St. Louis Kolache closing in Clayton, opening location in O’Fallon, Missouri

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

A bacon, egg, and cheese kolache, one of 30 varieties available at St. Louis Kolache. Several of the options are collaborations with restaurants like Pappy's Smokehouse and Gioia's Deli.

One door closed and another one (or several) opened for Russ Clark, founder of St. Louis Kolache. Clark told SLM that he will close the eight-month-old Clayton location (its third to date) on December 22, but in the same breath added that he just signed a lease for a 1,200-square-foot space at 2001 Highway K in O’Fallon, Missouri, “prime beachfront property,” as he called it the busy thoroughfare.  

Last week, Feast magazine announced Clark’s sister franchise concept, American Kolache, which he hopes to expand to a dozen states. The operator says the first franchise will be located in Edwardsville, Illinois, likely followed by Springfield, Missouri, and a location in Michigan. From a logistics standpoint, Clark says he would like to see locations in the Kansas City and Chicago areas.

Clark says he learned some valuable lessons at the Clayton store. “Our first two stores were located along major traffic arteries,” he said. “Before we franchised, we wanted to try a central business district.” Downtown Clayton, with its dense, day-heavy demographoic, was the perfect fit—he thought. (The bold design pictured below, from Lori McElvain of Lori O Interiors, will be the template for future locations.)

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

The interior of St. Louis Kolache at 21 N. Bemiston in Clayton.

“What we didn’t realize was that Clayton ‘wakes up late,’” he observed. “By the time people start coming in at 8:30 or 9 [a.m.], our other locations have already done a third of their business. I would have sworn we would have done more business as the day progressed, but it didn’t work out that way. In retrospect, it would have been better had we located along one of the roads that lead into Clayton… or the busy Highway K corridor that sees 40,000 cars per day. 

“Kolaches—and breakfast foods in general—can be somewhat impulsive,” he says. “You’re on your way to work, and you’re hungry, so you stop. Our sweet spot is being in a visible, accessible location along those corridors.”