urbanSTL

soulardx wrote: ↑

Aug 26, 2025

symphonicpoet wrote: ↑

Aug 26, 2025

With due respect, I do think there is at least a little room to mourn some of what was lost. Change is innevitable, but one thing I think we're seeing in the Central West End, as real estate prices rise, is the early phases of the sort of sameification that happens in fancy places at the expense of local color. What do whole foods, Shake Shack, First Watch, and even Clementine's and Kaldi's have in common? They're all chains. Sure, Clementine's and Kaldi's are technically local, but they're still chains with no real sense of place that makes them distinct from a Kaldi's in Columbia or a Whole Foods in Columbus. Coffee Cartel and Duffy's were pretty distinctive. What's there now is nice. There's more of it, and that's good. And he sort of misses the point that if (if) the place is a victim, it's a victim of it's own success. But I do think it's okay for us olds to mourn the things we loved that aren't there anymore.

No disrespect taken and I agree. I've often said (perhaps even here) that most of the CWE could be any large city in America.  The mid-rises and retail/food chains (while a sign of success) are NOT uniquely St. Louis at all.  Soulard's redbrick homes and human scale streets? Uniquely STL. The intersection of Lindell and Euclid...anywhere.

Yes, this is why I would say Soulard is our “best” neighborhood and believe it is one of the most unique neighborhoods in the US and certainly one of the most underrated. I don’t think it would be so underrated if it were connected to downtown and not separated by two interstates (or more connected to its historic counterparts across i-55) but be that as it may..

The CWE is great for StL because it attracts the average American consumer/resident in the key 25-49 demographic. We don’t have much of that appeal in the city but the CWE provides that because one of the things that demo is attracted to is notable chain retail (ie lululemon, Jenis, whole foods). Makes it appear to be a “nice” neighborhood to live in. There’s actual less chain retail in the CWE than I’d expect and it’s missing a few specific ones I’m surprised haven’t eaten up leases

The good thing is none of StL commercial streets are dominated by chains (maybe a detriment in the case of downtown). The fact that we think the Loop has had corporate takeover shows how little chains exist in the inner ring and especially the city. It’s still quite small business oriented (though not sure how it’s nightlife has dwindled to so low), esp when I think about popular commercial streets in other cities

Hopefully some new entrepreneurs or new concepts from local successful groups fill in the CWE spots

The chess bar @ Maryland and Euclid is finally getting close. Has been exposed metal studs until recently. 

I dearly miss Coffee Cartel too but didn't they close a while before BlueMercury moved in? I remember when it was just vacant.