After shooting weddings for six years and doing the occasional brand shoot, Emily Broadbent began thinking about opening a studio. “There are plenty of little spaces you can go and bring your own stuff that have good light,” she says, “but if you wanted an in-home or an in-office feel, or a lifestyle feel, there just wasn’t anything.” Having her own studio, she says, “was this weird back-of-the-brain dream.”
A former firehouse at the corner of N. 20th and St. Charles in downtown St. Louis made that dream a reality. 20th Street Studios (503 N. 20th) opened for business May 4 as both a lifestyle studio and an all-white space. It’s available to rent to photographers and their clients. Broadbent is also for hire for a brand session or mini session. The studio offers a set-up that’s suited to small business owners, content creators, and social media influencers. Families and couples seeking photos will also find a space that’s ideal for photo sessions. Eventually, Broadbent hopes to attract local businesses looking to host small brand or product launch parties.
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Had it not been for her real estate agent, who half-jokingly sent the listing, Broadbent recalls, her vision might have just remained a dream: “She was, like, ‘This is kind of crazy, but what about this?’ I thought, It’s perfect.” Broadbent says she knew that if she took the time to go see it, she would buy it. When she did finally visit, she says, “I immediately saw the vision.”
The firehouse was built in 1900. The first floor, which once housed horsedrawn fire engines and subsequently served as an art gallery, now serves as a neutral backdrop for photographers. The second floor was once the bunkhouse but has been turned into a living space featuring two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an eat-in kitchen, a living room, and an additional room. “I’m really sad that nobody kept at least one of the fire poles,” Broadbent says.
The history of the building—cool as it is—didn’t play into Broadbent’s decision to buy it, she says: “I was looking for Does it look good? Can anybody use it? Will it function for what I’m [envisioning]?”
The two distinct spaces—the open area downstairs and the living space above—got Broadbent in the door, but the light was what sold her on the property. “Natural light was No. 1, because you just can’t manufacture that,” she says. “The natural light was the first thing I noticed. It’s good natural light everywhere.”
After that first visit, Broadbent stayed up all night drafting a business plan. “I’m either going to do it exactly how I want or I can’t do it,” she says. She decided to go big, adding a new kitchen and bathroom, new floor and paint, and interior design by Stephanie Pullman.
Half of her vision now realized, Broadbent is focusing on attracting creators and cultivating a community.
“I got into this because I love shooting weddings,” says Broadbent, adding that a result of that is the incredible friendships that she’s made along the way. “I love the community, and this gives me a chance to bring people together, to collaborate, and to be creative.”
