kindnesses

St. Dominic Savio Parish Volunteers Serve Up 25 Years of Meals to Shalom House

An Affton parish has been cooking and sharing home-cooked meals with a St. Louis women’s shelter.

Call it food for the soul. Or is it food from the soul? Either way, a group of women from St. Dominic Savio Parish on Mackenzie Road are cooking up and sharing homemade meals on a weekly basis with the residents at Shalom House, a St. Louis nonprofit agency that provides programs and services to homeless women with mental illness and chemical dependency. "There are about 55 women from (St. Dominic Savio) involved in this outreach," said Carol Buck, a member of the Affton parish who oversees the Shalom House program.  Shalom House operates a 90-day emergency shelter, 24-month transitional housing program and an ongoing "aftercare" program. It will soon be expanding its services by offering permanent supportive housing.  The St. Dominic …

• Photos (5)