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Courtesy of Union Studio
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Courtesy of Union Studio
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Courtesy of Union Studio
Why did Union Studio co-owners Sarah Kelley and Mary Beth Bussen decide to open a second location of their unique gift shop?
“That's a question we've asked ourselves a lot,” Kelley says with a laugh. The duo has been working 12-hour days to launch a Webster Groves location in Old Orchard, which officially opened its doors at 8137 Big Bend last Wednesday.
“The truth is, it was a great opportunity,” Kelley says of expanding their shop, which focuses on selling and showcasing the work of more than 120 St. Louis makers and creatives. “When someone presents you with an opportunity to do more for those artists—to sell more, introduce more people to their work—that's not really an opportunity to be ignored.”
Courtesy of Union Studio
The second location will carry much of the original's, including leather goods, ceramics, jewelry, candles, and other handmade items. Of those artists, work from Carrie Gillen, Ben Pierce, Eugenia Alexander, Jade Babcock, Katie Donovan, and more adorn the new space's walls. In contrast to the original location, at 1605 Tower Grove (where plaster walls didn't allow for Kelley and Bussen to properly hang artwork) this location has ample space to display more fine art. While they are quick to note that they're not a gallery, they do want to offer customers more art and wall décor.
The work itself might differ between the flagship and new location, and they hope it will continue to become its own shop as it grows and reflects the community of Webster Groves.
Introducing the location, like nearly everything this year, was met with delays and setbacks. The shop was originally slated to open in May, since planning the expansion in fall of 2019. Then they closed their Tower Grove location for six months to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.
But they decided they should move forward: "We realized our customers were still interested in supporting all of these local artists, and artists were still ready to do it," Bussen says. "They were still ready to produce the amount of work needed to have two locations."
In all, the store gives Bussen and Kelley more chances to introduce St. Louisans to local artists they've never seen displayed before, or ones that have become favorites. But most of all it provides a space to support more local talent.
