Randy and Jeff Vines see St. Louis just like their new storefront: It’s a work in progress. Since 2001, the twin brothers have been cranking out nostalgic and cheeky T-shirts that embrace the city and promote its endearing idiosyncrasies (Highway Farty, anyone?). Now the 32-year-olds plan to use their shop on Cherokee Street to further their business, brand, and civic aspirations.
It’s early May, and the 1,500-square-foot space appears more like a raw workshop than a well-manicured retail destination. It’s been open since January, but STYLEhouse remains in the spirit of its surroundings—gritty and underground. While the Vineses admit they need to refine the shop’s presentation, they certainly don’t want it to become too polished. “It’s not Clayton,” Jeff quips.
Currently the boutique carries T’s, onesies, hats, stickers, posters, bags, and underwear bearing memorable phrases, such as “Show Me the Mullet” and “Where’d You Go to Pre-School?” Ranging from $15 to $30, the merchandise also is available online at stl-style.com, where expats place orders from around the world—from Australia to Iraq. “We get emails all the time saying, ‘Oh, we just saw someone wearing your Meet Me in St. Louis T-shirt walking down the street in Manhattan,’” says Jeff. “That’s really why we do this—we want to give people a reason to be proud and identify with St. Louis.”
In addition to its Web presence, the brick-and-mortar store allows customers to handpick a blank T-shirt from the rack and pair it with one of more than 40 designs created by Kadie Foppiano, STL-Style’s senior designer. Customers can watch as one of the brothers uses a heat-press machine to create the T in less than a minute.
STL-Style has come together in the midst of an artistic community in South City that’s thus far relatively untouched by big-money developers, as the Vineses describe it. “[Cherokee] embodies everything, all of St. Louis’ potential,” explains Jeff, who recently left a full-time job to devote more time to the shop. “This street is really brimming from the ground up with creative air.”
Raised in suburbia, the Vineses recall making trips to the city while friends sat at Denny’s in Creve Coeur. They believe people bad-mouth the city out of ignorance. “They come downtown only for a Cardinals game,” says Randy, “and they talk about how shitty the city is and move to a sexier place.” Not only do the brothers’ T-shirts cheerlead St. Louis’ urban hipness, they also sometimes promote civic causes. Most recently, STL-Style printed shirts supporting Proposition A to restore and expand the Metro system. And a growing list of clients (including the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Imo’s) is turning STL-Style into more than a side job for the Vines brothers. “This has always been our real passion and our real inspiration,” says Randy. “This is what we are born to do.”
