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Shop lays foundation for romance

A celebrity with a mind for unmentionables helps define a Beach Drive plaza.

By PAUL SWIDER
Published February 7, 2007

	Chuck Basnaw, right, paints the trim in one of the dressing rooms in Maison Rouge while Michele Caperell of Trinity looks at herself in a mirror. The store is preparing to open and special friends like Caperell we invited to shop early.
[Times photos: Cherie Diez]

ADVERTISEMENT Rhonda Shears, left, helps Michele Caperell shop for lingerie at Maison Rouge.

ST. PETERSBURG - A new lingerie boutique's splashy grand opening Saturday could seal the romantic image of shopping at Parkshore Plaza.

Maison Rouge will join Ronay Jewelers, KaBloom florist, Aquastone Wellspa and Paciugo gelato in what seems to be the get-out-of-spousal-disapproval center.

"I don't think it was the intent, but it just sort of happened that way," said John Hamilton of Beach Drive Retail, which leases the spaces at 300 Beach Drive. "We're happy with the way the retailers have mixed."

The store carries the full flavor of the Valentine season with its assortment of fantasy undergarments in a boudoir setting.

"Women will feel beautiful, special," said Rhonda Shear, who, with husband, Van Fagan, is opening a store that also features candles, soaps, chocolates and more. "It's an appreciation of women, a celebration of women."

The invitation-only grand opening will feature several Playboy Playmates and a fashion show with Hawaiian Tropic models, along with other high-profile guests. The store opens to the public Sunday.

Shear brings show business flair from years as a comedian and actor best known for hosting USA Network's Up All Night movie program. Bringing quirky humor to commercial breaks, the former Miss Louisiana also cultivated her fashion sense in a way that won her fans and launched a career marketing lingerie on Home Shopping Network.

"I went from a male fan base watching sexy little movies to women calling up and saying I changed their lives," said Shear, who moved here in 2001. "I've sold thousands of pairs of panties now. At least I know there's coverage out there."

Shear said her success was based on her comedic timing and her ability to speak frankly about lingerie. She said while all women like silky, slinky things, they rarely know much about how to shop for them.

While the store is about pretty things, Shear said she also sells what she calls "lifestyle lingerie" to reshape the body. Such modern high-tech shapewear can inspire confidence in women and make them feel better about themselves, she said.

The opening night party will also be a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The store will stock items "friendly to cancer survivors," Shear said.

The store is decorated like a woman's bedroom with armoires, settees and dressers, not racks and shelves. Absent, too, will be pictures of whisper-thin models that can intimidate shoppers. Shear said she'll accommodate bachelorette parties or even brides and their maids shopping for a foundation under the frills.

"It'll be like a big slumber party," she said.

KaBloom will also open Saturday, but its grand opening will come later. Owner John Dyn brings a European-inspired floral experience with unusual products, such as a rose 5 feet long with a bloom the size of a softball, he said. He's coordinating with Maison Rouge on its party.

Hamilton said a grand opening that features a lingerie show might raise some eyebrows but that it's all a proper part of a classy, cosmopolitan shopping experience.

"I've heard some people ask questions, but I've heard a lot more people say it's great there's a place they can get these things around here," he said.

Shear takes lightly concerns of propriety.

"You have to have a little humor about lingerie," she said. "I mean, we're just talking panties here."

Paul Swider can be reached at 892-2271 or pswider@sptimes.com or by participating in itsyourtimes.com.

Fast Facts:

Maison Rouge

300 Beach Drive, Suite 125

898-8400

Invitation-only grand opening party, Saturday, 7 p.m.

Store open to public Sunday at noon.

Regular hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 12-6 p.m.

www.maisonrouge.com The site will be up by the end of February.

[Last modified February 7, 2007, 07:24:00]