Main Street's newest business has a strong gasp effect on first-time visitors – Kristina Richards is, there's no other word for it, gorgeous. It's all the more astonishing to recall the former tenant of 178 Main St. was Allstate Insurance. 

Of course, there's been a Kristina Richards shop in Newport for many years, 11 to be exact. And there was one in Cranston, but owner (and namesake) Kristina Richards said she wanted to give Main Street EG a try. The fact she's a resident of nearby Cowesett doesn't hurt. 

Richards, a clothing designer herself, opened the Newport store after having lived in New York City. She returned to Rhode Island, where she's from, and saw she could fill a void, providing chic, sophisticated women's fashions. 

The East Greenwich shop, which opened in November, carries such designers as Alice + Olivia, Sam Edelman, J Brand, and Cynthia Vincent to name a few, from shoes and boots, to bags, clothing and jewelry. 

The shop is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.