Have something great to say about us? Drop us a line! Send comments, raves and reviews to mapetiteshoe@earthlink.net!! You can even send us a picture of you wearing your fabulous shoes!
Baltimore’s Neighborhoods Are Made for Food Lovers
Boutique stores with enticing merchandise abound in Baltimore; many bear inventive names like Babe, Breathe Books, Whimsy, Ladybugs & Fireflies and In Watermelon Sugar. SoBotanical, which opened in 1986, is Baltimore’s first aromatherapy bar. Ma Petite Shoe sells fashionable shoes alongside mouth-satisfying chocolates and thus was named “Best Post-Breakup Oasis” in 2003 by Baltimore Magazine. “Each shop is a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit of its owner,” says Denise Whiting, owner of Hon Café and founder of HonFest. That most boutiques are housed in re-purposed buildings also celebrates and helps preserve Baltimore’s charm.
where2nowmag.com
Glimpsed at Work: Kelli Wanveer
Kelli Wanveer was "glimpsed" at work at Studio 1612 in Mount Washington. (Lloyd Fox, Baltimore Sun / June 16, 2010)
Texture and color are important to Kelli Wanveer in her job as a stylist/colorist at Studio 1612 in Mount Washington. Those elements also come into play in the personal style of this 27-year-old Fells Point resident. When we "glimpsed" Wanveer, she demonstrated her "eclectic, girly, retro" look in a blue chambray tunic from Forever 21, black cotton stretch stirrup leggings from Double Dutch and white crisscross flat BC sandals from Ma Petite Shoe. Wanveer loves to mix textures, so she added a multi-strand purple agate necklace that she'd picked up at the Fells Point flea market and used a vintage purple, gray and black silk scarf from a Pennsylvania thrift store as a head wrap. Some of her style rules? "I try not to match anything too much. And I don't want anything to be too girly. So, I try to put something more edgy or masculine in the mix." This is also no fickle fashionista. "I've been known to re-wear things I've had for 10 years."
Sloane Brown, Baltimore Sun
Although, I have moved to Seattle from Baltimore, you still remain my FAVORITE shoe store. Seattle is the land of sturdy and pedestrian footwear.
I miss being able to peruse your fantastic sales. I have many pairs of your shoes on which I receive so many compliments. From Boston to Seattle and all points in between women comment on my shoes! Your praises have been sung and information to find you is gladly and joyously given out! Most recently, a woman in my doctor's office commented on my pink shoes! (Biviel)
The only shoes that can compare to the compliments your shoes receive are a few pairs I bought in France. The European last fits me best.
I am lusting after a new wardrobe of shoes. When my next ship docks, I am hopeful that I will have the where with all to grab my heart's desire. The first on my list is a pair of "Wowzer" slippers for a hospital stay that is in the planning. I will be traveling to New York state to donate a kidney to my brother.
Thank you, for your passion, your great eye, the humor and, whimsy you bring to your customers! I am anxious to see what is coming next!
Susan
Seattle, WA.
A store well known in Baltimore for having the deepest selection of Jeffrey Campbell, and all the shoe lines you love, also is known for their designer chocolate selection. That’s right—shoes Vs. Chocolate. Can you handle it!? The owner of this store, and buyer, Susannah, has become a favorite with the Jeffrey Campbell staff. She is one of those buyers who can cater to her customers needs for basics, but also believes in educating them to the next level. She does not let the constraints of Baltimore curb her shoe tastes. A conversation with Susannah and a JC staff member might go like this:
JC: “Maybe you should try this in black as kind of an everyday work basic, or a go-to staple”
S: “UM does it come in metallic or all over floral print?”
Mutual laughter
JC: “Well, what about grey, thats fun?!”
S: “How about antiqued silver with turq trim?”
JC: “DEAL!”
This is why we love her. Her store shines with all things shoe related and gives you that feeling in your gut of knowing something good is about to be yours. You can now shop her store online at www.mapetitshoe.com. Her prices are great, her selection in over-the-top and her charm is relentless. But be warned, she sells out quickly and moves on to the next hot style–so don’t delay.
Check out this videospot of Miss. Ma Petite herself on the local news in Baltimore with a giant smattering of Jeffrey Campbell shoes! Girl WORK THE NEWS! At one point she says, “It’s like QVC, make it sparkle!” I died! WE LOVE YOU SUSANNAH!
and—-you can shop JC styles like this….on their site…ENJOY!
The Baltimore store offers a wide rance of JC styles, glitz, glam, aggressive and always our retro looks.
Ty/Jeffrey Campbell Blog
Walk this way
June 28, 2010
It's kind of a loafer, but mainly a sandal — and just the sort of thing you could buy now and keep wearing right through the fall.
The Trenton by OTBT is an easy-to-wear wedge, something to throw on with shorts or capris. But it would also look great with rolled up jeans heading into autumn — even a denim skirt. And it's a walking shoe for sure, designed for comfort and durability.
Find it for $109.99 at Ma Petite Shoe, 832 West 36th St. 410-235-3442. mapetiteshoe.com.
Jill Rosen, Baltimore Sun
Jazz Baby by Irregular Choice
(Gene Sweeney Jr., Baltimore Sun / June 9, 2010)
How's this for sassy: These standout orange-soled pumps from Ma Petite Shoe have fruit-shaped designs sewn onto the sides of the hot pink straps, and mighty 2.5-inch wooden heels. At $130...they'll turn heads this weekend. There's even a little bird perched on one of the straps. It's no flamingo, but it's close enough.
Baltimore Sun
My fav was Ma Petite Shoe (832 West 36th St., www.mapetiteshoe.com). Not only does owner Susannah Siger display a dazzling and spicy selection of shoes, she also has a tempting choice of chocolates in the inner room of the shop. Susannah told me that their goal is to have the chocolates that you will not be able to find anywhere else. The “Firecracker” chocolate bar, with a mixture of dark chocolate, salt and pop rocks, lit my mouth on fire and took me back to elementary school happiness.
Susannah Siger
LAUREN LOGIUDICE, Curve Magazine
Interview with Susannah featured in Surveyal
Photo credits Aaron Jen, Surveyal
Alayna featured on Worn Magazine's Blog
Photo CreditJoshua Yospyn/Worn Magazine
"Voted “Best Shoe Store” four years in a row by the Baltimore City Paper, Ma Petite Shoe was also Baltimore Magazine’s “Best Chocolate Gifts.” If that combination isn’t curious enough, it was also voted “Best Post-Breakup Oasis” and “Best Estrogen Heaven.”
Wait a minute, Baltimore? Isn’t Worn Magazine all about DC? Yes but listen people, Baltimore is less than an hour north. It’s closer than the Sheep & Wool Festival. The DC-based Pink Line Project has art events there. Even The Washington Post’s Going Out Guide reviewed the BMA’s Cézanne exhibition (make sure to eat at the kitschy Papermoon nearby). So our northern cousin will creep into this blog once in a while.
Anyway, the focus of our photography today is the beautifully feathered Alayna, Manager and Buyer for Ma Petite Shoe. Alayna was about to leave for Central America on a chocolate-making journey, so we wish her well and hope to hear from the new chocolatier when she returns."
Visit here for more: http://www.wornmagazine.com/2010/05/ma-petite-shoe-baltimore/
Chocolate Fix
photo by John Miskimon Growing up in Peru, Debora Varon was surrounded by a family of cooks. After earning a master’s degree in food science and a PhD in genetics in the United States, she felt drawn back to her roots. “I was looking for something that combined creativity, pleasure, and tradition,” she says. “There’s this long history of cooking in my family, so I thought, ‘Why not me?’” Varon launched Izzy’s Chocolate last March to bring the Peruvian treat chocotejas to the Baltimore market. Sweet dulce de leche combined with nuts or fruits then dipped in Belgian dark chocolate, the chocolates are enclosed in wrappers decorated with drawings in the style of the Nazca Lines, large geoglyphs etched in the sand of Peru’s Nazca Desert. The preservative- and sulfite-free sweets come in coconut, pecan, mango, and pineapple and are available at Ma Petite Shoe (832 W. 36th St.; 410-235-3442; www.mapetiteshoe.com).
M.T./Urbanite
MARCH 5, 2010
Step lightly on Earth with biodegradable shoes
Just in time for Earth Day this April 22, Ma Petite Shoe in Hampden plans to begin carrying some hipster eco-friendly shoes that will help you tread a little lighter on the planet.
The sneakers are from the Bio-D Collection from Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Simple shoes and made from biodegradable and organic materials.
The folks at the store describe the shoes this way: They feature biodegradable soles and incorporate rubber, plastic and EVA (foaming materials) that are manufactured using EcoPure, an organic compound that will eventually eat away at the bonds holding these materials together.
This allows the mid-soles and outsoles of the styles, when exposed to the moisture and heat typical of landfills, to biodegrade in 20 years as opposed to the industry average of 1,000 years.
“When we first heard about the concept of biodegradable shoes, we were intrigued," said Susannah Siger, store owner, in a statement. "When we learned more about the technology, that it wasn’t just hype, we immediately wished that all shoes had biodegradable features.”
Women get blue with hot pink detailing. Men get orange with brown and white detailing. The linings also are organic cotton are uppers are suede.
Ma Petite Shoe was a vendor at this special event! For more information, go to the Baltimore Sun article.
19th Annual Chocolate Affair
Urbanite Article
photo by La Kaye Mbah
It began as a kind of whimsical afterthought: Susannah Siger decided to add some chocolate to the inventory at her Hampden shoe store, Ma Petite Shoe.
“As soon as I opened, chocolate connoisseurs and travelers started coming in and asking about this chocolate and that chocolate,” says Siger, who now stocks more than a hundred types of chocolate, some unadulterated, some enhanced with flavorings that range from lavender and lemongrass to bacon. Since than, Siger has used her passion for chocolate as an excuse to travel the world. “Some go to see the seven wonders,” she says. “I go seeking chocolate.” To read the full article, click here>>
Urbanite Article
Best of Awards
Best of Baltmore, Baltimore Magazine
2009 - Hampden: Best Shopping Neighborhood
2008 - Best Estrogen Heaven
See the whole article here.
2004 - Best Chocolate Gifts
2003 - Best Post Breakup Oasis
City Paper, Best of Awards
2009, 2008, 2007, 2005 - Reader's Poll, Baltimore's Best Shoe Store
2007 - Best Men's Shoes
See the whole article here.
How could I resist a place that sells two of the biggest stereotypical female vices? It almost seems sadistic to sell chocolate and shoes in one store - sadistically awesome!
Of course I had to go in, even though I knew the temptation would be hard to resist. Actually, it proved to be impossible. The delightfully friendly clerk knew just which buttons to push - once she began showing me some of the store's newest additions, I was putty in her hands. Every specimen was killer!
I ended up splurging on an amazing pair of vintage-style low-heeled Mary Janes, although I passed on the chocolate. Buying those shoes made me happier than any footwear purchase ever had, despite the dent in my wallet.
Jess X., Albany, NY
Every time I go to Hampden for the afternoon, I stop into Ma Petite Shoe. And every time, I am met with warmth and friendliness by whoever is working. The shoes are delightful, for both men and women, and the confections are mouthwatering...
How could I resist a place that sells two of the biggest stereotypical female vices? It almost seems sadistic to sell chocolate and shoes in one store - sadistically awesome!
What can I say? I'm a shoe girl and many of my shoes come from here. This tiny shop offers a selection of shoes from a decidedly not-standard list of designers at prices that range from almost cheap to pretty expensive. While there are some basics here, these shoes are mostly the kind that make your outfit.
Ah, the Shoe. It is a flâneur stop par excellence, a chocoholics mecca, and a foot fetishist's dream come true. Boutique shoe shopping never tasted or felt so good. I liked coming here with my wife when walking the streets of Hampden on Sunday afternoons. We sometimes bought things, but more often than not we just browsed the unique and ever-changing selections of footware, accessories, clothing, and gourmet bites. It's so much a part of the Hampden Renaissance that I would hate to imagine the Avenue w/out it!
Bradley N., Woodside, CA
Baltimore Magazine
March '10 Spring Fashion
WONDERLAND
Fashion--like life--is an adventure. There are ups and downs, ins and outs, possibilities and dead ends. This spring, all roads lead to bold colors (we focused on yellow) and simple, beautiful shapes. Happy escaping.
CREDIT: DAVID COLWELL
Alice + Olivia mint lace Elyse one-shoulder dress ($495) at L'Apparenza. Embossed Kristin clutch ($348) at Coach. Turquoise, coral, and lapis pendant set in gold plate and hung on a gray pleat and braided silk cord ($495) at Dresscode by Gita. Poetic License Passion Fruit heels ($99) at Ma Petite Shoe.
CREDIT: DAVID COLWELL
Jack BB Dakota Turkish sea dress ($52.95) at Doubledutch Boutique. Irregular Choice Trinklettina pumps ($130) at Ma Petite Shoe. Bangles ($35-55 each) at Sassanova. Flower ring ($19) at Poppy and Stella. Due Wallpaper ecru queen quilt ($495) at Red Tree.
CREDIT: DAVID COLWELL
Hype lemon and orchid Lens dress ($168) at Babe. (a boutique). Elements by Jill Schwartz necklace ($124) at Whimsy. Poetic License Quirky peep-toe pumps in green ($120) at Ma Petite Shoe. Hand-carved end table with two shelves ($305) at Red Tree. Toby Fraley one-of-a-kind lamp from Red Tree's personal collection.
Feaured: Poetic Licence Passion Fruit heels, Quirky peep-toe pumps in green, Irregular Choice Trinklettina pumps and Angel Court watch necklace. See full photo shoot at www.baltimoremagazine.net
One of the happiest days in my culinary life was the day I first realized that bacon could be used in a dessert context. This was when I walked out ofMa Petite Shoe with the legendary Mo's Bacon Bar from Vosges Chocolate. The smooth chocolatiness surrounding sweet and salty bits of crunchy applewood bacon were more than enough to send me over the edge. Wow.
Recently I found out that Vosges has started putting out a dark chocolate version of their famous Mo's Bacon Bar. I was ecstatic, because I much prefer the slightly bitter, more intense chocolate flavor of dark chocolate to the smooth yet slightly tamed down flavor of milk chocolate. The bar is lovely, but here's thing: although I prefer dark to milk, I prefer the milk chocolate bacon bar to the dark chocolate one.
I had to think about why this is the case.
It eventually dawned on me that the things that make me like dark chocolate don't work when you throw the sweet and salty intensity of bacon into the mix. In this case, the dark chocolate and bacon are fighting for your attention. In contrast, the milk chocolate bacon bar really lets the bacon shine. The milk chocolate isn't so much in the back seat as it is in the passenger seat - but the bacon is clearly the one driving. With the dark chocolate bacon bar, the dark chocolate is constantly fighting with the bacon to control the wheel. It works, but not as well as when there's just one driver.
So do try Mo's Dark Bacon Bar from Vosges, but I'm still sticking with the milk chocolate original.
The Baltimore Snacker
Shoes in the front, chocolates in the back. Best. Store. Ever!
The shoes are reasonably priced for what you are getting (quality stuff). They have some quirky styles that I haven't seen elsewhere (and I have a LOT of shoes).
I bought a pair of buttery soft leather boots that fit my "athletic" calves very comfortably AND actually are as knee-high as they come. I hate when I try on a pair of knee-high boots that really only come up mid-calf (not that I can usually zip those shut anyway). In Ma Petite Shoe, I found not one but TWO pairs of leather actually-knee-high boots that fit my physique, each pair priced at less than $200. That's not expensive; that's a good deal.
Yes, the selection is limited. It's a small boutique shop, so I get that. But I haven't previously walked into a shoe store where I wanted one of everything they were displaying, either. The men's shoe selection is extremely limited, but a shop this size has to target itself to a narrow audience...an audience who will get wider as they hit the back room of the shop. ;)
The chocolate selection there is really good. I was pleased to see a very large display of Vosges chocolates as well as Theo's from my hometown.
Definitely a keeper.
Tracy S., Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Sun
Thursday, February 4, 2010
By Rob Kasper
It's February, and it's time to eat chocolate - lots of chocolate
Life is short and so is February, so let's eat lots of chocolate. For fans of chocolate, this event is "like a fairy tale," said Susannah Siger of Hampden shop Ma Petite Shoe, which is serving sweet stuff at the event. "They feel like Cinderella at the ball, going to booth after booth that's serving chocolate," she said...
A panel of judges hands out awards for the best sweet and savory dishes. Area chefs have been busy crafting their offerings.
Siger's staff, for instance, will serve a "sipping" chocolate. Made with granules of dark chocolate and served in demitasse cups, it is "the espresso of the hot-chocolate world," she said. For those who likes to eat their chocolate, Siger said she will also be passing out pieces of milk chocolate bars studded with bits of cranberry and melon made by Hachez, a German chocolatier.
The Family Scherer Blog
"I went in last weekend intending only to buy some of their yummy chocolate (they have a white chocolate one with black olives that's to die for), but I came out with another fabulous pair of shoes...along with the chocolate bar."
As a continuing tradition, the Chocolate Affair is a great way to expose yourself to new and fabulous chocolates! See their website for more information here.
AirTran's In-Flight magazine, Go, January 2009
"Designer shoes share space with a collection of decadent sweets"
March 2006
"This Barcelona Bar, by Vosges Haut-Chocolat, was out of this world." Click here for the whole article.
February 2005
"Owner Susannah Siger beams with delight at the future of chocolate. “Savory chocolates are on the way. Have you ever heard of Chocolate Sushi?” she asks..." Click here for the whole article.
...opening the door of Ma Petite Shoe reduces me to drooling like Homer Simpson at the foot of a the world's largest sprinkle-covered, pink-frosted donut.
We love Baltimore for many things, from its baseball stadium to its harborside tourist haunts. But many of us love it best for its "hon" factor: the cat's-eye glasses, the bouffant hairdos, the boas and housedresses made immortal by local director John Waters and still found in certain diners, five-and-dimes and vintage clothing shops.
Saturday, the hon factor will go off the charts with the annual return of HonFest to the streets of Hampden, the most Hon-tense of Baltimore neighborhoods. Some 20,000 revelers are expected to celebrate the mystique of the kind of fun, sassy, melting-pot woman we imagine keeping a kitsch-filled house shaded by aluminum awnings.
Oh, beehive! Dolled-up revelers fill Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood for last year's HonFest, the city's annual nod to all things cat's-eye and bouffant. (By Bill Ballantyne)
"The generation between went to college and tried to leave all that," says Susannah Siger, who owns two shops in Hampden. "When I got my hair done up and the chiffon scarf and the glasses, it made me think about my grandmother and how they struggled, and the closeness of the family and the neighborhood. And it's fun!
"It's even more important to get in touch with your inner Hon if you normally dress in a navy suit," says Siger.
Yes, Washington, that means us. Here, then, is a guide to some of Baltimore's Hon-ier locales:
Baltimore is so quirky it could be straight out of a John Waters movie. Actually, much of it is ...
JHU Spring Fashion Show 2004
"The [show] is basically a way to introduce Hopkins students to this world of Hampden that they don't necessarily know about," said Susannah Bridget Siger, owner of Oh! Said Rose and Ma Petite Shoe. "It's basically a fun [introduction] to highlight the more unique, independent designers of the area."
Sweeten the pot a little with some specialty sweets available at Ma Petite Shoe. Give your girlie a pair of Darlings and a Cookie Clutch or some Supervogs and Kiss Me frog-shaped truffles. Can't think of a friend who will appreciate your Fluevog love? Then head to Ma Petite Shoe and buy yourself a little holiday cheer instead.
Metallic shoes are not only getting both thumbs up, but they can be also found virtually anywhere. ... to Ma Petite Shoe in Hampden, no matter where they were found, there are some general ideas to keep in mind when rocking a pair of oh-so-fun bright and shiny shoes.
While this store showcases its collection of funky, fancy and French shoes, it is also the place to visit when shopping for that special someone with a sweet tooth.
Need a surefire cure for the blues? Head uptown to Ma Petite Shoe (832 W. 36th St.; 410 235-3442) in kitschy Hampden. In this shop pairing shoes and gourmet chocolates, you're likely to find some sweet relief.
Ma Petite Shoe is a one-of-a-kind boutique specializing in the world's most fabulous shoes from some of the newest designers including Biviel, Miz Mooz and Poetic Licence and artisanal chocolate from the best chocolatiers in the business.
Wloy Radio
Events
The Annual Chocolate Affair
Green Festival
HampdenFest
HonFest
Baltimore Magazine, June 2006
"What's important to remember is that the reason you need so many mom-and-pop chocolate shops is that they're using fresh ingredients," says Susannah Siger, owner of Ma Petite Shoe, a store selling shoes and chocolate in Hampden. Not unlike the European tradition of having a bakery in every neighborhood, "You need a lot of little guys doing this if you're going to do the European tradition the right way."
Washington Post, March 2006
Susannah Siger, who owns... Ma Petite Shoe, a shop specializing in footwear and artisinal chocolate, sees Hampden as a place to cut loose. It's really become a destination for innovative merchants because it hasn't been Gap-ed over," said Siger. "If they've got a different idea, they come here."
Washington Post, July 2005
If you prefer gourmet chocolates - or fabulous shoes = toddle down the street to Ma Petite Shoe, which specializes in what store manager Glenn Bennett calls "a woman's two favorite things." Susannah Siger, who since 1997 has operated the nearby women's clothing and accessories boutique Oh! Said Rose, opened Ma Petite Shoe two years ago as a natural extension of that store. Its collection of shoes, slippers, sandals and handbags is augmented be delicious chocolates from France, Belgium, Germany, Ecuador and New Mexico, headquarters for Sugart, whose Stevie Famulari is known for her edible fashion and art. Try- no, really - the Chocolate Sushi: no fish (thankfully) but a handmade confection with a rich, colorful center of dried fruits and candies rolled with Belgian white chocolate complimented with an outer layer of Belgian dark chocolate and coconut toping. "It has the artistic intricacies of sushi but its made from all-natural chocolate and other baker's ingredients," says Siger, adding that "it looks like sushi and tastes like heaven.""
Baltimore Messenger, February 205
Hampden merchant's award 'Oh!' so sweet
Surrounded by chocolates and shoes, Susannah Siger, owner of Ma Petite Shoe, said the store in Hampden does more business around Valentine's Day that at any other time of the year except Christmas.
Small wonder. The store in the 800 block of 36th street, the trendy business district known as the Avenue, sells just two things - shoes and chocolate.
"Two great obsessions," said Siger, 40, her eyes twinkling. As if to prove her point, in walked Jane Anthon of Timonium and Annie Bolton and Joyce Hoebing of Towson, three friends having a day on the town Feb 3 in honor of Bolton's birthday.
"We wandered by and saw shoes and chocolate," Bolton said. As they walked in Anthon remarked, "Somebody knows how to pull in women."
Siger beamed and even more so as Bolton tried on a pair of red shoes with big buckles.
"If you don't buy them, I will," Hoebing said.
City Paper Holiday Guide 2004
Slippers and Chocolate
Ok, let's say you're an Old Milwaukee-swillin', backward ball cap-wearin' uber dork, but you've somehow letched on to a real cool chick-you know, the kind who sips wine from fluted glasses and wears a leopard skin pillbox hat. How can you show her your sensitive side? How can you demonstrate your hidden hipness? Shoes and chocolate,bunkie. That's right, take that blender back to Lechters and instead get her the frilly, silly rose slippers from Goody Goody at Ma Petite Shoe in Hampden. Throw in a little box of bonbons, and you'll maybe be allowed to keep that half-restored '39 Phaeton in the garage for another season while she parks her Beetle on the street.
The Sun December 2004
"Many people say that, to them, the Christmas season hasn't started until they've seen the Christmas parade," said Susannah Siger, owner of the Oh! Said Rose and Ma Petite Shoe shops in Hampden. "It really kicks off the Christmas season. Anything before that is just warm-up."
Comments
Very Cool! I think more boutiques in Baltimore should sell eco-friendly shoes and clothing.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 5, 2010 8:53 AM
Yeah, I've been wearing biodegradeble shoes and clothing that biodegrade in about 20 years for about...20 years or so. Woah- I'm naked!
Posted by: kenneth the menneth | March 5, 2010 1:21 PM
I picked up a pair of these on a whim. They were affordable and are honestly some of the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned.
Posted by: HamdenJames | March 6, 2010 7:00 PM