Business & Tech

Fun in the Sun Sports Brings Coastal Fashion to Downtown Kirkwood

Downtown Kirkwood's newest boutique serves up coastal inspired activewear.

Nancy Kaiser McGee had the idea of opening an activewear boutique when she retired in Florida. But then, she thought, why wait?

Fun in the Sun Sports and Leisure opens in Downtown Kirkwood Friday. The activewear boutique at 121 N. Kirkwood Rd. brings coastal style and exercise fashion to a demographic of consumers that no one knows better than McGee.

She is her customer, an area mom who not only lives an active lifestyle but supports her family’s activities. McGee, her husband and children live in Glendale and her kids attend Kirkwood schools.

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“The response has been overwhelming from everyone who has been in the store and gotten a preview,” McGee said.

The entrepreneur, who led the St. Louis market for Banana Republic for 10 years, has designed a boutique that is inspired by fashion from the East and West coasts.

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Fun in the Sun Sports and Leisure will be the only retailer in Missouri to carry Island Company started in Palm Beach, FL, known for its resort wear. It also will be home to fresh new yoga and athletic brands from California.

McGee said she is focused on bringing U.S. made products to the Downtown Kirkwood boutique with high quality materials, great fits for active living and inspiring stories from company founders.

“As someone who runs a lot and plays tennis and golf, I wanted to bring style to those activities,” McGee said. “The idea is for people to just look great while being active. … I know I enjoy coastal styles even though I’m landlocked.”

Passion for Fashion

McGee grew up in Des Peres and attended Nerinx Hall. She began working retail at Plaza Frontenac at 16 and worked at a boutique in New Orleans while in college at Tulane.

But her passion for fashion started at her home in Des Peres with her mother who sowed outfits for her three girls. McGee, the youngest daughter, started helping her mother design outfits for high school dances.

McGee said she has always shopped at unique boutiques but also vintage and retail stores in search of quirky finds.

“I’ve definitely always had my eye on what’s new and what’s great but what’s also timeless,” she said.

Activewear, Beyond the Court

With the busy lives her clients lead, McGee knows that sportswear functions as everyday wear.

“I think everyone is just ready for something new to wear, because not only are they wearing yoga pants to the gym, but they’re wearing yoga pants almost everyday to pick up carpools and run around town,” McGee said.

McGee is opening Fun in the Sun Sports and Leisure with her husband Dan who she met while at Tulane. Dan handles the financial end of the business. McGee calls him the bean counter, while she’s the bean spender. On the fashion end, McGee is ready to bring a country club flair to the Downtown Kirkwood boutique scene.

"I hope to get on board with this momentum of shopping local and supporting local shop owners," McGee said, noting Fun in the Sun Sports and Leisure serves as a compliment to not only outdoor stores like the but also boutiques like and .

Fun in the Sun Sports and Leisure:

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