Courtesy of The Scout Guide Alexandria/Arlington/McLean, we want to introduce you to Zoe Boutique…

Susan Gerock opened Zoe Boutique in April of 2011 to fulfill a long-time dream of owning a store. The name Zoe comes from a favorite name: after all, naming a store is like naming a child!

She was very inspired by TSG Charlottesville‘s Greer Johnson and her store Duo, which she discovered on a visit to Charlottesville. From Greer she found out the inside scoop on opening her own boutique and the idea stayed with her.

“I love boutiques,” Gerock says. “I love that the environment is warm, comfortable and friendly and I can find a variety of different things that I don’t see anywhere else. I love fashion, working with people and I have a business background. It seemed like a perfect fit. A great credit goes to my husband who really encouraged me in the idea.”

We love the idea too.

Susan is focused on buying quality items and especially loves when she can find a line that is made in the United States. Think Velvet and Alice & Trixie. She is also known for Red Engine Denim, a favorite among shoppers there!

Check out Zoe Boutique online, on facebook, and of course in person in Alexandria!

Tell her SCOUT sent you!

Zoe Boutique

Visit her website here!

130 South Union Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

We’ve been busy here at TSG Headquarters!

Since we last updated you, we’ve released:

San Francisco: See it here

Greenwich: See it here

Hunt Country, VA: See it here

Richmond, VA: See it here

Washington, D.C.: See it here

Denver, CO: See it here

And guess what… the design room is still working and the presses are still running!

In the next few weeks, be on the lookout for The Triangle, NC (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill), Omaha, NE, New Orleans, LA, Naples, FL and Nashville, TN.

All of that before we ring in the new year! And many, many more to come.

Want to bring The Scout Guide to your town? Check our library to see if it’s taken, then send us an email through the “Inquiries” button at the top left hand corner of the page.

SUBSCRIBE to these and the NATIONAL blog to stay updated on all we have going on.

Thank you for following us so far! Looking forward to seeing you all in cities around the country as we keep scouting the best of local.

Tell them SCOUT sent you…

**Don’t forget you can order any of our currently available guides through our library! Check it out here.

Today we want to tell you about bell’INVITO Stationers in Dallas.

We chatted with Founder Heather Wiese and she told us all about the founding of the business and all it has to offer. Check out their website at http://www.bellinvito.com/ and Heather’s blog, Between the Ditches, here.

The theme of our conversation came to be the idea of modification. What does it mean to take an old press and an old system and move it into the 21st century, while keeping the charm and character of tradition?

It all started with a family heirloom: Heather’s husband, Scott, had presses in his family that were originally used by his great-grandfather when he worked at the Atlanta Constitution in the late 1800s. Scott’s great-grandfather set out to go to California with his press to set up shop there. He only made it as far as Arkansas, though. One hundred years later Heather and Scott modified this machine to keep the old way of printing while adding an engine and other mechanisms to make it work for today. The result?

Beauty. They use thicker cotton paper and push the ink into the cotton. That is where the beauty comes in to make something artistic.

In an age where the written word has been replaced by technology, Bell’Invito chooses not to ignore one or the other, but instead to use the technology to make the power of the written word and the beauty of the paper product even better. One example of the modification of old to new is their website: you can now order customized stationery through the site, click here to check it out. They are now offering customized luxury wedding suites online.

For all the Dallas locals out there, you can visit their showroom in the Dallas Design District. Heather mentioned how much she loves being in Dallas.

“Dallas is very sophisticated and chic. A lot of people here look to other cities to find great goods and services, though. Its nice to be known as a printer in Dallas and be able to offer those services here.” She also grew up in Houston and north Texas, so knows the Texas vibe from the beginning.

Bell’Invito did the invitation for the SCOUT IS OUT party last month. Check it out!

Enjoy the beauty of ink and paper and check out Bell’Invito, Heather’s blog and The Scout Guide Dallas! Tell them SCOUT sent you!

SUBSCRIBE to our blog to receive updates like this one!

In support of the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, The Scout Guide, co-founder Susie Matheson and her husband Murdoch enjoyed meeting Stevie Van Zandt at the Bruce Springsteen Concert in Charlottesville, Virginia on October 23.

Founded by Steven Van Zandt, The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation is a national middle and high school curriculum initiative. The foundation believes that education through inspiration will keep middle and high school students, who may otherwise drop out of school, inspired to learn. The initiative introduces history and social studies-type courses through the lens of the rock n roll movement.

Geared toward national and state standards, interdisciplinary in scope, featuring legendary performers, and available free to every middle and high school in the country within two years, LSRRHS will give students a point of real connection in a time when dropout rates are at an all-time high.

Lesson plans are geared toward general music, social studies, language arts, media studies, and more.

Multi-media supports materials featuring legends of popular music.

An arts-driven project geared toward an environment in which schools face cuts to arts funding.

This is a groundbreaking curriculum that, as research shows, will keep students engaged and in school.

Board Members

Bono Martin Scorsese  

Bruce Springsteen 

Steven Van Zandt

Kenneth Zankel 

Check out the website and help support education and inspiration. Rock and Roll Forever Foundation

We are thrilled to introduce you to our Birmingham editors, Courtney Pigford and Chrissie Larkin. Be sure to check out their book, their blog and subscribe here! 

1. What were you up to before you found The Scout Guide?

CP: Most recently I had been focused on running my interior design business…but in the past I’ve also had a children’s clothing shop and done floral design for special events.

CL: I have been blessed to stay at home with my four kids who are 9, 6, 4 and 1 and I have been making jewelry as my creative outlet for the last 7 years.

2. What do you love about your current city?

CP: I love that so many of our residents care so deeply about the development of this city and have dedicated themselves to its improvement. There are exciting projects underway in Birmingham right now, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings.

CL: I love the architecture of downtown. It is so amazing the detail that went into our older structures. They are enchanting, and it is so easy to look at them and daydream about what it must have been like when they were in there prime.

3. What book have you been reading recently?

CP: The book I most recently finished was Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, it was delightful….but that was in June, and truthfully I am a design mag junkie. My favorites are Living Etc…, Vogue Living Australia, and Elle Decoration UK.

CL: The SCOUT Guide! I can’t get enough! The new cites that have come on board are just amazing and I look forward to see even more!

4. Have you seen any good movies lately?

CP: Unfortunately no. And it’s a shame because I love going to the movies…I am already planning a date night for the new Bond film Skyfall.

CL: YES! Ingredients: A Documentary Film. It is all about the heart of the local food movement and REALLY knowing where your food comes from!

5. What is your favorite product for fall?

CP: Pretty much any fun nail color from Essie. I had never painted my nails until about a year ago, and now I’m obsessed!

CL: I would have to say Butter London’s Horse Power Nail Fertilizer and their Matte Finish top coat!

6. What is the local event you won’t be missing this fall?

CP: I think the “Scout is Out” party to launch The Scout Guide Birmingham volume 1 was pretty spectacular.

CL: Fall is a busy time of year in Alabama and not just because of football! I think the weather has just gotten cool enough for us to all step outside without melting or getting chased by mosquito’s. So there isn’t a weekend that goes by that isn’t filled with great things to do all the way into the holidays. Moss Rock Festival and Homewood Holiday Open House are a couple of my favorites, they really focus on local Birmingham.

7. What is your dream vacation?

CP: There are several exotic vacations I have in mind for someday, but right now we are planning a family European Vacation that will hopefully not turn out anything like the Griswold’s.

CL: I would have to say a vacation with my family to any place is really a dream. We love to travel and hopefully will be doing a lot more of that as the little ones get bigger.

Check out some of the spreads from The Scout Guide Birmingham! Wow!