A popular St. Louis cocktail brand is bringing its beverages to the metro east – and bringing some new faces into the mix. Narwhal’s Crafted has announced plans for a location in downtown Edwardsville, slated to open at 400 N. Main in late October. This will be Narwhal’s fourth location, but unlike its other three corporately owned stores, the Edwardsville spot will be its first franchise store.
“Over the years, Brad [Merten] and I have been looking at how we wanted to grow and expand this St. Louis brand,” says Narwhal’s co-founder Brandon Holzhueter. “We settled on the fact that franchising would be the right model for us because we value local and involved ownership, and the idea of trying to be that in multiple stores in different geographic areas wouldn’t be possible. We found those owners in Ashley and Shawn [Beach], who are already fans of the brand.”
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
The New Franchisees
Describing Narwhal’s as a “destination type bar,” Holzheuter explains that he and Merten realized early on that expansion meant looking at markets outside of the St. Louis area, and they would not be able to be as hands-on, day-to-day as they would like to be.
They looked into franchising the brand, something they had not aggressively pursued, but hoped would happen organically with the right prospective franchisees. They found this in the Beaches, who were both superfans of the brand and looking to start their own business in Edwardsville. It was an instant connection.
“We didn’t want this to just be a business transaction,” says Beach. “We want to be friends and partners and learn from each other.”
As the Beaches explain, their arrangement with Narwhal’s was serendipitous. After spending several years working for Gateway Classic Cars where they grew into leadership roles as the company grew, the husband and wife were looking to start something of their own. Their initial plan was to become Scooter’s Coffee franchisees, and they got so far along in the process – all the way to final approval – that they decided to go out for a celebratory cocktail. The place they chose to toast their new venture was a favorite haunt: Narwhal’s.
“We were sitting there and saying that it would be cool if Narwhal’s offered franchise opportunities because we love it so much,” says Ashley. “Shawn looked it up, and it turned out that they did. We were 48 hours away from signing everything for Scooter’s, and we decided to pause everything. Scooter’s felt like a business venture. Our soul just wasn’t in it in the same way. Narwhal’s feels like home.”
The New Location
The Beaches, who are metro east natives, and the Narwhal’s team entered into a franchise agreement in May of 2023 and spent nearly two years looking for the perfect spot. They knew they wanted to be in Edwardsville, but they wanted a very specific feel in the space – less strip mall and more main street charm. After a lengthy search, they found that in a storefront in the heart of the city’s downtown, right next to the forthcoming Salt+Smoke, which is also slated to open later this year.
The Beaches and Holzheuter emphasize that the experience at the new location will feel no different than the other Narwhal’s. The space will have the same motif and align with the average size of the other three locations – a little larger than the Midtown store; a touch smaller than the Chesterfield one. The interior is a little over 3,000 square-feet, and the outside boasts a similar sized patio shared with Salt+Smoke. Like the other Narwhal’s locations, guests can expect fire pits, sidewalk seating, and a similar relaxing feel.
“It will be the same drinks and business model,” says Shawn Beach. “If you look at the Narwhal’s website you will see Edwardsville on it. We are going to follow their same brand standards, have the same drink selections, and the same policies and procedures like being pet-friendly and kid-friendly until 7 p.m. We want it to feel the same no matter which location you go to.”
While Narwhal’s itself will not provide food service, Holzheuter and Merten have already been in conversation with the folks at Salt+Smoke to devise a collaborative arrangement. Like the other Narwhal’s locations that partner with adjacent food businesses, they anticipate having a Salt+Smoke QR code available to patrons to have food delivered to tables inside the bar. Likewise, the Beaches hope to have Narwhal’s QR codes available (at least on the patio) to Salt+Smoke patrons.
The Backstory
Holzheuter and Merten founded Narwhal’s in 2016 as a way to marry the whimsy of frozen drinks with the elevated approach of craft cocktails. Their first location in Midtown was an instant success, prompting the pair to expand their brand to Chesterfield and St. Charles, where they opened a themed sister concept next door, Loaded Elevated Nachos.
Ashley and Shawn Beach found successful careers at Gateway Classic Cars, starting at the operation when it was a small, seven-employee venture and helping it grow into a large company that boasts locations in 20 different states. Their hope is that Narwhal’s – the first business they’ve owned – will add to the Edwardsville dining scene by providing an elevated cocktail lounge experience right in the residents’ backyards.
“Southern Illinois doesn’t have that huge nightlife scene, so people looking for that have had to go to St. Louis,” says Ashley. “It’s booming here and really is a lively city that keeps expanding so this feels like the right fit.”
