TCB > June 2005

Making a name for himself before the sign even reflects the name change, Steven Fitzpatrick Smith, local impresario and owner of the soon-to-really-be The Royale Food & Spirits, is profiled in today's Post as one of 37 bar owners who are honoring the Lohr Teamsters' strike and refusing A-B deliveries.

With so many other tasty options around town, I'm always amazed that people miss the Budweiser family of products, but to each her own.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Thu., Jun 30, 2005 at 10:15 AM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | Business District

Compton Gate Condominiums is taking reservations now for fall/winter 2006 occupancy. The 36-unit development is located at 2201 S. Grand Blvd., on the site of a former Shoney's. Prices start at $230,000 plus a $182 monthly condo fee for the 1,246-square-foot model. That's $185 per square foot.

Where do so many people get that kind of money?

Posted by Brian Marston on Wed., Jun 29, 2005 at 12:38 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District

There's a bunch of video posted online from the Illest of Them All dance competition that was held on June 18 at Just Dancing Studios in Ballwin. Josh Awesome and Bam Bam from the Buggin' Out crew out of Lawrence, KS won the breakdancing division. Boogie IQ from southern Illinois won the funkstyle competition. The rhythmically gifted (ha, ha) co-hosts of this blog can be seen soul clapping in the background of the videos.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., Jun 28, 2005 at 10:28 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Fun Links

The city's STD clinic is moving from the Health Department building at 634 N. Grand Blvd. to the Smiley Urgent Care Center, in the St. Louis ConnectCare facility at 5535 Delmar Blvd.

I'm assuming this is part of the plan to empty out 634 N. Grand, which is also home to Grand Center and several arts organizations, before rehabbing the building for a different use. If that happens, the (at least temporary) evacuation of that stretch of Grand will be another step toward being complete. Rhythm & Brews (541 N. Grand Blvd.) is closing at the end of the month. 615 N. Grand Blvd. (formerly The Commonspace and People's Coffee) has been vacant since September 2004.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., Jun 28, 2005 at 6:05 PM
Link & Discuss (3 comments) | Business District

SLU professor Ross Brownson is quoted in an article in the June 20 issue of U.S. News & World Report ("Building Illness"). The article is about the link between suburban sprawl and health problems like obesity and asthma. Brownson headed up a successful project to build a network of walking trails in rural southeastern Missouri in an effort to improve the health of poor residents who have little access to medical care and exercise facilities.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., Jun 28, 2005 at 5:02 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

I don't know about you, but I love UMA, the STL Syndicate's first advertiser. Mike Finan's downtown shop at 313 N. 11th St. carries all sorts of cool, urban home accessories, including spa products and candles from St. Louis-based K. Hall Designs. We spotted K. Hall's bath and body products at a chi-chi store in Ventura, CA. (Hint: UMA is a lot closer.)

UMA's ad and website were designed by the ab-fab Halski Design. Back in the day, Mark Halski did the graphics for Metropolis St. Louis' marketing materials.

The Syndicate's second advertiser is Dawn Griffin, a city-focused Realtor at Blue Ribbon's office in the Central West End. Her listing for 3966 Connecticut notes that it's within walking distance to Hartford Coffee Co. I think you've arrived as a destination business when you start showing up as an amenity in real estate ads. Speaking of Hartford Coffee, James and Shannon are having an open house for their new venture, Thurman Community Café (located at Thurman and Shenandoah in the Shaw neighborhood), at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

There's a group ad for the Morganford business district on page 53 of this week's RFT (the one with the cover story about Core). I'm guessing that this is the first time in quite a while that there have been enough viable businesses on Morganford with an ad budget to pull that off.

And finally, because I can't stand for this post to be all sunshine with no rain, here are a trio of banner ads for businesses that no longer exist that used to run on The Commonspace site. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have the Facts of Life (TM). A moment of silence, please ...

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., Jun 28, 2005 at 4:23 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District

RFT be damned, the Midwest Chub Club is just part of a fat-acceptance/pride wave sweeping the nation, according to the Thursday Styles section of the NY Times.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Thu., Jun 23, 2005 at 2:37 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | STL in the News

Thanks to Thomas Crone, my favorite bar got some ink in the Post today.

Posted by Brian Marston on Thu., Jun 23, 2005 at 11:05 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District

which is a scary thought...but today the Supreme Court comes down on the side of developers, saying "taking" can pretty much be unfettered, unless local municipalities want to pass more restrictive laws.

Which, uh, I wouldn't hold my breath for in St. Louis.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Thu., Jun 23, 2005 at 11:05 AM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) |

I know it's almost unheard-of for me to be contributing the "urban dance item," instead of Brian, but you can downgrade my street cred accordingly when noting I read this in the New York Times.

Check out the story about krumping, the dance rage akin to breakdance that's sweeping south central L.A. It's interesting in its own right, and read on to find there's even a reference to the Lou:

"Like sessions in the St. Louis jazz clubs of the 1920s, or the 1980s break-dance competitions in the South Bronx, battle zones, both formal and impromptu, serve as laboratories for an evolving and distinctly American art form."

These kids today. Don't miss the slide show, too.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Mon., Jun 20, 2005 at 3:44 PM
Link & Discuss (2 comments) | Fun Links

Local stencil artist Peat Wollaeger is a weird guy (in a delightfully good way). As if you need any proof, check out his Albino Alley Cat movie. You might recognize Peat's work from the piece he did on the electrical box on Kingshighway in front of BJH that features his son on one side and a self-portrait on the other.

Posted by Brian Marston on Thu., Jun 16, 2005 at 6:41 PM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | People

Well, we've got something else to be proud of, St. Louisans: thanks to the efforts of local artist Tim Garrett, St. Louis is an integral link in the chain of the world photoboothing community. Check out Photobooth.net, a resource for all things photoboothic: from a list of photobooths in the wild (shout out to ya, Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, CT!) to an amusing gallery of photostrips, you'll find plenty to while away the hours at work.

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Wed., Jun 15, 2005 at 3:39 PM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | Fun Links

Sight'em just after lunch time this afternoon: Peter Downs, SLPS provocateur (among other things), wandering the 12xx block of Washington Ave. with a steno pad and pen in hand, squinting up at the tops of buildings and taking copious notes. Will the Schools Watch be looking for a building? Is this another downtown speculator in the making? Only The Shadow (or perhaps his hairdresser) knows for sure...

Posted by Amanda Doyle on Wed., Jun 15, 2005 at 2:42 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

See that banner ad up there at the top of the page? It'd be a great place to promote your local business, organization, event or website.

I'm hoping to finish rolling out the ad system to the rest of the sites in the STL Syndicate, St. Louis' online news network, this week. Advertisers pay just a penny per ad view. Cheap, cheap! Fun, fun! In April, the sites collectively had 82,783 page views. See the STL Syndicate site for more information.

Posted by Brian Marston on Tue., Jun 14, 2005 at 9:17 PM
Link & Discuss (1 comment) | The Commonspace

The Hi-Pointe-De Mun district, just west of Forest Park and north of Clayton Road, was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The two subdivisions were laid out in 1917 and 1923. Placement on the Register makes qualifying rehabilitation projects within the district eligible for federal and state tax credits. The Register is the federal government's official list of historic properties worthy of preservation — you know, like the Century Building.

Posted by Brian Marston on Mon., Jun 13, 2005 at 11:52 AM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | Business District

Local alt rockers LAPUSH have signed with 456. The label is owned by Jon Rifkind and Carson Daly and is distributed through Fontana/Universal. Congrats to Thom Donovan (vox, guitar), Brett Voelker (drums) and Kevin Bachmann (bass).

The band's debut album, "Someplace Closer To Here," hit stores yesterday. Question: How do you get signed to a national label for your very first CD? Oh, this crazy, mixed-up MTV world.

Posted by Brian Marston on Wed., Jun 8, 2005 at 2:45 PM
Link & Discuss (0 comments) | People

52 of the 130 properties in the Morganford business district in Tower Grove South have changed hands since 2002.

Strangely, the name of the road is "Morganford" according to the post office, but the street signs say "Morgan Ford." Discuss.

Posted by Brian Marston on Sun., Jun 5, 2005 at 3:05 PM
Link & Discuss (6 comments) | Business District