Accessories store opens for the holidays on KC’s Plaza
The Babe Standard is a holiday pop-up on the Country Club Plaza owned by Ashley Donnell. Donnell said the store, at 340 W. 47th Street, is known for hats and handbags.
Since The Babe Standard pop-up opened its doors on Black Friday, customers have been streaming to the Country Club Plaza store, looking for fashion items to help them stand out this season.
The shop sells felt and wool hats, wallets, handbags, patterned guitar straps that can be used as handbag handles, jewelry by locally owned Annie Austen and Saturday Sundaze, and more.
“We have something for every girl depending on their wants and budgets,” said owner Ashley Donnell. “They are loving the variety of merchandise and affordability.”
Donnell earned a degree in fashion merchandising in 2012, then became a wholesale representative for a wedding and prom manufacturer.
In 2018, she decided to use her degree and build a business of her own. She was sourcing products at a giant wholesale market in Chicago when jewelry by women artists caught her eye.
She was a fan of jewelry chain Kendra Scott. She decided, however, that while her online shop, The Babe Standard, would also focus on accessories, she would carry items by small women-owned businesses and offer more affordable prices.
The Babe Standard also held pop-ups locally in storefronts, as well as in a trailer she outfitted for street festivals here and in other states.
The new holiday pop-up is in a prime spot at 340 W. 47th St. through January. If sales take off, Donnell hopes to have a permanent Plaza location.
