My Magical Cottage in the Woods

When you design high-end kitchens and baths for a living, it’s hard to pick your five or even 10 favorite projects. And that’s how it was with Jenny Rausch from Karr Bick Kitchen & Bath. I might as well have asked her to choose her favorite child. Instead, she offered, “My favorite thing I have ever designed is our family’s cottage in the woods.” After I looked at photos and heard the story of the cottage, it was easy to see and understand why.

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The Wonderful World of E-Bikes

It turns out the secret to feeling young again might be getting on an electric bike. Sales of electric bikes, known as e-bikes, have soared in the last year. The Light Electric Vehicle Association predicts that more than one million e-bikes will be sold in the U.S. this year. Mike Weiss, owner of St. Louis’s Big Shark Bicycle Company, confirmed, “The e-bike category has been growing dramatically.”

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Obsessed By Cars

I have known Mark Hyman since the 1980s when I first wanted to find an old MGB to restore. He already had a reputation for restoring many classic cars, but at the time, he was in the commercial real estate business. So, I had to wait until Mark had the time to look at a few cars with me and eventually tow one back to St. Louis. We found a few in St. Louis and as far south as Sullivan, Missouri. While all looked good to me, Mark had a keen eye for original cars. I bought the one Mark recommended which was all original and in running condition, but in desperate need of a restoration.

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Sophisticated Giving, the charity register that is published annually, is coming out soon. There’s still time to get involved. The guide features dozens of nonprofit organizations, spotlighting their missions, impact in St. Louis, and ways to help lend a hand either at events or for fundraising. This guide helps get information about nonprofits in front of the readers of Sophisticated Living, which caters to an audience comprised of the area’s most affluent and influential crowds.

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