On a recent sunny October afternoon, I took a walk in Seaside from school over to see my friend, Stacy’s new boutique, Mercantile.  After teaching most of the day, I was ready for a mini break before going home to my own rowdy brood.  As I walked over to Mercantile, the sun beat down on my gauzy black ballet cover-up…I looked at the weather on my phone and it said something absurd like 89 degrees.  A little bead of sweat trickled down my forehead as I walked only half a block down our cobblestone streets.  I wished for Fall to make its grand entrance.    

The second I entered Mercantile, there was a cool vibe of  hipster meets Anthro with a Western flair.  Not your average store ; )  I was instantly drawn to their of one-of-a-kind sweaters, silk scarves, leather and pearl jewels, and rustic home accessories.  After cruising around a few minutes, I fell in love with this pair of boots.  I snuck into a fitting room and tried them on with a dress I wouldn’t normally pick for myself.  It was a fun moment getting in touch with my inner-bohemian.  Hmmm, did I really have one?  Wasn’t sure about that.  The classic lines and buckles on these boots gave me the dose of security that I needed to wear with something a little less traditional.

The dress was a fun departure from my usual proper and preppy style.  No, I haven’t bought it quite yet.  Working up my courage!

Fun sign in the dressing room, ha ha.  Love it  ; )  ; )

Here’s a better shot of the boots.  No doubt these babies were coming home with me.

Last week we finally experienced temperatures under 80.  Hallelujah.  And yes, I wore my boots ALLLLLL week.

HOW THE BOOTS FIT:  at first when I tried them on I was a little discouraged because they felt too snug.  I started to ask for a half size larger, but Mercantile owner and friend, Bryan, explained to me that the quality of this particular leather allows the boots to mold to your feet.  As an equestrian, I knew it was the case for riding boots, but didn’t know it also applied to fashion boots?  Unlike riding boots (which are a very painful break-in) these pups felt like a comfy pair of socks within 10 minutes of walking around.  Not kidding.  Now they’re my favorite shoes.

I would put these boots at a mid-high price point, but it’s worth it because the style will last forever.  The leather feels like butter.  My new philosophy on shopping is buy fewer things of higher quality.  These boots fit the bill.

Love that everything in Mercantile is eco-friendly and practically all of their products are made in the U.S.A. Check out this fun memo board in the store – it’s made of scrap wood and was designed by Mercantile owner, Stacy.  LOVE.  Mercantile also has a pinterest page right here.

COUPON FOR YOU:
Owners Bryan and Stacy launched Mercantile’s website today.  Yay!  As a way to celebrate, they’re offering Simply Seleta readers a 20% off coupon for any products on their new site for anything you want to buy.  Code is seleta.  Go check out Mercantile right here and see what you find.

Have fun shopping!