Starstruck Clothing opens downtown

The vintage-styled boutique, located at 16th E. 8th St., had its grand opening at Lawrence’s Final Fridays.

from krista jobst
originally aired on ad astra radio thursday february 2nd, 2012:

[jwplayer mediaid=”8199″]


This past Final Fridays, KJHK’s own Emily Scholle (aka DJ Modrey Hepburn of Vintage Vinyl), invited Ad Astra Radio to the grand opening of Start Struck Clothing.  Scholle fittingly spun from her collection of antique and essential albums, sending guests back to retro times. Also entertaining were Lawrence Burlesque group, Foxy by Proxy, and a rather impressive amateur juggler/magician.

The apparel and accessories offered at Star Struck are not vintage, but rather throwback styled, modern designs by shop owner Leslie Grother, Bettie Page, Lux de Ville, and more.  Grother only began designing four years ago, but has an undeniable knack for it.  Prior to opening her exclusive Lawrence boutique in December, Grother’s fashions were found hanging on the racks of Retro Vixen, in Kansas City.

Grother, a computer programmer, who has lived in Lawrence for the past 15 years says,  “We boot strapped the business… paid for everything in cash.”  Grother’s husband and daughter both played key roles in opening Star Struck.  Mr. Grother built all the shelving for the store, and the very first dress Leslie ever designed was for her daughter.

The recreations, reinterpreted and available at Star Struck, are a testament to the ethos of the 40s, 50s and 60s, and how this era
reemerged in the past few years, with irresistible charm.  AMC’s television series Mad Men and ABC’s PanAm subsidize the current pop culture craze with retro.  From the small screen to the streets of downtown Lawrence, retro is definitely back.