Imo’s in Clayton moves to a nearby location on Maryland Avenue

Late last week, the Clayton location of Imo’s Pizza moved just a half mile west, from 23 N. Bemiston to a new building across the street from Caleres headquarters, at 8337 Maryland. The previous location had a 92-seat dining room—the biggest of any of Imo's locations—while the new location is pickup and delivery only.

“Very few stores even have dining rooms,” says John Imo, son of founders Marge and Ed Imo and co-owner of the Clayton location, “so this is more in keeping with the rest of the locations.”

While Imo acknowledges the better visibility afforded by the Maryland Avenue address, he says he’ll miss the dining room. “It’s not that it was busy all the time,” he says, “but when another store got a request to do an in-store party or event, Clayton often got the call.” 

Imo says the move and the departure from a dining room was not a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early last year, the store was notified that the Bemiston property was slated to be part of a hotel and condo development and had a year to vacate. “We eventually found a spot we liked on Maryland, signed a lease, and started making plans to build it out and move,” he says. (As SLM reported in March, according to a source who's familiar with the project that would have impacted the Bemiston location, that “proposal has been withdrawn, and there is no new plan in place.") Imo is confident that the increased visibility and efficiencies of a smaller store will pay off in the long run.

"We knew we were going to have to move out eventually," says partner Dave Glore. "We were on a month to month agreement. We just got out ahead of it and with less pressure."

Marge and Ed Imo founded the now-iconic Imo's Pizza in 1964 in a small storefront at Thurman and Shaw in South City. They had six children who helped grow the business to more than 100 company-owned and franchised stores. Under the direction of Carl Imo, who took over operations in 2014, the company has made advancements in several areas, including warehouse management, online ordering, and new product introduction.

This spring, the company introduced two colorful menu additions: a new vegetarian pizza, with creamy garlic sauce, broccoli, spinach, red onion, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and Provel; and a chicken garden salad with blackened chicken strips and baby spinach.