Photograph by Matthew Green, courtesy of the Grove CID
Guy Slay, owner of Mangrove Redevelopment, bought his building at the corner of Manchester and Tower Grove avenues in 2000. (His anchor tenant is soul-food restaurant Sweetie Pie’s at the Mangrove.) He says 11 years ago, “you could shoot a cannon down the street and not hit anybody.”
Chip Schloss, who opened Atomic Cowboy in 2004, says though it was quiet, the potential for revitalization was clear. For one thing, Tower Grove East is right in the middle of the city. And “the physical makeup, the architecture of the neighborhood, looked like the Loop to me,” he says, adding that its two-story buildings and proximity to Washington University’s medical complex were attractive.
What’s now known as The Grove (historically “Adam’s Grove”) has forged an unusual collaboration between big institutions and small developers. All have the goal of upping the quality of life for current residents while attracting newcomers. Amy and Amrit Gill carefully restore historic buildings, making sure there are affordable units; Wash. U., Slay says, also has been hugely supportive.
“One of the beauties of The Grove is its diversity—ethnic, racial, economic, sexual orientation—and it runs the gamut of perspectives and life experiences of the people who live here,” says Slay.
That diversity is also reflected in the business district, with new and old businesses including The Little Blaque Dress, Sanctuaria, Randy’s Recycled Cycles, Space architects, UX Unlimited Tattoo and Barber Emporium, Ujamaa Maktaba bookstore, Novak’s, and Renard Paper Company.
Roo and Kim Yawitz run music club The Gramophone. After rehabbing a circa-1896 building, they opened the club in March 2008. “We looked at a lot of different neighborhoods, but physically, The Grove is such a great neighborhood,” Roo says. And even in the past two years, he’s seen its profile rise. “It seems small,” Roo says, “but just having people even know where the neighborhood is—it’s a very big first step.”
