Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Stepping into Rocket Century (3189 S. Grand, 314-875-0705, rocketcentury.com) feels like stepping into a ranch house, circa 1959. You expect a woman in a circle skirt and cardigan to offer you a cigarette. There’s cool jazz playing, and a bright Roy Lichtenstein enlargement looks out over black leather Danish modern recliners, chrome kitchen tables, and a burnt-orange Knoll Platner Lounge chair.
Owner Kristina Starr has been collecting vintage items most of her life, but she only started selling vintage modern furniture and household goods on her own 2 ½ years ago, when she started Rocket Century online.
“Most of our sales were probably East Coast or West Coast, but more and more people from St. Louis started to find us,” she says. That response encouraged her to establish a storefront. This past August, Rocket Century opened on South Grand Boulevard.
“I have always loved South Grand,” Starr says. “And this space—with the 13-foot ceilings and original flooring from 1905—has a great vintage vibe.”
Though the store is dominated by midcentury and Danish modern furniture, it also carries Art Deco–style pieces and other vintage furniture. “Twentieth-century modern furniture was about simplicity and clean lines and an uncluttering of things,” Starr explains. “They took furniture and almost looked at it as a piece of art.”
Starr also includes art throughout the store, including works from local artists Ernest Trova, Werner Drewes, and Siegfried Reinhardt. “I wanted to have a venue that could pair artwork with furniture,” she says. “I like that my shop has a little bit of a gallery feel. People can come in and be inspired.”
The store has a quirky side, too. You can find a stuffed Almaco jack fish, large chrome fire extinguishers (usually purchased as industrial modern sculpture), and aquamarine typewriters. The fire extinguishers (which spray water) and typewriters work, too.
Combining function and design? How delightfully modern.
