People know the six-block stretch of South Grand Boulevard from Arsenal to Utah streets for many things: its restaurants, with their diversity of global influences; the quirky shops that offer everything from used books to sex toys; and the walkable streetscape. It’s the international heart of the city, with 23 immigrant-owned businesses from 15 countries. But the district has never had a real brand—until now.
This weekend, South Grand’s two intertwined booster organizations (the South Grand CID and the South Grand Cultural Alliance) will unveil its new branding, with the tagline Eclectic is Electric. Replacing a 15-year-old logo that proclaimed “A Flavor All Its Own,” the brand seeks to celebrate a street that offers not just dining, but also nightlife and, increasingly, space for creative workers.
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One of them is Caroline May, whose agency dreamed up the brand and who lives in Tower Grove South. When she and her partners split off from a bigger ad agency to launch Grown Agency, they found office space on South Grand. “I wanted to make a place that people were excited to come to and spend time in, because I knew we wouldn’t be successful unless we wanted to all be together,” she says. “This was a place that I knew people would want to be in. And that’s proved true.” She’s also been excited to network with other entrepreneurs on the street. “It’s funny, you think of the ground level of South Grand, because that’s what you’re walking past. But there’s an entire little economy upstairs.”
Rachel Witt, executive director of the two neighborhood associations, says the new brand is accompanied by uplighting on six major buildings within the district. It’ll also be incorporated into 14 new wayfinding signs, to be designed by architecture firm Arcturis. Those should be ready by the fall of 2025.
Witt says the idea of a new brand was something she hadn’t thought about before May brought up the idea. “I’m a one-person staff, and I juggle a lot in a day, and some things take the back burner. You’re just like, ‘Oh, we’re not going to worry about that. It is what it is. We’ll just keep what we have.’ And then seeing Caroline’s excitement and her team’s excitement—it’s like, sometimes you get into a rut and you need that breath of fresh air from people.”
Why It Matters: Tower Grove South and Tower Grove East, which flank the commercial district, have become sought-after neighborhoods in part because people want proximity to locally owned restaurants and indie shops. Witt believes all the pieces are there to take things to a new level. She notes that in her 18 years on the job, the neighborhood’s average household income has doubled, adding, “When I first started here, there were no strollers on Grand. Now I have strollers everywhere, and it’s amazing. It’s just like, everything comes together.”
What’s Next: The new site goes live at southgrand.org on September 23. But first, the brand launches within the community at this weekend’s Fall Fest. May is hoping that businesses will be excited about the Instagram-ready stickers being offered as part of the campaign. She says, “I can’t wait for people to use it and interact with it.”
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story referred imprecisely to the two groups that commissioned the new brand for South Grand. They are not neighborhood associations, but rather a taxing district that maintains local improvements and a nonprofit that oversees the events and public art. We regret the error.
