Joe Edwards reflects on 50 years at Blueberry Hill and more

The St. Louis landmark celebrates the milestone with a party on Thursday, September 8.

by

(An abridged version of this article appears in the September 2022 issue of St. Louis Magazine under the title, "The Duke of Delmar.")

Like many a great rock album, The Joe Edwards Story, when it gets written (and it should), has the potential to become a two-volume set. The master developer and man of a million floral shirts recently sat down with SLM to discuss how and why the Delmar Loop came into existence. And it all began with Edwards’ pop-culture-memorabilia-filled restaurant and music club that’s known around the world. Blueberry Hill turns 50 on September 8. 

How did Blueberry Hill get started? After I graduated from John Burroughs and then Duke, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I had amassed an amazing record collection: 30,000 45-RPM records, all cataloged alphabetically; 12,000 78-RPM records; and a lot of cylinders from before that. The local R&B station would give me the records they would never play, groups like the Beatles. I remember in 1963, getting a promo copy of Please, Please Me, when they were still virtually unknown. I also had several collections of pop-culture memorabilia, so my idea was to open a place where I could display my pop-culture collection, a place with a killer jukebox that I ended up religiously changing every two weeks—all 200 songs—except for one, Fats Domino’s “Blueberry Hill,” which has stayed in the jukebox forever. Billboard magazine, the BBC, Cashbox magazine, Esquire… They all named ours the best jukebox in the United States. One called it the best in the world. The accolades started in the mid-’70s and continue to this day.

How many years out of college were you when you opened Blueberry Hill? A couple. I did a little Army Reserve duty, but I don’t like to talk about age that much, because when I was young, I didn’t want older people not to come [to Blueberry Hill], and now that I’m older, I won’t want the younger people feeling the place might not be right for them. But thankfully, we attract all ages from all walks of life.

What’s a little known fact about Blueberry Hill? I opened Blueberry Hill in two small storefronts—maybe 2,000-square feet—with $10,500 I borrowed from friends. My parents were supportive of me in every way, except when it came to lending me money to open the place. The biggest expenditure—almost a third of the budget—was the $3,000 that I spent on a solid mahogany bar that came out of a bar on Cherokee Street. The arm rail alone is a 20-foor long piece of solid mahogany. 

How big is Blueberry Hill now? I know there are 10 rooms: the bar room, new bar room, dining room, dart room, piano room, the St. Louis Room, the Duck Room, the Elvis room, an outdoor smoking porch, and one more. 

So darts were a big enough deal in the '70s for you to dedicate an entire room to it? It was a draw at the time, and there are still leagues and general interest all around. People like to watch any sport when the competitors are talented and not just mediocre. I could watch the best tiddly winks players if they are really good. The photograph of each year’s dart tourney winner is on the wall—49 photos so far. The 50th will go up after this year’s event, on September 9, 10, and 11, when people from around the country will show up to compete. Blueberry Hill’s is the oldest and longest-running dart tournament in North America. There are bigger tournaments in places like Las Vegas, but ours is distinctive since it’s in a pub setting. We have a sculpture of the world’s largest dart that we haven’t shown an awhile, but it will be showcased in our corner display window during part of our anniversary week. Visually, it’s just awesome.

One distinguishing characteristic at Blueberry Hill is that display window. That was my wife Linda’s idea. I’m guessing the seed was planted with us growing up and remembering Famous Barr’s magical windows. The still scenes or live scenes—which got written up in national publications through the years—changed constantly until the pandemic hit. "Easter Bunny’s Kitchen" (pictured above) had people dressed in pastels dying eggs. In another, we had live people trimming Christmas trees, on a ladder, with Santa just sitting there, observing it all.

In "Woman in Bathtub Full of Ice" (pictured at right), Linda put a mannequin in a tub filled with real-looking but fake ice cubes. She had this peaceful look on her face. I think people cooled off in the summertime just looking at it. "Happy Birthday Martin" was a still life of Martin Luther King’s birthday, with dolls sitting around a table eating cake, which was moving and respectfully cute. People liked the "Flamingo Dinner Party," with pink flamingos and other birds sitting around a table fully set with china, silver, and stemware. The Victorian Valentine (pictured below) was just beautiful. 

Do you have a favorite? There was one called "99 Bottles of Rock & Roll Beer on the Wall," with one [bottle] on the ground, with glitter where the beer had spilled out, based on the beer we had made in 1981. A few years later, Chuck Berry graced the first “Heroes of Rock & Roll Beer” can, then Jerry Lewis, then Bo Diddley. I will recreate Rock & Roll Beer this fall, in conjunction with 4 Hands.  

What do you have planned for Blueberry Hill’s 50th birthday? My thought was not to make it a monthlong thing and put pressure on people to attend this or that event, so we’re just celebrating it on the day, September 8—do a few special things, and if people show up, great. We’re encouraging people to dress up... We’ll have a blue carpet leading into Blueberry Hill, a special photo booth set up with different backdrops, a 10-question trivia contest, door prizes, raffles, a champagne toast. There’ll be a live band or two. We’ll show videos from opening night 50 years ago and video shot from years ago, on our 40th. At the time, we put people’s notes in a time capsule, which we’ll open up, and people can make notes for the time capsule to be opened on the 60th. I really don’t know what to expect, but I do know it will all happen on September 8. Most of the action will occur in the Duck Room.  

Regarding the food at Blueberry Hill, having a good burger makes sense, but one of the best chicken soups in town? We’ve won several best burgers in town awards. The red beans and rice is extremely popular, too, but I’m as proud of our homemade soups as anything else. The gazpacho is great, the chicken soup is excellent, and it’s all consistent, which starts and ends in the kitchen. Our kitchen manager, Gentry Smith, has been with us 40 years. Others, almost as long. Bob Waters since 1984, John Roman since 1987. The bar staff—Becca and Tom—since 1992 and 1996. They’re good people and can attract good people. 

Still, it’s not easy to keep people. What’s your secret? It’s as simple as treating people with respect and consideration, all the time. The Golden Rule: It’s my credo here and in life. If you’re honest and upfront and genuine with people, they respond. I’m comfortable with who I am and what I’ve accomplished. People can throw a brick through my window or toss a brick in the media. I stand by how I’ve lived my life.

When did you know Blueberry Hill was going to make it? In the late 70’s. That’s when I was able to buy the building and protect myself. I never thought I’d get into real estate, or save the Tivoli movie theater, or open The Pageant or Delmar Hall, or build The Moonrise [Hotel] or a mini-golf course. All I really wanted to do was set the tone for the Loop and have it become a safe, welcoming place for businesses to locate and people to walk around and enjoy.

The early days of Blueberry Hill were interesting, to say the least. At the time, the Loop was still rough around the edges, and sometimes at night, I’d have to kick people out. If they were overly rude or out of line, I would not just kick them out, but ban them, for life. That irked some people, to say the least. I was polite and firm and sometimes, not so polite and firm. I spent a lot of money replacing plate glass windows the first few years, but more importantly, I set and reinforced the tone not just of Blueberry Hill, but of the Delmar Loop. I wanted people from all age groups and backgrounds to feel safe and welcome. 

When you started Blueberry Hill, what did you think it was going to be? I like three-dimensional items in display cases, not just posters plastered everywhere. Most places don’t have that. I just hoped people would enjoy them. And because of all those conversation pieces, it became not just a great place for a first date but for a business meeting. One year, we even won best place for a business meeting. It was like, I had that lunch box when I was in fourth grade, somebody else would chime in, and all of the sudden strangers were chatting away. The jukebox was special, too. I said to myself, I knew it was a success when Affton native John Goodman would come in with his friends, plug the jukebox with quarters for hours, play air guitar and sing like crazy. I was thrilled to have created an experiential place that appeals to so many people. The ones I created later—Pin Up Bowl, The Moonrise Hotel, Flamingo Bowl, the upcoming mini-golf project—are cut from the same template.

When did the idea of the photo wall start at Blueberry Hill? I never thought I would put photos up in the first place, because I was really worried that people would think I have an ego problem, but the staff convinced me to do it. I started with six photos, famous musicians that had come through. People liked them and commented on them, so I added more. But I don’t want to keep adding, because I still really like the three-dimensional stuff, so when a new photo needs to be added, I have to take someone else down, sneak them off the wall, which I don’t like doing. 

Lots of memories on those walls… I never thought I would meet one president; I met four. I never thought I would meet the chief justice of the Supreme Court. John Roberts and some federal judges spent two hours here, eating burgers and drinking pitchers of beer. He had one dinner meal in town and chose to eat at Blueberry Hill. I asked if I could have a photo with him, and he obliged, surprisingly. He probably would have been OK with me putting it on the wall, but I didn’t. That one is hanging in my home.

Do you have a top five favorite celebs? The picture of me with Robert Plant on the street reminds me of the entire afternoon we spent together, walking the Loop, just the two of us, with me amazed at how interested he was with it all. Chuck Berry, of course, who entertained here for decades. And Ed Sheeran (pictured at right), who was just a young kid from the UK when he came to the Duck Room. His knowledge of the history of American music was amazing for a 21-year-old, and the show he put on was mesmerizing. John Legend blew everybody’s mind. Jewel was amazing. The Lumineers—wow, what a show that was. Cheap Trick performed here, in the Duck Room, and brought all their high-powered amps, the same stuff they used two nights later in front of 20,000 people; that may have been the loudest the Duck Room ever got. It was exactly the right size room for a little-known soul group, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. When that show was over, everyone was as sweat-covered and spent as if they’d been the ones onstage. Nelly is an awesome performer. His mom brought him here when he was young and stood him on a chair, so he could play the pinball games. 

How did The Duck Room come about? It was part of the last expansion of Blueberry Hill, in 1997. My idea was to build a mid-size room for the Midwest, but keep in mind there was no useable downstairs space at Blueberry Hill, so I cut a hole in the piano room floor, lowered a Bobcat excavator, and for six months, people carried out buckets of dirt and mud. Apparently, that’s only happened twice in St. Louis, and for good reason, [laughs] because it made no financial sense. But I wanted to do it right, with a lot of headroom and a big stage, one that almost spanned the length of the room and having a dressing room—with a bathroom and shower—off the stage, so performers would not have to enter by meandering through the crowd, which makes a big difference with the touring bands. I also had shore power for them outside on the side street, so they could plug in their bus while they performed. My goal for the 340-seat Duck Room—and the Pageant and Delmar Hall, for that matter—was to make the experience the best it could be for the performers and for their guests. There is something going on in the Duck Room probably four nights a week.

When did the Delmar Loop become more of a mission than just a business opportunity? In 1988, I founded the nonprofit St. Louis Walk of Fame, not just to highlight great St. Louisans but also to let people around the country know that St. Louis is home to some of the people who have influenced every aspect of our culture, on a national or international level. Except for New York, Philly, and Boston, St. Louis may be the most impactful city from a cultural standpoint. It was important for me to let people know that, here and everywhere.

Did you make the decision regarding who made the Walk of Fame and who didn’t? We had and have a diverse selection committee—over 50 percent of it women—so we can find the people who were lost in local history. There are some really cool people in the Walk that I’d never heard about, and they’re giants in their fields, and there are people coming up that are as great as the ones already in. There might be a ceremony or two yet in 2022, but most will happen next year. And then we’ll be caught up. 

Are there Walks of Fame in other cities? They weren’t common but are getting more so, people thinking, Hey, our city is significant enough, we should do this. So delegations visit here all the time, asking about various aspects, like why I use informational plaques –not just stars. You see just the name, and you don’t know if they were a silent film star, a musician, or a great scientist. So we went with a short, capsulized bio. It adds so much more to it. The plaques are bronze and the stars are brass, so they shine little brighter.

In 2015, a book followed, St. Louis Walk of Fame: 146 Great St. Louisans. Right, a reference book for those who can’t visit or want to revisit. We also supplied it free to every middle and high school library in the six-county region, to instill pride in the region. And the fact that it’s cross-referenced by Field of Achievement, Year of Election, Date of Ceremony, Street Address, and Month and Day of Birth adds so much. 

When did you start acquiring real estate? I never thought I’d do anything more than fix up Blueberry Hill’s building. Then, in 1994, I read where the Tivoli Theatre was closing forever, and I ended up buying it. The upper three floors of the four-story building had been condemned for nine years. There were chunks of poured cast concrete that were falling on sidewalk. The whole building was in deplorable shape, but it was an architecturally significant building that I felt shouldn’t be abandoned. The city of U. City exercised eminent domain and tried to buy it, but the owner rejected their offer and won. They wouldn’t pay basically what I ended up paying for it. I try to renovate buildings and build new ones in a first-class way. I had 200 different mouldings made of the different elements, including the ropings and the latticework, so it was in as good or better shape than when it opened in 1924. It took a year to get the theater open and another year to convert the impractical tiny apartments upstairs into office space. I don’t build as many projects as other people do. I would rather spend money on places then have them last. So after finishing the Tivoli project and then The Pageant, I decided that for everything I did from that point on, I was going to risk everything, and if it didn’t work, I’d lose everything.

So you rolled the dice with every project? Pretty much, yes. Everything had to work, each time. I tried to be sensible, but these projects were risky. Even the City of U. City ended up passing on the Tivoli.

Did the public embrace the Tivoli’s reopening? When it reopened in 1995, there was a parade down Delmar, with people dressing up as Laurel and Hardy and different movie stars. That’s when the metropolitan area realized that the Delmar Loop was going to make it, that the Loop was here to stay. Until that point, it was still pretty iffy.

What else of significance was there besides Blueberry Hill and the Tivoli? Vintage Vinyl and Paul’s Books had been there for awhile. Cicero’s took over where Maryland Café was, and 19 years later moved into the Paul’s space. By 1994 or so, Streetside Records had moved in. It was important to have a mix of businesses, so pedestrians could walk and window shop. On certain buildings, I insisted on a mix, or no restaurants, like the Tivoli building. Does that produce as much rent? No. Is that what makes the Loop really interesting? Yes. I think the Loop ended up with more restaurants and a wider area of cuisines than any area in the Midwest, plus the little shops and boutiques.  

When did the renovation begin east of Skinker? In 2000, I realized that the area wasn’t as pedestrian-safe as it should be because what was happening east of Skinker. At the same time, I realized that the area didn’t have a medium sized, 2000 capacity concert venue, so I built a concert nightclub that would attract bands and the public. I wanted it to be the same scale as the Tivoli, so I built a multi-story building with offices on the top floors. [Laughs.] Anyone else would have spent far less and put up a one-story building. As it ended up, The Pageant attracted artists like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton. 

When did the one of the “10 Best Streets in America” accolade get bestowed upon Delmar Boulevard? When the American Planning Association decided they were going to start awarding that to 10 streets in America—this was in 2007—and Delmar was included in the first year, partly because we spanned the city-county border and had a lot of women-owned and minority-owned businesses. The APA doesn’t pass these awards out freely, without doing a lot of research. For one, the street must have both character, impact, and lasting value. It added gravitas to the reputation of the Delmar Loop.

What’s something that people may not know about one of your projects? People know about the Moonrise Hotel but might have forgotten—or never known—that in one of the cases is one of the rarest space items from 1969—astronaut Mike Collins’ personal patch—from the same trip to the moon when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first men to set foot on it. I was so happy with the interior design—with all the cases full of moon and space memorabilia—but the exterior was a boring rectangular box. I decided to build the world’s largest man-made rotating moon—10-feet tall and 3000 pounds, painted ivory color on one side and grey on the other, with its power coming from the sun. It was and still is a unique design element for a unique hotel. On the rooftop terrace, as part of the indoor/outdoor Twilight Room, which was added later, part of its roof is built out of solar panels, not topped with solar panels, which was easy to do. I don’t think that had been done anywhere in the country. That solar section powers the entire sixth, seventh, and eighth floors. The Moonrise was also the first to install commercial electric charging stations for cars. Some pretty good trivia there.

The Moonrise’s rooftop is also one of the few outdoor places in town to see an unobstructed sunset. In parts of July and August, you can also watch the sun setting and turn around to see the full moon coming up. It’s like, Whoa, where are we?

How did the Pin-Up Bowl come about? I like the intimacy of eight bowling lanes, and one night I was thinking of that, and bowling pins, and bowling ephemera, and pin-up art, which I’ve always liked. There are some Esquire magazine fold outs, demure ones, that are wholesome and wonderful, but when I realized the ones I had were all of Caucasian women, I commissioned an artist to paint six inclusive pin-ups, all tasteful, of course. There are wooden bowling balls, some with two holes and some with none. We pay homage to Homer Simpson, who spent a good deal of time bowling. There’s so much to see there, for any age.

The Peacock Diner is an amazing place as well. That neon sign with the flowing feathers won a ‘best sign in the world’ award early on. The three dining counters built at different heights is unusual. Lots of diner memorabilia there, obviously... And after we reduced the hours from 24 to something more reasonable, it’s become much more manageable and consistent.

Let’s talk about the trolley. The sad truth about the trolley is that its missteps were not St. Louis’ fault or St. Louisans’ fault. Physically, the cars are beautiful, but they did have mechanical problems. You need dependable service times to get an endeavor like this off the ground, and that’s just happening now. The project still hasn’t begun the way it was designed to, in my opinion. Its start got stalled.

Now Bi-State Development Agency has stepped in. What effect will that have? I’m grateful that Bi-State has taken over operations. Their expertise will become a valuable piece of the puzzle.

In any case, the trolley project started and stopped several times. What do you say to the naysayers? More people say to me every day that they can’t wait until it’s back—keep going, keep pressing. And we will. St. Louis needs to not give up on things. It should be emphasized that no businesses closed because of the trolley construction. Not one. If the negative people say that, they’re wrong, but it is true that sales did diminish at some places when the construction was directly in front of their business. It's also true that fixed-track rail attracts investment, which has already happened. The Delmar Divine opened this August. Ben Poremba is putting a deli in there. There are two huge apartment developments near the Forest Park station that are ready to open. My thought was always that the trolley be the prototype of how to connect neighborhoods to one another, to Metrolink and to other transit, which has appeal to a broad range of people: young people, old people, working class people, and tourists. Transit is a key part of communities in America. We have to address it in order to make our city better, as other cities have.

Why was there never any talk of cross promotion between the Trolley and the amenities in Forest Park? We’ve never been able to do cross promotions with the zoo, the Science Center, the [Saint Louis] Art Museum, and the [Missouri] History Museum, simply because we’ve never been able to promise dependable times to connect with the circulator there. With Bi-State’s involvement, I think we are almost to that point. We’ve assembled a five-person board—the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District—to keep the project moving forward and perfect it.

If the project, for whatever reason, doesn’t take off, would you support alternate uses, like hosting private parties on the cars? The Federal Transit Administration dictates that cars must be used primarily for transportation, and that anything that happens on the trolley has to be open to everybody and not be used for food or beverage consumption. The FTA is persnickety about food and open beverage cans on board, so you can’t have a private rental, or bar cars, wine bars, or rotating food concepts. Now there can be wine service and ice cream and food at the stops, just not on board. Non-transportation use is limited to things like musicians performing and magicians doing magic tricks. 

But the development along Delmar continues. Talk about the mini-golf project, which got stalled during the pandemic. Magic Mini Golf is being built on a vacant lot next to a former church, which I saved from demolition. [There will be] 18 holes of indoor miniature golf, another experiential place where no experience or expertise is necessary. And there are two lanes of shuffleboard and a five-car, 18- to 20-foot-tall Ferris wheel that I picked up from the Muny Opera five years ago, when they closed out a show called All Shook Up. I’ve collected lots of golf and magic memorabilia, so this’ll be another fun place for parties. And the sign will knock your socks off. That’s all I’ll say besides it should open early next year.

Which is when the trolley should be in full swing? Beginning in early August, one car was slated to become operational four days a week for three months. The system will close for the winter, then start with full service in the spring, with two fully operational cars and a backup. On hearing that news, one person commented on there being “a happy ending.” I told them it was more like a happy future.

Sign up for St. Louis Magazine's weekly dining newsletter to keep up with the latest in the local restaurant scene.
Or, check out all of our newsletters.