Mother Model Management has taken its name and its business philosophy to the next level with a new live-work space on Locust, where Midtown and Grand Center meet in a confluence of university buildings and art and performance venues that serve as magnets for creative types and their pursuits.
The first floor of the two-story brick building is a spacious setting for photo shoots and runway rehearsals; the second is home to Jeff and Mary Clarke, the husband-and-wife team behind Mother Model Management, the St. Louis–based agency credited with launching the careers of models Karlie Kloss and Grace Hartzel and model-turned-actor Ashton Kutcher. But there’s an open door—and an architecturally interesting staircase and working elevator—between the two floors that Mary Clarke hopes will feel like a second home to the young models she and Jeff mentor.
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“Upstairs is a two-bedroom, two-bath loft with skylights; it feels very urban but still homey. We converted the guest room and added bunk beds so that the models traveling here have a place to stay,” Mary says. “It’s perfect, because Midtown is focused on the design and creative communities, with a lot of people supporting each other. The whole vibe was ideal.”
The couple, who moved into the area last November, are no strangers to work-live arrangements. They’ve run the agency from home since arriving in the St. Louis area in 2001. But when their own children left home, they decided to move out of their basement office and “cookie cutter” suburban home in Dardenne Prairie for a space that offered a better reflection of the company they’ve built and the lives they live today. The two were familiar with the neighborhood, where Jeff’s aunt had run a daycare, and their history and connections made the burgeoning arts district just right, says Jassen Johnson, a real estate agent with Renaissance Development Associates and Tower Real Estate Group, who helped the Clarkes find their new space.
Recently, the couple hosted 25 models from around the country, and then the models quickly became part of the family’s routine, spending time with the Clarke clan, which includes the friends and families of Mary and Jeff’s four children—ranging in age from 22 to 35—and 9-year-old granddaughter Willa Mae Brown.
Mother’s move hasn’t been without challenges, however. Mary selected the interior design elements, which on the mostly open first-floor workspace includes a seating area and gallery display showcasing the agency’s success stories. But she had to take her practiced eye to the second floor, which lacks windows in the kitchen, dining, and living areas. Now, two massive skylights offer natural light, and mirrors maximize their impact.
“We allowed ourselves to live in the loft pretty empty,” says Mary, who was consumed with work-related trips for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show during the first months after moving in. “This allowed us time to find a fit for the spaces.”
Now the Clarkes are settled in and feeding off the energy of the neighborhood, where passersby stop to gaze on scenes more familiar in cities like New York and Paris.
“We couldn’t be happier,” says Mary. “It’s a whole new chapter for us.”
