COURTESY OF GOLDEN GEMS
From left: Amanda Helman and Susan Logsdon
A letterboard commands the attention of passersbys with its sassy yet empowering sayings: “Be the girl who decided to effing go for it.” “You are f–king magic.” The mantras, from sisters Amanda Helman and Susan Logsdon, echo the ethos of feminine powerhouse store Golden Gems.
The sisters opened their gift shop of sorts on Cherokee Street in 2017, after first launching their popular Etsy page. You may know the brand for its quotable T-shirts, wall art, key tags—and as a staple of St. Louis' creative community. The sisters recently left their roots for new opportunities in Midtown, at 3108 Locust.
“We wanted an intentionally custom space and experience for new shoppers that are big, bold, and unapologetic,” the 34-year-old Logsdon said as she and her 30-year-old sister walked through their new space this past summer. They wore dark denim and summery tops, their intricate tattoos on full display.
The sisters chose Midtown for its bustling atmosphere and accessibility, which will be amplified when the stadium and downtown development for St. Louis’ inaugural MLS team, St. Louis SC, is complete. The building, which previously housed concert venue Fubar and then Red Flag, has an entirely pink exterior. The sisters spent much of the summer and early fall moving there while keeping their flagship store on Cherokee Street open—and handling an extra two months in construction delays. Family and friends also helped with the finishing touches before the store opened in late October.
Today, the 5,600-square-foot shop has an open layout. Brick walls are accented with red and pink, as well as hand-painted brand motifs like checkered plaid and oranges, reminiscent of the orange groves where they grew up in Florida, on Golden Gem Road. The new location has also been designed to host a main retail space that’s decked out like a disco ball, as well as fitting rooms and a custom pink velvet photobooth from Nashville-based Majestic Photobooth Co. The sisters even hired local artist Emily Keefauver to curate an art installation that showcases the brand’s products. Beyond the customer-facing area, there's also a shipping area and much-needed storage in the basement—all today, nearly five times as much space as the original location.
Golden Gems now offers an expanded selection of St. Louis–made inventory, including fall apparel, woven blankets, and duffle bags. There's also a new line of Golden Gems’ best-selling key tags and journals, as well as insulated cooler totes, travel mugs, and tumblers. The sisters would eventually like to host events and collaborate with their neighbors and fellow small businesses. They envision the Midtown store becoming a community enclave for local creatives, in the same spirit as the flagship location.
In fact, the sisters still feel connected to the South City neighborhood. “It’s important to us because we feel really invested in Cherokee Street," Helman says. "We wanted to make sure that that space wasn’t going to stay empty for a while, so we reached out to a few businesses that we knew.” A women-owned resale shop, Assassin Vintage, will be taking Golden Gems’ former home at 3156 Cherokee Street.
“They’re kind of in that space that we were in three years ago, where we hadn’t had a brick-and-mortar," Helman says. "It’s a dream for them, and it’s really exciting to be a part of their journey and to be able to pass it along to the next person to grow and flourish.”
