Lexington, KY - As the youngest in a family of artisans and performers, Stephanie Zaglul felt compelled to showcase the unique creations of the Zaglul family by opening the eclectic Zag's Boutique and Gallery along the strip of local businesses lining South Limestone between High and Maxwell Street.
Zaglul has creatively combined three generations of artistry under one roof, hence her philosophy that the store is more about family than business. "The real reason I opened the store is to spend more time with my family and share their talents with the community," Zaglul said. She often spends her evenings making jewelry with her mother or watching her sister, Paula Zaglul, create striking pieces of canvas art.
This 23-year-old entrepreneur says growing up surrounded by her creative family is what inspired her to pursue a career in the arts. Although the Zaglul family has lived everywhere from California, to England, to the Middle East, their passion for art never wavered.
Zaglul shares stories of her and her siblings making crafts out of anything they could get their hands on, whether it be a giraffe made entirely of hot glue or melting water bottles into recycled masterpieces. Over the years Zaglul learned to draw under the guidance of her sister and eventually became a jewelry maker specializing in earrings and selling her work in the local boutique Calypso in the Woodland Triangle.
The idea to open her own venue sprouted from Zaglul's experiences with a local talent agency and boutique, Envogue. "I worked with the owners from the beginning, traveling the world, seeing the fashions or different cultures, and eventually learning the day-to-day responsibilities of running a business."
This early exposure to the fashion world influenced Zaglul's business philosophy and Zag's undeniably international aesthetic. "I hope to carry mostly foreign brands and handmade items because individuality is important to me," she said.
Zaglul refers to her merchandise as "wearable art" - one reason why she refers to her store as a gallery rather than a boutique. "I like to see people wearing things that are one of a kind. That way their look is a representation of their unique personality and style."
Currently Zag's carries a wide variety of eclectic jewelry, art and clothing. The earrings are handmade by Zaglul, and each pair is its own artistic endeavor made from anything the artist finds intriguing, such as buttons, stones, wire wraps and cloth scraps. The colorful scarves are woven by her grandmother, Grandma Bruja, and the three dimensional paintings lining the walls are the product of her older sister, Paula.
"Each of my sister's paintings tells a story about her life and her family." Zaglul said, pointing to an abstract depiction of a skeleton. "For example, she painted this when she had a bad car accident."
Intricate metalwork by local artist Michael Maxson provides much of the furniture, and as for the clothing, Zag's carries two Turkish lines and will be adding a Brazilian designer in January. Upcoming additions include a wider variety of international brands and designers. "I want to make new styles and designers from around the world available to Lexington. This is part of my store's uniqueness."
Although Zaglul has been incorporating her family's artwork into the business since the store's conception, she would like to showcase the performance side of her lineage in upcoming months. Future plans for Zag's include a spot in the Downtown Gallery Hop and a live performance by her sister Debora Zagul's dance studio, Kentucky DanceSport. "My sister specializes in Latin and ballroom style dancing, and I think it would be fun to incorporate live dancers into the gallery hop experience. I hope to have dancers, live music, food, wine and, of course, all of the artwork I have on display."
For Zaglul, the gallery hop is an opportunity to welcome people into her store as well as introduce them to her family's creations.