Stel’s

I literally cried when I visited my final time as they were closing out.
Thanks for everything, guys.

MY FAVORITE STORE IN BOSTON!
Stel’s is truly a hidden treasure. Unlike other stores on Newbury Street that locals avoid and tourists frequent, Stel’s proves to be one of the best shopping experiences i’ve ever had. The employees and the owners are extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. The owners, Jon, Tina, and Dave are some of the best people i’ve ever met and are always in store to answer any questions.
The atmosphere is relaxed and invites you to try on anything and everything! Exposed brick walls, industrial fixtures, vintage cases, and comfortable couches make you want to sit and hang out after you are done shopping.
Not only is it an escape from the madness of Newbury Street, but it carries some of the best brands in the entire city. With product from brands like Our Legacy, Gitman Brothers, Baldwin, Suno, Raquel Allegra, LD Tuttle, Billy Reid, BillyKirk, Wings + Horns, Assembly New York, Brooklyn Tailors, and more, they always have an amazing selection. Each season the owners bring in new brands and the product is constantly changing. They stay fresh, current, and ahead of the fashion trends every season.
I have been coming here for years and will continue for years to come. Be sure to stop in the next time you are in the area. You will NOT be disappointed.

The selection in general is well edited with classic-​meets-​minimilist designers like APC (love), Rogan, Tom Scott, T by A Wang, etc. but altogether is not quite as cohesive, young, and edgy as the selections at Barney’s Coop, where I fondle and lust over everything.
It’s not totally my personal style but these are my reasons for giving 4 stars:
1. They carry Alexander Wang, a reason good enough for me to go in.
2. The sales are stellar! 50% at end of the season and then during their 75% warehouse sale on all items.
Today I walked away with a sleeveless A. Wang sweater and a pair of black lace leggings both of excellent quality material. The sale is hard to pass up when the money I spent couldn’t have even gotten me either item for retail. How much did I save? $ 390. :)

So. Brutally. Hip.
Stel’s has a fantastic selection of clothes for dudes and ladeez, and whoever the buyer is (Stel?) she or he is a genius. Boutiques can be snobbish, poorly-​edited, and useless. Stel’s is none of the above, carrying a bunch of lesser-​known labels, all of which are hotdamn expensive and so much fun to browse. This shop is the antidote to both the cheap, faux-​ho fabrics of Urban and the overdesigned, overpriced, lemming appeal of Intermix and those ubiquitous neon Herve Leger bandage dresses.
The staff was really friendly, despite the fact that I was wearing jeans and an airbrushed tee shirt I got in Atlantic CIty, NJ – and it was not an ironic airbrushed tee shirt.
Can’t wait until I can afford more than just a single flannel top. Someday.

Just took my BF here this weekend. He’s a tshirt and jeans kind of guy. Ripped tshirt with holes in it. Stained jeans. So Stel’s was kind of a leap for him.
And he loved it! It’s a little too expensive — there’s nothing under $ 100 –but he wanted some quality pieces to start off a general makeover. And he didn’t want to be overwhelmed in a department store. The owner basically gave him a once-​over and commenced getting us all the right sizes and making great suggestions. You can tell he loves doing it.
And yep, we dropped some dough there. I think he’s going to like all the pieces he got.

Stel’s is an incredible store. They carry tons of great designers and always have new stuff in stock (or so it seems?)
I caught a sale there a few weeks ago and made out like a bandit! Great, great stuff.

I haven’t been in here for a while but I know they stock a lot of labels I like and the service has been off the charts every time I have visited. Some highlights for me are Spring Courts, Wings+Horns, APC, Opening Ceremony, and Nom de Guerre. Great shop.

Thank goodness I live 3000 miles away from this place because I know a good chunk of my paychecks will go to Stel’s. I went in one day because a bright yellow dress was in the window (& on sale!) that Tina was kind enough to take off the mannequin so I could try it on. I bought it and got the sweetest note from Tina in the mail a few days later. Needless to say, I’ve been hooked on Stel’s ever since.
My favorite items in my closet are always from Stel’s! Just went yesterday and Jon & Tina still remember me after a 1.5 year absence. Tried on a pair of CRAZY Alexander Wang jeans I had to pour myself into and one of his super comfy and sheer tee. Got the tee and will be lusting over jeans for awhile.
I always recommend a stop at Stel’s for anyone in Boston!

I love this place for trying to bring some style to the bland fashion landscapes Bostonians often find themselves placed in. I love the fact that Stel’s offers items in small quantity, because the items they carry are always from amazing little known designers on the rise; I still get complimens on jewelry and clothing I purchased here years ago.
Jon diligently makes sure to cycle in fresh names and items, paying awesome attention to never allowing a brand to get to the point of becoming a cliché. If you want over produced garments that you and five other people will be wearing at the Gallery opening or the club, please, just go to H&M or the Gap– I’m just saying.

I am tempted to give them 5 stars just because I get to play with their adorable dog every time I go in there, or for the simple fact that their dog is even THERE behaving oh-​so well to begin with, but I do think their clothing could use a little kick in variety. Don’t get me wrong — they have some great pieces, but the selection can be a little bland. I’ve been in here multiple times, but I never end up buying anything because I usually find only 2 to 3 pieces I like enough to try on. Then those items end up not working out and I want to try on other options but can’t find anything else I like. Maybe it’s just not fully my taste. I don’t know.
Five stars on their customer service though. The staff makes it feel like a very personal shopping experience. The dog probably has a lot to do with it, I swear. And I’m not even a dog person!

I was kind of confused as to why Stel’s gets such a high rating, but after my recent experience and reading through the other reviews, I kind of think it’s all about the friendliness of the staff. Don’t get me wrong, Stel’s carries some great stuff and in terms of «fit» with Boston’s fashion scene I think it’s spot on. Also, the fabrics are great. It’s just not really my style. I did like some of the men’s stuff more than the women’s.

I have found like 6 things per season that I want from this store. That is 500% more than pretty much every other store in Boston. The people who run it (including the endearing canine) are friendly, unpretentious, and encourage exploration without applying purchasing pressure. We’re always treated to beverages and kindness.
I HATE the dressing «rooms» here. I have almost completely exposed myself to the public on two occasions because of a slight breeze when someone walks by. They are pretty much made of curtains! My boyfriend bought a pair of raw denim jeans here, and they walked him through how to take care of his jeans in fastidious detail. Whenever we stop in, they ask him how the jeans are treating him and they are eternally patient with my propensity to try 6 things on and walk out empty-​handed. Once the buying bug hits me, I will take my business here.

I’m giving Stel’s three stars because 1. The staff was nice and actually said «hello» to me when I walked in. They even went that extra mile and asked if they could help me find anything specific, and offered to make themselves available should I need any further help. This is also why I’ll go back in the hopes that the store was just suffering from a case of the 2008 summer collections blahs (I swear, it’s as though designers knew there’d be a recession and designed accordingly)
I’m also giving Stel’s three stars because I was so completely bored by everything in there. Admittedly, I went in looking for a nice selection of Nom de Guerre, and was totllay underwhelmed by the couple of pieces they had kicking around. *sigh*
The point is, Ill go back and give their slection a second chance because they were all so nice and helpful, but I’m not running out door screaming «I’m going to Stel’s!!!»

You know how sometimes you just need your APC fix but your dealer’s in LA and not picking up his cell phone? Yeah, Stel’s will hook you up.

I love Stel’s. I love that they introduced me to a number of designers (and carry lots of things that I don’t see elsewhere). I love that I walk in with my sweetheart, they recognize us, and are amenable (and amiable, not overwhelmingly so, just welcoming) to our every weekend browsing. I love the brick walls. I might even love the dog, although I don’t really like dogs. Hurrah for Stel’s!
Oh, and I really love that they now have a robust website:

This is just a lovely store with beautifully constructed, top notch garments. The general aesthetic is simple but fashion forward, lots of attention to the details. Walking around I realized that I had moved into a new phase of my shopping evolution, a phase that so many of my style loving compatriots had discovered much earlier than myself, and that was the appreciation of easy, un-​frenetic purchasing. In my pre-​career days perusing the spacious racks of boutiques like Stel’s would have allowed me to amass a list of things I could never have and not much more. So I just shut myself off from the experience and stuck to discount designer in disorganized warehouses. What a change!
Though I was quite sporty/​hipster when popping in, expecting to be warded off by ill-​natured staff, the gentleman behind the register was cordial and helpful. And though my browsing didn’t result in any finds this time around, him beating me to «thank you» while walking towards the door ensures a pleasant return.

The reason I visited this place is it carries APC and I’d like to find a sweater that I like but is sold out online. Unfortunately they don’t have my size but this store has every cool and chic clothes that will make you stand out from the crowd. Some of their stuffs are pretty edgy but overall the clothes don’t look cheap and are not cheap. The guy and girl (don’t remember their names) working there are very friendly and not pushy at all. You can wander around and try on everything you want. Besides, the store is under the main streel level and so it sets it apart from the other expensive boutiques on Newbury st.

After a long Unilocal hiatus, a trip to Stel’s today was the impetus for my return. I was there today for their truly INCREDIBLE warehouse sale (75% off all stuff from last season). It was my first time in the store. I had been meaning to go for a while, but the trip down the stairs is sort of scary — you are making a big physical commitment — and to be honest I kind of associate that trip with Condomworld. Good lord, I think this has to have been one of the most awesome shopping experiences in Boston.
First of all, the place was packed with all kinds of super stylish people — men and women. I looked around, and thought, «Where the heck do all these people hide when I’m walking down Boylston St and am being ambushed by a battalion of North Face jackets?» Next, these were not just stylish people, but really warm, friendly, enthusiastic (and did I say friendly?, cause it needs to be said again) people. There was no elbow tossing like I’ve experienced at the high/​low collabs at H&M. A couple really cool girls struck up conversations with me as we all tried things on, and they were the kind of conversations that makes you want to exchange cell phone numbers if it didn’t seem kind of like I was hitting on them, which I guess I was, in a platonic way.
And the staff? The two shopkeepers clearly LOVE clothing design in a way that is so infectious and utterly non-​pretentious. Plus, they were beyond gracious with what could have been a stressful mass of people. They are assisted by the sweetest black dog on the planet, who occasionally ducked his head into our dressing room to share his thoughts about the outfits.
And the clothes… are nothing short of remarkable. In addition to an exquisitely curated collection, what I really appreciated was that there was a mix of high-​end-​items with more affordable pieces that I could snag even without a 75% discount or selling a kidney. On one rack was a Chloe black minidress with gold beaded neckline, and on the right was a collection of truly amazing plastic jelly gladiator sandals for the price of a couple pizzas.
Go to Stel’s between now and Sunday ⁴⁄₂₂ for the rest of the Warehouse sale, and keep on going after that!

Anyone can have a store on Newbury Street but to have one below the street-​hell yea. Tina and Jon are two of the sweetest folks a shopper could ever ask to work with.
This shop located under Trident Books and next to Condom World is a great find for anyone who wants to look great without looking overly styled or too trendy. I have been living in my N.D.C. boots that I picked up a few months ago… they’ve got fashion-​functional easy to wear lines like Rogues Gallery and United Bamboo along with chic urban lines like Gary Graham and A.P.C.
Once you’ve tired yourself out in their huge dressing rooms move on to the overstuffed green sofa and chair. If you’re lucky you may get a grin out of their mascot-​a cuddly little black pup. Going into the store is a commitment yes, but worth it. Not everyone is willing to walk down the steps so those who do are able to receive a level of personal attention that the boutique industry is severely lacking.
The best part: MENS CLOTHES TOO!