Look/Listen

Courtesy of the St. Louis Curio Shoppe

Things just never slow down on Cherokee Street. It seems that as soon as one space opens its doors, three more establishments announce impending openings. Adding to the street’s current roster of newly established galleries, shops, and venues this month is the St. Louis Curio Shoppe, which will focus on the history and current artistic output of St. Louis. The store’s website proudly boasts, “From our books and music to our soda and chips, nothing is imported. Everything is 100% locally made.” Co-owner Kristin Gassel reports: “The focus of our shop will be St. Louis itself, the city we love, its amazing history, and the opportunity to provide a platform to showcase the incredibly talented people who live here. We plan to carry books, music, clothing, specialty food products, jewelry, house wares, souvenirs, and collectibles, as well as art and crafts. Anything made locally with an emphasis on unique, funky, fun, functional and affordable.”

Inspired by the local talent they saw exhibited at the many indie craft shows that have popped up over the past few years, Gassel and her business partner Kristin Ake saw a need for a permanent, year-round venue to showcase these artists and crafters’ work. In addition to their retail offerings, Gassel and Ake also plan to use their Shoppe as a venue for events such as book signings, album release parties, art shows, and “celebrations of St. Louis historical events or themes.”

“Eventually, we hope to expand within our building to accommodate more history displays and increase the events we are able to hold,” says Gassel. Whether you’ve been wanting to expand your locavore habits to include more than groceries or you just need to indulge in some retail therapy, the St. Louis Curio Shoppe will no doubt be a new must-stop spot to add to current shopping lists.

Elizabeth Wolfson is a freelance arts writer and adjunct instructor in the OPTIONS program at Fontbonne University. In addition to her past work with St. Louis Magazine, she has written for the St. Louis Beacon, Review, and Bootprint, the international art newspaper published by Boots Contemporary Art Space. She has also worked for a number of St. Louis art institutions, including White Flag Projects and Saint Louis Art Museum’s public programs and curatorial departments. Wolfson completed her undergraduate studies at Washington University in 2004, and recently received her master’s degree in American studies with a focus in visual culture from Saint Louis University. She has been awarded a Fulbright teaching position at Mehmet Akif Ersoy University in Turkey for the 2010–11 academic year, where she looks forward to researching and writing about the country’s visual arts.