1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
“There used to be skorts on there,” Parker’s Table owner Jonathan Parker says as he points at one of his store's walls.
The moveable wall (it’s on rollers like the shelves and bar nearby) came from a Fashion Bug in Eureka. In his spare time—which isn’t much these days with the relatively new store, re-opened in Richmond Heights, three years after the original Parker’s Table in Clayton closed—Parker likes to drive through the city’s alleys and see what’s there. Various tables and chairs were pulled from dumpsters near the store, and several light fixtures come from locations as disparate as The Chase Park Plaza and Chesterfield Mall. Parker enjoys putting things together and bringing them back to life, something he’s done for both the space (an old post office, still outfitted with a secret postal inspector’s tower) and his previous business.
If you haven’t visited Parker’s Table recently, you might only be familiar with Phase 1. In the last few months, the store has changed considerably. Its wine selection, for example, is really more American than Italian. And thanks to Jon Dickinson, who worked at the original store as well as at Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar, the spirits program continues to grow, offering many of the same products used by well-known mixologists like Taste's Ted Kilgore. Look for Dickinson’s talents not only in the spirits and beer sections, but also on store signs and promotional materials, which he designs.
Phase 2 includes the store’s expansion from the retail space into a second room, lit with a generous skylight, which houses the recycled tables and chairs mentioned earlier as well as that wall from the Fashion Bug, on which teas and local honeys from Joy Stinger and Greg Rannells sit. A cheese case featuring area favorites, Baetje and Marcoot, as well as imports, will soon force Parker’s record collection (yes, vinyl) and player to a new destination. Rounding out Phase 2 is pasta imported from the Abruzzo region in Italy. We took home some farro pasta, prepared it according to Parker’s instructions (olive oil and butter), and paired it with his recommendation, an Arco Nova Vinho Verde, for a perfectly satisfying summer repast.
Parker isn’t ready yet to reveal specifics about Phase 3, which will involve the kitchen space beyond the second room. That's OK with us for now. Sitting at the recycled table, listening to jazz, surrounded by wine, pasta, honey, and chocolates, with an Oriental rug underfoot, we felt a little like we were in a salon from 1920s Paris—if Gertrude Stein had brought home fixtures from the local flea market. Such an analogy, fixtures notwithstanding, might suggest a certain level of pretension that sometimes accompanies a wine store, but you’ll find none of that here. “The wine is as special to me as the oil or pasta or pickles or whatever—it’s all about the table and how it works together," Parker explains. "Wine is just another ingredient for the table, for the whole experience. I like to make atmosphere and help people take that home and make it for themselves." He adds that he’s happy to order products for customers if they're not already in stock.
With his quiet, measured responses, punctuated by long pauses that were never awkward, Parker is like that favorite college professor who stays well after class because students want to hear more, as one topic gives way to another. Sitting on his computer screen at the checkout counter, for example, was a 1903 map showing a park that used to exist where Hi-Pointe Theatre is today. Why? Because it’s interesting, historical, and reveals how invested he is in the area. Explaining why he has hung back a bit on marketing the store, Parker jokes that he still has to learn how to Tweet, and then turns more serious as he explains, “First impressions mean a lot to people.”
We’re impressed and think you will be, too.
Visit Parker’s Table’s website for details on weekly Saturday wine tastings and upcoming events, including an August 15 dinner prepared by Kitchen Kulture with wines from the store, as well as an August 16 Perennial Artisan Ales tasting paired with nonprofit group Perennial. Also forthcoming is a wine club, for which Parker is already taking names.
Parker's Table
7118 Oakland
Richmond Heights
(314) 645-2050
Mon-Sat, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
