Tag: Shopping

Baetje Farms Just across from Chateau Ste. Genevieve winery on Jackson School Road in Bloomsdale, Baetje Farms has established itself as one of Ste. Genevieve County’s most remarkable agricultural success stories—a comprehensive agritourism destination where award-winning artisan cheese production, immersive farm experiences, and elegant event hosting come together to create something truly special. Important: Baetje Farms is a working farm. Tours and tastings require advance booking by phone. Do not show up without calling ahead to schedule your visit. Founded by Steve and Veronica Baetje and now operated by the Clement family (who also owns The Kozy and Dew Drop Inn), this is not just a farm that happens to make cheese—it’s a world-class artisan operation where white Saanen goats graze on-site, provide milk, and become central to an immersive experience understanding how exceptional cheese begins with happy, healthy animals producing the best possible milk. The award-winning cheeses—Bloomsdale (Super Gold World Cheese Awards winner inspired by Valencay), Miette (“small, sweet thing,” their most awarded honeymoon cheese), Coeur de la Crème, Vallée, and Amoureux—aren’t “good for a local product”; they’re legitimately world-class, standing alongside finest artisan products from anywhere in the world. One delighted visitor testified: “The tour was absolutely incredible—seeing Read more…

Belle Ever After Boutique LLC – Where a Mother-Daughter Passion for Fashion Builds Women Up, One Outfit at a Time “Belle Ever After is a family-owned boutique, bringing a little fun and fashion to downtown Ste. Genevieve, MO. We’re all about cute clothes, great gifts, and helping women feel their best. Stop by, say hi, and see what’s new — we can’t wait to help you find something you love!” At 1 South Main Street in the heart of historic downtown Ste. Genevieve, Belle Ever After Boutique represents what happens when a “crazy idea” born from mother-daughter love for fashion transforms into thriving family business dedicated to helping women feel confident and beautiful. Established in 2017, this family-owned boutique now operates two locations—Ste. Genevieve and downtown Old Town Cape Girardeau—plus a robust online presence, all focused on a mission that transcends mere retail: “We LOVE helping build women up! We’re all beautiful in our own way, sometimes we just lack confidence and need a little help showing our inner beauty.” Carrying hand-selected clothing (sizes Small to 3XL for women, various sizes for girls), jewelry, shoes, athleisure, dresses, jeans, sweaters, tops, sunglasses, belts, candles, handmade soaps, and gifts, Belle Ever After Read more…

The Bossier-Shaw House Site Office and Interpretive Center – Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Gateway to Sainte Geneviève’s Layered History Most historic site visitor centers occupy modern buildings constructed specifically for administrative functions—climate-controlled boxes with exhibit spaces designed from the beginning for interpretive displays. The Bossier-Shaw House operates differently. This is a genuine 1819 building constructed by Jean-Baptiste Bossier as a storehouse for his mercantile business, later expanded by Dr. Benjamin Shaw into a residence, and transformed in the 1930s into the headquarters for the Ste. Genevieve Art Colony—a radical gathering of Depression-era artists including Thomas Hart Benton, Joe Jones, Jessie Beard Rickly, and Aimee Schweig who captured tenant farmers’ encampments, lime kiln workers, sharecroppers, and the human condition in ways that established this small Missouri river town as “the Mecca of Midwestern art.” Today, operated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources as the site office and interpretive center for the Felix Vallé State Historic Site complex, the Bossier-Shaw House hosts rotating exhibits throughout the year that explore the area’s history in the context of broader Missouri heritage, maintains a small gift shop featuring books on French Colonial history and colonial period items, and presides over the coolest feature Read more…

EKlekTix – Jean Rissover Became a Painter at 70 and Now Creates Narrative Art While You Watch At 130 North Main Street in an 1860s building, Jean Rissover paints during the hours her gallery is open—not as demonstration or performance but as working artist fully engaged in creating the figurative paintings that crowd her studio walls. About 75 original oil paintings, most 11×14 inches or smaller, fill the space alongside eclectic giftware sourced from artisans around the world. The paintings tell stories, primarily of women—their activities, experiences, relationships, joys, sorrows, and moods—drawn from Rissover’s imagination populated by characters who “live in her head” and demand to be painted. Some focus on Sainte Geneviève’s French colonial history. Others explore universal experiences of being female across time and culture. All are narrative in nature, inviting viewers to construct stories around the figures Rissover portrays with loose, impressionistic brushwork that suggests rather than defines, leaving space for interpretation. The remarkable part isn’t just the art—it’s the journey. Jean Rissover started painting in 2011 at age 70, after retiring from a career spanning teaching, social work, event organization, antique shop ownership, and managing editor of the Ste. Genevieve Herald. It was her first serious Read more…

European Entitlements At 102 South Main Street in the heart of historic Ste. Genevieve, European Entitlements brings a curated collection of fine European home décor and garden items to Missouri’s oldest town—a fitting match given Ste. Genevieve’s deep French and German heritage. This specialty shop sells products made and manufactured exclusively in Europe: French linens, Scottish jewelry, Italian and German porcelain, English creamware, Swedish linens, Irish wools, and French and Italian soaps. Many products come from companies that have been in business for well over a century, connecting Old World craft traditions with contemporary American homes. As one visitor noted: “European Entitlements is a must-stop with fine home and garden décor and beautiful coffee table books.” Made in Europe, Only in Europe The commitment runs absolute: every product originates from European manufacturers. No knock-offs, no “European-style” items produced elsewhere, no compromises on authenticity. When you purchase French linens at European Entitlements, they’re woven in France by companies whose looms have operated for generations. The Scottish jewelry comes from Scottish artisans working in techniques passed down through families. Italian porcelain emerges from Italian kilns firing patterns perfected over centuries. This dedication to provenance matters in an era when “Made in Europe” Read more…