MoModerne's Anna Weiss moves her shop to City Foundry STL

Weiss plans to incorporate a more accessible price point into her inventory and carry the work of local artists.

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MoModerne trades in groovy older things: George Nelson slatted platform benches. Hans Wegner W2 chairs with the original caning. Blue Marimekko circle-patterned fabric lamps. But to shop owner Anna Weiss, her historic brick-and-mortar space in Webster Groves was beginning to feel stagnant. Earlier this year, Weiss celebrated MoModerne’s ninth anniversary as a standalone shop. It was a great home, she says, but “I think we squeezed the last drop of creativity out of it. It was feeling a bit too warehouse-reminiscent.” 

Then came a moment of decision: The owner of the Webster building texted Weiss to say he was selling. She had 30 days to decide whether to purchase the building or move. After pondering her options, Weiss decided that a fresh start would be best. But where would she go?

Luckily, Weiss knew where to turn for help in writing her store’s next act. A few years earlier, representatives from City Foundry STL, the ambitious redevelopment of the old Century Electric company manufacturing center in Midtown, had approached her. They’d wanted MoModerne to open a retail location in their new dining-and-shopping experience. She’d liked the idea of the development but hadn’t been ready to move to the city. But now things were different.

Weiss met with Will Smith, managing director with New + Found, the company that operates the Foundry, and looked at a few places within the development. She chatted with Foundry tenants—Katie May of May’s Place, purveyor of vintage clothing, and Maggie Hake of Golden Gems, which sells feminism-inspired goods—and decided she’d found her store’s new home. She picked space No. 188, a well-lit corner that’s a bit smaller than her old store but whose high ceilings, wall of windows, and open floor plan make it feel larger. On June 16, Weiss opened her new Foundry brick-and-mortar (3730 Foundry Way). 

Although the old and new stores are different in many ways, Weiss sees an intention of preservation in each. The old MoModerne was a Walter Knoll Florist shop between the 1950s and 1990s. When Weiss moved in, she found the original terrazzo floors under sad beige tile and drab light fixtures. She channeled the vibe of architect Erwin Knoesel, who designed Tropicana Lanes in Richmond Heights, and uncovered the terrazzo, made the original wall tile a focal point, and added period-appropriate lighting and an Eames mural. Preservation is part of the Foundry development’s mission, and Weiss likes that the original brick in her new home is intact (and, fortunately, hasn’t been painted over) and graffiti is incorporated into the design. 

Weiss says she’ll miss the strong neighborhood following she built over her years in Webster. Many customers popped by weekly on their errands to see what was new, and MoModerne furnished homes in Ridgewood, the Midcentury neighborhood behind the shop, for nine years. Weiss hopes that her regulars will follow her to the city, but she’s also dreaming that the location—which she describes as more of a community and a destination—will attract new design lovers, perhaps younger enthusiasts from the surrounding universities or the IKEA shoppers across the street. (You can see the Scandi chain’s blue-and-gold sign from her side window, Weiss points out.) 

“I’d love to see students who go to the Foundry to see a movie at the Alamo [Drafthouse] wander in, or city residents who haven’t visited the store for a while because we were in the county,” she says. “We’re looking forward to new faces because of the diversity of interests that the location has to offer.” 

Weiss plans to incorporate a more accessible price point into her inventory and carry the work of local artists in such media as pottery, paint, textiles, and florals in anticipation of the new clientele. She adds: “In 2014 [when the shop opened], it was frowned upon to mix vintage with modern. What I’m most excited about is integrating new artisan pieces and modern one-off designs with classics like Knoll and Dunbar.”

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