The new Gooey Louie location at 7719 Clayton Road hits the sweet spot for longtime customers who miss the former location in South City, says owner Debbie Stieferman. All of the gooey butter cakes will continue to be baked at the current shop in West County, at 11266 Olive in Creve Coeur, and transported fresh daily. The hours are variable for the holidays. The shop will be open full time in 2024. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Atmosphere
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Since the company’s founding in 2006, its square golden mascot, Louie, has become instantly recognizable, no matter what flavor clues or holiday accoutrements decorate the packaging. For the new shop, Stieferman kept the signature gold-and-lavender color palette but added refinements that match the ambiance of the surrounding businesses.
The 750-square-foot Clayton space feels larger than it is thanks to its high ceilings, Stieferman says. However, it’s about the same size as the location on Olive. The key difference is that the Clayton store doesn’t have a kitchen, which frees up more space for displays of iconic St. Louis products and gift items ranging from Tums to tissues and candles to chocolates.
Holiday pop-up hours: Tue, Nov. 21: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Wed, Nov. 22: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
December hours: Fri: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sat: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. (through Dec. 23 only)
For pickup orders, call 314-473-1800 or email [email protected]
The Menu
Although shoppers may fill their bags with such goodies as potato chips, socks, and glass ornaments shaped like sticks of butter, the real draw is the gooey butter cakes and cookies. At each shop, Stieferman always tries to stock eight to 10 flavors in individual sizes and half a dozen in the larger cakes.
Classic flavors such as blueberry stay on the menu year-round, but others rotate seasonally. Depending on the time of year, customers might find Mardi Gras cakes or Children of the Corn-inspired Halloween cookies adorned with candy corn. Some cakes have local themes, such as the Turtle Park, Gooey Louie’s second-best seller. It has a chocolate crust, a caramel drizzle, and a sprinkle of Missouri pecans and chocolate across the top. Stieferman is currently working on a Black Forest Park cake that’s “new and a little different.”
For Thanksgiving, flavors this year include pumpkin spice, caramel-snickerdoodle, and orange-cranberry. “I love Christmas—it’s my favorite,” says Stieferman, who’s already planning such flavors as white chocolate-peppermint and hot cocoa, with more in the works.
The creative flavors take time to conceptualize and test, though Stieferman and her small team of half a dozen employees must balance between baking and packaging orders as well. “We bake in smaller batches to ensure everything is fresh daily,” she says. “We do lots of corporate gifts and weddings and lots of shipping.”
The preservative-free cakes have a shelf life of 7 days but can also be refrigerated or frozen, making them an easy-to-send gift for occasions from birthdays to opening day of baseball season.
The Background
Stieferman, who jokingly calls herself “Louie’s personal assistant,” first sold her gooey butter cakes in 2006 at the Best of Missouri Market, where they were an immediate hit.
From 2007 to 2020, Gooey Louie was located on Chippewa in South City. When the landlord decided to expand into her space, Stieferman recalls, she needed to find a new location—not the easiest task during the pandemic. Finally, in 2022, she opened the new shop on Olive.
Because so many customers are former St. Louisans who crave a taste of home, she started to stock locally made products and art by local artists. At the Clayton location, she plans to expand this side of the business even more while still offering plenty of freshly baked cakes and cookies.
