Clothes to Envy

High-style fashions and low-budget price tags are an appealing combination, and they make Envy a great place to take your teen shopping without breaking the bank.

The Shop: Envy, 323 E. Walnut St., Springfield, 417-831-3689 (Mon.–Thur., 11 a.m.–7 p.m.; Fri., 11 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun., 12 p.m.–5 p.m.)

Atmosphere: If your New Year’s resolutions are to look stylish and save money, we’ve found the perfect shopping destination. Located on an up-and-coming block in Springfield’s downtown district, Envy may surprise you. From the window, you’d guess the prices would match those of most local one-of-a-kind women’s shops. But take a few steps off of Walnut Street, flip over a price tag, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Almost nothing in the store costs more than $40. With industrial-chic décor and a friendly, eager-to-fill-you-in staff, the store made me happy to start shopping… immediately.

Key People: Manager Hayley Carlock knows why Envy, a small regional chain of boutiques, chose downtown Springfield for it’s newest location. “We want to be right next to as many campuses as possible. We want students to be able to walk to our store,” she says, which would also explain the sidewalk-chalk guerrilla advertising campaign at local campuses when the store opened earlier this fall. With three other locations near University of Missouri, University of Kansas and Kansas State University, downtown seemed like a perfect fit for the company due to it’s proximity to Missouri State, Drury and Ozarks Technical Community College.

While Carlock names 18- to 24-year-olds as the company’s target market, don’t expect to find the store full of college students. “Our customers here are actually older than our target,” Carlock says. This makes the manager happy about the prospects for a shorter off-season when college students aren’t in town.

What You’ll Find: My shopping companion, 17-year-old M.K. Byrne, described Envy as a mix between popular mall chain Forever 21 and downtown boutique staple Staxx. The store has just about everything. Sweaters, T-shirts, jeans, dresses, scarves, shoes, accessories and even coats line the store—all at under $40, as promised.

While the store isn’t big on popular name brands (hence the price tags), they do offer customers a chance to be unique. Each item has only six sizes (small, medium or large). According to Carlock, the smalls go quickly, while the large sizes can often be found on the “last one rack,” a special spot in the store dedicated to the final item of a collection.

Perhaps most impressive is the attention given to accessorizing outfits. An entire wall of colorful scarves in all colors and fabrics can be found behind the cash register. Necklaces, earrings and bracelets are also featured. A necklace and matching earrings are $10.49 to $13.98. Most of the jewelry is over-sized and eye-catching. I purchased a silver-chained long necklace with circle medallion with a cut-out of an olive tree for $11.98.

Finally, don’t let the target age of the store fool you. Let’s just say, I haven’t seen age 24 for several years now, and I found a great black jumper with an asymmetrical cowl-neck top and gold buttons for $25.48. My 17-year-old shopping companion approved. So did my wallet.
 

417 Verdict: Envy Boutique brings a fresh approach to a downtown shopping scene known for its high-end fashion. Whether you are looking to make a statement for a night on the town or a sensible black dress for everyday wear, Envy’s got it for less than it will cost you for a tank of gas.

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