Photograph by Josh Monken
There are few better places in St. Louis for tacos or antiques. But what really sets Cherokee apart? After the crash of 2008, stores didn’t close; new ones opened. And the area defies the stale stereotype of urban neighborhoods following the pattern of devastation to transition to gentrification. Jason Deem, president of the Cherokee Station Business Association, says that’s because there was no big developer who came in with a top-down plan, but rather “a lot of independent people at every level…so the diversity comes naturally.”
That includes a thriving Latino community, young creatives who start businesses like Cranky Yellow and The Archive, plus long-standing businesses like Casa Loma Ballroom and shops in the antiques district. Many business owners also live in the neighborhood, Deem adds. Having multiple stakeholders in the community, he says, creates a sense of collective ownership.
Mike Glodeck, vice president of the business association and owner of Foam Coffee & Beer, witnesses the area’s distinct cultures intersecting every day. “We have guys come in on Saturday mornings who’ll get lattes or a couple of beers while their wives, mothers, whatever, are antique shopping,” he says.
Part of Cherokee’s success is due to the tight weave of neighborhood relationships, which allowed, for instance, STyLehouse and Peridot to swap storefronts when both realized they were in the wrong-sized spaces. And because rents are affordable, there’s room to experiment, fail, start over, or transform.
“Over the short break between the holidays and the new year, I took one walk down the street and found out all this stuff that people are planning,” says Eric Woods, owner of The Firecracker Press, including a yoga studio, burlesque school, bike shop, and Lebanese restaurant. And more is on the way: At press time, Hawes Photography had recently opened, and The Cherokee Peach—a market, café, and community garden—was slated for a spring opening.
