Foxy Lady boutique to celebrate golden anniversary in style with gift-card raffle
By Jane Bartnett
Foxy Lady, Siesta Key’s iconic women’s luxury fashion boutique, turns 50 years young this
month.
For half a century, fashionable women visiting Siesta Key and many who make Sarasota their
home have made Foxy Lady their special destination. On the edge of Siesta Key Village, at 209
Beach Rd., the store is a treasure trove of elegant items. Sophisticated dresses, skirts, pants,
tops, shoes and accessories for both everyday wear and for special occasion are here in a wide
array of colors and styles.
In 1972, when Lorry Eible opened her store in the heart of Siesta Key Village, she captured the
hearts of cosmopolitan women who discovered a store that catered to their tastes and fashion
needs. The New Jersey native, who had shopped for herself in Bloomingdale’s and New York
City’s finest department stores, ushered in a new day on Siesta Key when she created Foxy
Lady.
“We began selling beautiful linens, cottons and gauze so that women could be
comfortable and fashionable in the warm weather here,” she said.
The store was an immediate success. Over the years, it has attracted a steady and loyal following of customers as well as many new visitors and residents.
Looking back, Eible recalled that 50 years ago Siesta Key Village was much more of a retail
destination than it is now. “There were about 15 to 20 clothing stores at the time.”
To support the Village’s business community, Eible joined with John Davidson of Davidson Drugs, Sonny Sears, who owned an up-scale fine apparel store called Conrad Egan, as well as the artist Louise
Chapel who ran Rainforest, a successful floral and antique store. Together, the four
entrepreneurs created the Siesta Key Village Association with the goal of beautifying the area.
“We raised funds to plant trees up and down Ocean Boulevard,” she said. “We were
dedicated and we all wanted people to feel wonderful when they came to Siesta Key.”
They were successful. The Village, as well as Eible’s store, grew and flourished. In the early
1980s, it came time for Foxy Lady to move to a larger space. To celebrate the boutique’s 10th
anniversary in 1982, Eible and her team came together for a groundbreaking ceremony at what
would be Foxy Lady’s new and present location. The second Foxy Lady store in St. Armands
Circle opened soon after.
John Walters, Eible’s boyfriend at the time who later became her husband, built the 3,500-square-foot building. “He inspired me to build my own store,” she said.
It became home to Foxy Lady as well as Sassy Hair on Siesta Key.
“We went from two to six employees,” said Eible. “Having the salon next to us has been a good business mix for both of us.”
In the coming years, Foxy Lady’s loyal clientele continued to grow as did its international
reputation, drawing in a number of well-known customers.
“Cher came in when she was engaged to musician Greg Allman, and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were here,” said Eible. “We’ve always had diplomats and other famous people dropping in.”
In 2014, when George Clooney wed his wife, Amal Alamuddin, the bride’s sister bought her dress for the reception at Foxy Lady’s St. Armands store.
As the years went by, Foxy Lady’s commitment to personal service remained a constant.
“We try to work as a personal shopper for our customers, if that’s what they want,” said Eible. “We
want everyone to walk out with a new wardrobe item or items that they wouldn’t have found
otherwise. Our staff is very skilled and they know what kind of pant or dress will be most
flattering.”
Lori Ann Steiner, Eible’s business partner, has worked closely with Eible for 40 of the past 50
years. She reported that many regular customers check in when they are out of town and have
items shipped to them.
Steiner reported that when she and Eible attend fashion weeks in New York and Atlanta, they
buy in small amounts. The store’s stock is constantly changing, allowing Eible and Steiner to
continuously update the store’s offerings.
“We can dress our customers from head to toe,” said Steiner. “Our customer is a woman in her
late 30s and up and Montreal-based designer Joseph Ribkoff is one of our most popular lines.
His clothes are only sold in boutiques. It’s a whole collection and we buy all four seasons.”
Beginning Oct. 1, to celebrate Foxy Lady’s 50th anniversary, customers will be able to
purchase $5 raffle tickets that will benefit the Sarasota-based charitable organization Mothers
Helping Mothers. On Monday, Oct. 24, a drawing will be held to select five lucky winners
who will each win one $500 Foxy Lady gift card.
Foxy Lady has been a long-time supporter of Mothers Helping Mothers. “This raffle and drawing are a special way for us to celebrate and show our support for this great organization on our anniversary,” Steiner said.
Author: Jane Bartnett