Featured Partner: 10denza
Posted on by Vierra Reid
Last Friday we met up with Chris Lanter, owner of the St. Louis shop, 10Denza. 10denza has been a Proof dealer since day one when the shop opened up three years ago. It's known for providing authentic St. Louis style for men and women. On the store's website, Chris explains the concept of 10denza:
In Italian, 10denza (or tendenza) means “trending” or “to drift in a direction.”
Like most people, I love to find out what is new and happening in my city - restaurants, bars, nightclubs, shops, music. It is especially exciting when local entrepreneurs put out amazing new experiences for the people of St. Louis. Don’t we all like to brag to folks from out of town about all of the unique and special places that our city has to offer? It gives us a sense of pride.
This feeling, in part, was what led me to the development of 10denza. I spent some time in 2009 traveling to other cities and seeing some of the new concepts that creative business people were unveiling in the marketplace, especially in retail, and I was cognizant of the growing decrease of local visions and ideas in many cities I visited.
I had a vision of creating a store that caters to city clientele, bringing together all of the stuff that is interesting, fun, new and exciting in one place. Today’s city dweller leads an exciting and active life beyond uniformed stores and boring shopping malls. They appreciate the social element and cultural connection of a shopping experience as well and gravitate toward merchants who enrich their lives in some way.
While I was working on the concept, I thought about how much I love big city restaurants and lounges and the comfortable feeling l have when I'm in those spaces, particularly the ones that have the perfect combination of great service, great sound and interesting décor - relaxing and cool. Those attributes help create the overall experience, and I wanted to throw some of that feeling into the 10denza mix as well - kind of a "retail lounge."
I created 10denza to bring innovation and distinction to the city shopping experience. It goes beyond the common exchange of goods. My goal is to provide my customers with inspiring retail, authentic ownership and approachable price points in a great space and deliver a unique representation of trend forward, hard to find products that define modern cultural living. I hope you like it.
For more about 10denza check out their website, Facebook, & Instagram!