The team behind Parlor arcade bar is moving the joystick forward on a second project in The Grove: Takashima Records, a cocktail lounge and record label centered around Japanese and American art.
“The focus is on the cocktail list, offering both classic and designer drinks with artistic Precision,” co-owners Casey Colgan and Sean Baltzell said in a news release. “But the vinyl sets the tone. Local, national, and international DJs put music on display with no limit to genre.”
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The idea for the lounge stemmed from time that Baltzell, a tattoo artist (pictured at right), spent in Tokyo, where vinyl stores that double as bars are popular. (His focus is large-scale traditional Japanese tattooing.)
“I simply had to bring this experience back to St. Louis for all to enjoy,” says Baltzell, age 36, who also owns Tower Classic Tattooing, Knife & Flag Aprons, and Union Barber Shop. They hope to open in late 2019 in the Chroma luxury apartment complex (4041 Chouteau), on the east end of The Grove.
Takashima will share ground-floor space with two restaurants—Chao Baan and Seoul Taco—slated to open in mid-2019.
The space will feature more than “5,000 records on display, re-pressed vinyl releases, handcrafted woodwork framing up the interior décor and vibrant, flash art cues [to] create a timeless aesthetic that is warm and inviting,” the release states.
As to the record shop part of the vision, the owners say they plan on “curating playlists and digging up old St. Louis artists and re-releasing their music.”
Colgan has spent much of his time bartending and managing at nightlife destinations in The Grove, including Atomic Cowboy, HandleBar, and The Ready Room.
Takashima will feature a “selection of small fare creations” and a beer menu that’s “limited yet satisfying, featuring highly sought-after releases, seasonals, local and global selections. A well-curated wine list balances the extensive back bar of premium spirits.”
“We strive to be authentic in everything we do,” Colgan stated in the release. “If we stay true to the cocktails and present them in a way St. Louis hasn’t seen, we think we’re going to be alright.”
