Author: robyndexter

Happily Ever After Stories

Happily Ever After: Lee Marvin and the Whitlow-Raczkowski Family

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Once upon a time, a community member in East St. Louis was moving, but couldn’t take the household dog. The blue heeler/pit bull mix ended up at Gateway Pet Guardians last February, and it was difficult to find a family because of his struggles with separation anxiety and being crated. He had a hard time at the shelter, and the Gateway team rooted for him constantly, hoping to help match him with his forever family.

Meanwhile, Betha Whitlow and David Raczkowski were also having a challenging 2018. Raczkowski’s father passed away unexpectedly, and the family’s pit bull started declining in health – they lost him in November at age 15. Though the couple was mourning the loss of two important family members, Whitlow “recognized [they] had space in their hearts for a new dog.”

Whitlow was drawn to Gateway for two main reasons: the staff’s knowledge of the dogs in their care and how seriously they take the matchmaking process. She and her husband knew they were looking for an adult dog that was good with people, other dogs and cats. With that set of criteria, they were willing to handle other issues that potentially came with the dog.

Whitlow saw a dog named Mr. Bruno on Gateway’s website and immediately gravitated toward his expressive face and “giant bat ears.” She put in an application to do a weeklong trial with the pup, and they knew right away that he was a keeper. After 327 days at Gateway, the pup found his forever home.

“Though we thought he had severe separation anxiety, it seemed like he was just stressed out from a kennel environment,” Whitlow says. “He doesn’t mind when we leave and isn’t destructive.”

The couple decided to rename Mr. Bruno at the request of Raczkowski.

“My husband always wanted to name a dog Lee Marvin,” Whitlow says. “He was less ready to adopt than I was initially. I told him he could name the dog Lee Marvin, and it turns out it suits him well.”

Lee Marvin didn’t have the easiest life before he came to Gateway or the Whitlow-Raczkowski family. He was abandoned twice and had been dumped on the side of the road with no food or water. When he first arrived at Gateway, he tested heartworm-positive and experienced all kinds of complications with the treatment. Whitlow says she admires his resiliency and often thinks about the journey he went on to get to their family.

“It’s amazing to watch him realize little pleasures like lying in the sun,” she says. “He’s super passionate about walks and loves car rides more than any dog I’ve ever met in my life. He likes to play with his rope and is currently in day training at No Leash Needed. He’s loving it and is so eager to please.”

Lee Marvin is also good with the family’s other four-legged friends.

“Our other dog, Ben, is 10,” Whitlow says. “While the energy match isn’t the same, they’re pretty inseparable. And our cat doesn’t mind him in the least.”

In the few months they’ve had him, Whitlow says Lee Marvin has been a total blessing for their family.

“He’s brought so much joy back into our house,” she says. “It was sad to come home and have that empty space, but Lee Marvin has more than filled it up – and he’s filled it up in his own way. We’re excited to give him the life he deserves.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

The Wheel Deal

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Years ago, Jennifer and Dave Kube bought a 1963 Airstream trailer so they could take their then-2-year-old on outdoor adventures with ease.

After a few expeditions, Jennifer Kube, a hairstylist, began to wonder if an Airstream could be converted into a mobile hair salon. She’d been in the business for nearly a decade at that point and saw similar concepts popping up on the West Coast, including a San Diego franchise. Intrigued, Jennifer Kube flew to California to see what the fuss was all about – and came back more motivated than ever to make her vision of creating the Midwest’s first mobile hair salon a reality.

After discussing the idea with her husband, they decided to keep their family Airstream and locate a new one to be converted to the salon. Some searching led them to a potential unit just outside of Kansas City.

“Someone had bought [a 1967 Airstream] and was trying to fix it up to take for family travel,” Jennifer Kube says. “But they decided the project was too much. Most of [the inside] was removed, and it had a clean slate.”

It would work perfectly for the Kubes’ project, though. Four years ago, they purchased the second Airstream and started on the long road of work ahead of them.

When asked what kind of labor had to be done to the Airstream in its condition when they purchased it, Jennifer Kube’s first response is “everything.”

“Plumbing, electricity … It all had to be done,” she says. “We didn’t know anyone who had done anything like this, so we had to get creative and find ways to do things and think outside the box.”

Aside from the electrical work, which they hired someone to install, the couple did most of the restoration themselves. Dave Kube has a carpentry background and years of working on TV and movie sets under his belt. But this project challenged even him.

“The panels had been taken out and piled inside the trailer,” Dave Kube says. “The windows were smashed out and replaced with plexiglass. From the time we bought it, it was a three-year process [to complete].”

Part of the delay was due to a seven-month job in Chicago for Dave Kube, but when he returned, the couple poured their hearts and souls into converting the vintage trailer into a top-of-the-line mobile salon.

In late 2017, The Clipper Mobile Salon made its debut at Sasha’s on Shaw. The Kubes had just finished the build-out, which included room for two stylists to work within the state board of cosmetology’s regulations. They weren’t offering services just yet but wanted to get the local community excited about the newest business on wheels. A few weeks after the debut, the Kubes got the trailer inspected, and it passed.

Over the course of the past year or so, The Clipper Mobile Salon has made its way across the metro area, offering blowouts, updos, dry trims and waxing for special events, milestone birthday parties and “blowout” bars. Jennifer Kube says her customers are often bridal parties, which book the salon to pull up to a wedding location for the bride and her entourage for styling and makeup.

Between managing The Clipper Mobile Salon, hosting Clipper events on weekends and still doing hair full time for her own clientele, Jennifer Kube stays very busy, effectively working two jobs. “Now that the weather’s warming up, there’s usually an event once a week, whether it’s a wedding or a pop-up,” she says.

Giving back to the community that’s been so supportive of their vision is also a priority for the Kube family. At the end of March, The Clipper Mobile Salon worked with Suits for Soldiers to offer complimentary haircuts for veterans and active and retired military members. Jennifer Kube has also worked with Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital to cut patients’ hair and is looking to expand her volunteer services further into the local community.

“It’s the first mobile salon in the Midwest as far as I know,” she says. “It has such a fun vibe to it. Most people haven’t been in an Airstream at all, let alone a mobile salon. We get a lot of people who aren’t even interested in the salon but will come up to us asking about the van, saying, ‘My grandma had one of these!’ There’s something for everyone to be interested here. And we can come to you.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Snap to It!

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Ten years ago, would you have believed that there would be museums dedicated to selfies? Embracing the ever-rising social media wave in new and innovative ways, these spaces are more interactive than typical galleries and exhibitions at other museums – and are instead tailored to provide the most dynamic backdrops for visitors to snap picture-perfect photos.

Inspired by the emergence of popular sites like the Museum of Ice Cream popping up on the East and West coasts, sisters-in-law Erika and Christa Klotz decided to pursue an idea of their own: The Selfie Room. They’re no strangers to owning businesses, either. Erika Klotz has a tech startup called PopBookings, and Christa Klotz is the president of Painted Clover, a BYOB paint-and-sip studio.

The pair were at a weekly family dinner in November 2018, and while everyone else was watching football, they began to mull over an idea together: What if they were the first ones to open a selfie-oriented space in St. Louis? Although they both live in Kansas City, Erika Klotz went to Saint Louis University and knew the area would embrace the idea.

“We’re both business owners, and it was kind of a slow time [of year],” she says. “We decided we should start a project together, and by the time the game was done, we had a full plan of how to proceed.”

With the help of an uncle with St. Louis commercial real estate connections, the Klotzes were able to find the perfect location for their museum downtown at 1424 Washington Ave., steps from The Last Hotel and the City Museum.

Just a few months after the pair had the idea, The Selfie Room made its debut in St. Louis’ historic garment district in early February. The selfie museum offers an all-ages experience for $30, and visitors can bring their own camera and changes of clothes to get flawless photos in perfect lighting. The sisters-in-law bill The Selfie Room as the perfect place for nights out, birthday parties, influencers, photographers, private events and just general photo shoots. Sessions are typically around an hour, Erika Klotz says, but there’s no time limit on admission.

“Generally speaking, a lot of our clients will walk through first, then start from the back and move toward the front,” she says. “We have a powder room if you want to switch outfits or style yourself. It’s a fun experience, but also good for photographers who want to do a full-production shoot.”

The Selfie Room offers 12 unique rooms, and each of these spaces has its own theme. The pair partnered with Henry Kitchen and Bath to create a rubber ducky room, and other spaces feature a pool-sized ball pit, colorful backdrops and oversized props. Erika Klotz says since they’re both creative individuals, she and her sister-in-law put together all the themes themselves and spent a lot of time on Pinterest combing for ideas. The current room themes won’t be there for long, however. The Klotzes aim to switch out their spaces quarterly and are already planning for summer spaces like a beach ball-themed room. Swapping out the spaces regularly, Erika Klotz says, ensures that The Selfie Room isn’t a one-time experience.

“We want to be a staple in downtown,” she adds.

The Selfie Room plans to host monthly events to attract visitors to the space, like a “dog day” event in March where customers could bring their pups to get in on the selfie action. In fact, the pair’s April event, scheduled for the 27th, will be a ’90s-themed party, featuring music from the decade, goody bags and activities.

The Klotzes have high hopes for their new venture and hope to expand in St. Louis and even in other cities. But for now, they say that being located right on Washington Avenue is perfect.

“[Because] we’re close to the City Museum, visitors can pair [The Selfie Room] with their City Museum experience, since they’re already planning to play,” Erika Klotz says. “We’re also right across from The Last Hotel, so out-of-towners can experience it and the nightclub scene surrounding it.”

Overall, though, she says the museum’s first few months in business have been a hit.

“People are loving it,” Erika Klotz says. “It’s a millennial playground.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally

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Bringing fair-trade products to area residents is Zee Bee Market owner Julio Zegarra-Ballon’s passion. After a promotion brought him to St. Louis, he learned about Partners for Just Trade, a Fair Trade Federation member local organization that was working exclusively with Peruvian artists. Although Zegarra-Ballon had been working in corporate America for two decades, after discovering Partners for Just Trade, he found himself increasingly “falling out of love” with the ways of the two large-scale corporations he had been working for.

Born in Peru himself, Zegarra-Ballon felt an immediate connection with the group and expressed interest in supporting its mission by volunteering. It was then that he was introduced to the fair-trade movement. “Fair trade” is an institutional arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions. Members of the fair-trade movement advocate the payment of fair wages and provide safe working conditions to the producers, as well as improved social and environmental standards.

“I had been working for two large corporations that did little to ensure the producers received a fair wage for their work,” Zegarra-Ballon says. “I worked hard to make money for a limited few and to create value for shareholders, but producers along the supply chain did not share in that prosperity and often were exploited.”

While continuing his day job, Zegarra-Ballon began to assist Partners for Just Trade on weekends, often helping sell products at events. As he was selling, he found himself telling the products’ stories to prospective customers, explaining not only the beauty behind the products themselves but also the artisans who handcrafted them.

“One day, I came home and told my wife, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Zegarra-Ballon says.

His wife supported his vision, and Zegarra-Ballon set off to get his MBA at the University of Missouri-St. Louis to learn how he could venture out on his own. During this time, Zegarra-Ballon decided to take $1,000 out of savings and used it to purchase unique, handmade and fair-trade gift-type products – half from Partners for Just Trade and half from another fair-trade organization, Global Crafts. He set up a table at a local event in June 2012, and by the end of the day, he had sold nearly half of the products.

“I was elated when I got home,” he says. “I decided to reinvest the money in ordering more products.”

For the next two years, Zegarra-Ballon continued to sell fair-trade products on nights and weekends – all while finishing his MBA and maintaining his day job. Increasingly, though, customers were asking him where his shop was.

“The results spoke for themselves,” Zegarra-Ballon says. “The challenge was there, but I could feel in my heart that it would be a good thing.”

After he put a business plan together and found the perfect space, his Zee Bee Market opened on South Grand in November 2014. Less than a year later, Zegarra-Ballon quit his full-time job and dedicated all his time and effort to telling the stories behind the eclectic variety of goods he carries.

Although the South Grand community embraced Zee Bee Market and Zegarra-Ballon’s efforts, he regularly had customers note that they wished for a location farther west. In early 2017, Zegarra-Ballon saw the possibilities of the storefront located on Manchester Road between The Benevolent King and Kakao, and after much work, he opened the doors to the second Zee Bee Market in April 2018.

The space is filled with charming, colorful pieces from artisans all over the world, and Zegarra-Ballon has a story to tell for each piece.

“Everything you see here is handcrafted by artisans around the world,” he says. “We’re currently sourcing from 33 different countries. I find myself welcoming customers, and as they pick something up and begin to compliment it, I say, ‘Oh, by the way, here’s the story behind it.’ It’s a celebration of the beautiful work of human hands.”

He cites parts of the world like India and Cambodia, where certain villages have become known as meccas of leather-making, block printing for fabrications and recycling materials to be turned into accessories. But these artisans are facing the challenge of a modern society that’s focused on automated production.

“Their livelihoods are potentially at risk,” Zegarra-Ballon says. “Fair trade is targeting specifically communities that are borderline losing this incredible art form and encouraging them to stay in their villages.”

Zee Bee Market’s products are wide-spanning, from pillows made from recycled saris to wallets made from inner tubes to exquisite ceramic pieces to wall hooks made from bicycle chains. There is a large selection of organic and fair-trade-certified coffee, chocolate, tea and other treats. The shop also carries a variety of clothing and dresses, along with bags and satchels – all benefiting the people who meticulously handcrafted them.

Over the course of the past year, Zegarra-Ballon’s been getting the word out about his new space, regularly partnering with local nonprofits to donate 15 percent of sales to those groups’ missions.

“I’m so delighted to be able to give the customer in the U.S. a new opportunity to open their wallet and choose to purchase something that has a positive impact,” Zegarra-Ballon says. “We spend money all the time by the trillions of dollars in this country, but it’s a tiny percent that is actually sourced ethically. We have an opportunity as consumers to be able to support the livelihoods of people around the world by the products we purchase.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Happily Ever After Stories

Happily Ever After: Whippet and the Carmean Family

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Once upon a time, Melissa Carmean decided she wanted to foster a senior dog or one that had special needs of some sort. She and her family had previously fostered dogs when they were living in Texas, and when they moved to Missouri about a year ago, she began following Stray Rescue of St. Louis on Facebook.

“I got addicted to their posts,” she says.

Earlier this year, Carmean saw posts about a 7-year-old dog named Whippet who came to Stray Rescue blind in both eyes. He had glaucoma, and his eyes were rupturing. He had surgery to have them removed and went to a foster home to recover, since the shelter was confusing for the blind pup. Carmean saw his posts and “couldn’t stop thinking about him.”

“When he went up for adoption, I put in an application right away,” she says.

Whippet’s foster family was enthusiastic about the Carmeans coming to meet him, so Carmean and her husband went to pay him a visit and see if he’d be a good fit for their family.

“My husband wasn’t totally sold on the idea, but when we walked in their door, he was the first one on the floor with [Whippet],” Carmean says.

After a brief discussion with her husband, Carmean filed with Stray Rescue to officially adopt Whippet. They brought the pup home the same day.

The Carmeans have had Whippet only for a few weeks, but he’s fitting in perfectly with their family. Whippet’s getting used to having a dog brother and sister, along with a sassy cat sister. Carmean says that aside from his blindness, the Golden Retriever-“ish” pup is “as healthy as can be.”

“He loves to go for walks,” she says. “He just wants to be wherever you are.”

One little bit of adjustment the Carmeans have faced with Whippet is talking to him constantly to let him know where they are in the house.

“You can’t leave a room without telling him you’re leaving the room, because he won’t know where you went,” Carmean says. “You just have to keep talking to him so he can follow you. His sense of hearing is great.”

Whippet has been particularly excited about meeting the Carmeans’ cat, but so far, the cat has insisted on swatting at the visually impaired dog until he backs away.

“He just really wants to sniff her,” Carmean says. “As soon as she meows, he’s got to go find her.”

Overall, though, Carmean says the biggest adaptation is just being mindful of Whippet’s presence because he’s so quiet and low-maintenance. The Carmeans have incorporated him into their daily routine with ease, though, allowing Whippet to come along on car rides to pick up their daughter from school.

“Seeing him with his head out the window is so cute because he loves the feel of the wind on his face,” Carmean says. “He can’t tell what’s going on, but the expression on his face is so sweet.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Building Good Buzz

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Blanche “Bee” Kern knows that beauty is found in the details. It’s perhaps one of the reasons behind the wild success of a business she started her sophomore year of college called The Honeycomb.

“A passion to create beautiful things” led her to begin creating hairpieces, including floral garlands, pins, crowns and a small selection of veils – perfect headwear for brides seeking to add more floral elements to their big day.

“Everything I made seemed to sell right away, and the custom order requests began to pour in,” she says.

Kern had launched her Etsy shop in 2008 while attending Maryville University for a graphic design degree – during what she calls the “early days” of the online handmade marketplace. Still, attention to detail and excellent customer service were her priorities as she began delivering pieces to customers all over the world.

“The online bridal industry is saturated with mass-produced items, so I was passionate about providing a more personalized and handmade service,” Kern says. “My motto is ‘perfection in the details,’ from selecting the finest available materials for my designs to thoughtful communications with my customers.”

With graduation from Maryville on the horizon and business ramping up, Kern was faced with the decision of what to do after earning her diploma.

“With graduation coming, I felt a career crisis looming,” she says. “I received a job offer from the design firm I’d interned with, but my mind was already made up. I was too excited by the customer response to The Honeycomb and loved the idea of running my own business.”

Kern turned her attention to The Honeycomb full time after graduating and has been working tirelessly ever since. The signature Honeycomb look blends fabric flowers with a luxe variety of metal vines, twigs and leaves, often incorporating Swarovski pearls and crystals, too.

“These gilded pieces are my favorite to make and the most popular with customers,” she says.

Although she focuses mainly on the flower crowns and hair combs, her veils have also picked up momentum, with the “drape” veil becoming a bride favorite. Kern recently brought on a talented veil designer – her mom, Dede – who cuts and stitches the veils by hand.

“Whereas most designers affix lace with glue, she is meticulous with needle and thread,” Kern notes.

Her fastidious care and willingness to create personalized pieces for her customers have set The Honeycomb apart in an online market that’s now saturated with wedding accessories.

“There is far more competition now,” Kern acknowledges. “This keeps me on my toes and makes me obsessive about finding new and unique ways to advance my signature look, while creating diversity in my offerings and never sacrificing on quality.”

Kern hit a big milestone in 2018 when eRank (then called EtsyRank) listed The Honeycomb as the top 1 percent seller on the global Etsy marketplace. The business also celebrated its 10-year anniversary last year, and Kern looks back fondly on the successes The Honeycomb has had since its inception.

“My items have been featured in wedding blogs, magazines and the CW-channel TV series Reign,” she says. “Although most of my customers are in the United States, 25 percent of orders today are coming from Europe. I’m quite proud of that.”

Wherever they are in the world, Kern’s customers are happy ones. She has a five-star rating from nearly 3,000 customers and receives numerous emails per month with comments like “I have been searching for weeks to find the perfect accessory. I’m so glad I found you!”

“I offer brides a truly personalized service, which many take advantage of,” Kern says. “I am frequently asked to create a hybrid of styles from the existing designs in my shop. For example, if a bride likes one headpiece for its colors and vibe, but it’s not quite the right shape, I can remake it to fit her special request. Often I will switch out flowers to match a particular bouquet. I’ve even had brides send me an ancestor’s heirloom headpiece to remake into something new. I am in love with the collaborative process!”

The Honeycomb’s continued growth has led Kern to seek out a bigger studio space, which she is moving to shortly. Currently, her designs are available only online.

“I am excited about the growth, although being a one-woman show can take its toll,” she says. Though she says some days she feels like a hamster on a wheel, she’s “so fortunate to be doing what [she] loves.”

“The plan this year is to hire someone to help with business operations, which will free up my time to focus exclusively on the creative side and continue to provide excellent customer service,” Kern says. “I am committed to creating a delightful experience for my customers, from start to finish.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Sweet as Honey

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Two years ago, St. Louisan Angela Giancola was living in Israel with her kids for a few months when she discovered a museum in Tel Aviv that had reusable decals everywhere. Her son, Omri, was obsessed with the stickers and the simple appeal of being able to create whatever he wanted from the decals, and he wanted to play with them for hours. Giancola inquired about purchasing some, but she learned they had been created by students specifically for the museum and weren’t for sale.

“I looked everywhere for this concept,” she says. “Then I thought I might as well just do it.”

Giancola is deaf and has a background in children’s education. Several years ago, she worked with international kids teaching sign language and art – which she says are common ways to communicate with children. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what kind of background you come from; there’s always art,” Giancola says. “I’ve always felt like it’s such a foundational way of communicating.” Also, she’d always wanted to open a children’s store but never felt the time was right. She ran the idea by Zoe Kaemmerer, a friend and former coworker of hers, who loved the concept.

“It was perfect timing,” Kaemmerer says. “I was at a point in my life where I was looking for something different, a challenge. [Giancola] and I had traveled together early on and built a professional relationship and friendship. It was an awesome ground to go forward, so we decided to go for it.”

The two friends set to work producing their own set of decals under the brand name of Honeycomb. They contacted a graphic designer friend to help with the project, noting that they wanted the shapes to be “free-form and abstract” so kids and adults could create something new in their minds.

“We want to challenge children to focus on their constructive and critical thinking and have fun with it,” Giancola says. “They can make letters, create pictures or just make simple shapes.”

From there, Kaemmerer and Giancola took their idea one step further and decided to open a shop in St. Louis’ Botanical Heights neighborhood to showcase everything from the decals to unisex kids’ clothing to their own line of wellness and skin care products. Honeycomb has been open at 1641 Tower Grove Ave. since March 6, grabbing the attention of passersby with its bright yellow multiwindow “Honeycomb” lettering by local artist Phil Jarvis.

Visitors to the shop are greeted by a colorful and versatile space that features a play area for kids on one side and a more product-oriented space on the other. The shop is geared toward all ages, though, and provides a vibrant and tranquil atmosphere for customers, whether they’re 5 years old or 85.

“Visitors can expect a full experience,” Kaemmerer says. “It’s what we want to give our customers – an immersive, interactive experience, where they’re not only going to walk away with something as a gift, but they also had this positive and loving environment they got to be a part of. Maybe they met a new friend while they were in here or got some advice from another parent or walked away with an awesome, unique gift.”

Honeycomb carries a variety of lines from all over the world, with a focus on sustainability and quality. Visitors can find everything from a wheeled basket from Olli Ella to a balance board from Wobbel to organic toy blocks from Globe Totters. It was important to Kaemmerer and Giancola to focus on products that get kids off their screens and encourage being creative as a family, and those values are mirrored in the products they offer.

In addition to the toy-oriented products, Honeycomb carries a variety of kids’ clothing, including a piece from its in-house line, the Omri bloomers, named for Giancola’s son. She notes that kids can get two or three years’ of use out of the pants, which are designed to be rolled up or rolled back down as the child grows. The line also includes a burp cloth with a distinct shape that helps it stay on a person’s shoulder. It features the same design as the decals, tying it into the overall Honeycomb theme.

So far, Kaemmerer and Giancola say that feedback on their shop has been fantastic, with both adults and children enjoying the space and what it has to offer.

“The adults are so excited about the fact that they can come in and let their kid draw for five minutes while they take a stroll around the shop,” Kaemmerer says. “We’ve been blown away by the amount of people who already follow us on social media or have a sister or friend who’s been by the store. It’s an overwhelming feeling, and it makes us realize we’re on the right track.”

The pair also plan to use their storefront as an event space, bringing in speakers like psychologists, sleep specialists and teachers who have experience with special education. Giancola says she’d also like to do readings where she’ll demonstrate the books in sign language.

“We want to grow locally and in the sense of global business, reach out to people who have the same mentality and spirit as we do,” Kaemmerer says. “We want to represent everyone.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Child’s Play

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In a day and age where screens are often the main source of amusement, places like Play Street Museum set themselves apart as spaces where kids can let their imaginations run wild and simply be kids.

The interactive children’s museum franchise got its start in Texas and was purposefully designed to encourage a young child’s sense of independence, exploration and creativity.

“By narrowing the focus of our museums to the interests and imaginations of children 8 and under, young explorers will discover educational exhibits and activities in a world specifically crafted just for them,” the Play Street website explains.

That specific vision drew Nicole Simon and Kellie Geraghty to the museum. The two moms lived in Dallas before moving back to their native St. Louis and, on returning, entertained the idea of bringing the museum experience to the metro area.

“I really loved the museum while I was in Dallas,” Simon says. “It was so easy to take my daughter there and let her play.”

In May 2018, the two friends started the process to bring Play Street to the metro area by looking for a space, which proved to be tough. Rebecca Suen with Hilliker and Patricia Kueneke with Cullinan Properties helped Simon and Geraghty find the right place for the children’s museum and brought them out to see 1650 Beale St. in St. Charles. The space ended up being perfect for their vision, and Play Street’s local location is set to open Mon., March 25.

“We recommend Play Street Museum to kids ages 1 to 8,” Simon says. “Sometimes younger siblings will come in with older siblings, and vice versa. I’d say kids up to about age 12 can have fun interacting with their younger siblings.”

Each Play Street Museum location has a theme, and the local one’s is “town square.” Kids can play with little houses, a fire station, a grocery store, a doctor’s office and a table full of crafts. They also can enjoy a giant Lite-Brite built into the wall.

“The museum is perfect for independent-type play,” Simon says. “The kids are learning as they play.”

Because this is the first Play Street location outside of Dallas, Simon and Geraghty have spent much of the past year seeking the help of other franchise owners.

“The franchise owners have been so helpful in guiding us along the way,” Simon says.

The duo even recently returned to Dallas to “learn the day-to-day” operations of the museum, making sure they’re ready to hit the ground running on opening day.

“Once we open, we hope to be able to get the word out to the St. Louis and St. Charles communities,” Simon says. She’s excited about the opportunities the museum will bring to local kids and their families and will give them a chance to let their imaginations run wild in a safe space.

Visitors will be able to bring their kids to open-play hours, which are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. Reserved open-play days are hosted on the third Sunday of the month, with more time slots to be available on the weekends in the future. Along with hosting special weekend events, Play Street is available for birthday party rentals, where families can pick a theme and reserve the space for 1½-hour time slots. Admission to the museum is $11.50 plus tax for children ages 1 through 8. Children younger or older are free if accompanied by a paying sibling.

“Play Street is important because it allows the child to be able to play and explore in a safe environment, so you don’t have to stay next to them the whole time – it gives them independence,” Simon says. “For parents, it’s nice to sit back and watch their children play, or they can play along. It’s a relaxing environment for both.”

Geraghty echoes Simon’s sentiments, noting how families can use the museum to return to simpler times: “It gives kids the chance to break away from screens and use imagination to go back to basic pretend play. They work with their imagination and unplug like we did when we were kids.”

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.

Dancing Astronaut

Haywyre unleashes his creativity in six-part ‘Panorama’ series [Interview]

robyndexter

For two decades, the piano has been Martin Vogt’s forte. He’s been tickling the ivories for the majority of his 26 years and has been releasing under the name Haywyre for a decade this year, incorporating elements of jazz, funk, electronica, dubstep, and more across a wide catalog of music.

In recent years, the classically trained pianist has been particularly fond of creating concept series, first exploring comprehensive themes over the course of a body of work through his Twofold LP series on Monstercat in 2014 and 2016. With a slew of releases on the Canadian label spanning four years under his belt, Vogt has now opted to strike out on his own for the time being.

Haywyre unleashes his creativity in six-part ‘Panorama’ series [Interview + Photos]Haywyre10

Photo by Zachary White

“[Monstercat] helped me in my career big time, but I wanted to put myself in a position where I’m thinking more independently, and that meant working more independently,” Vogt said.

He began working on a new set of music: a concept series called Panorama that he planned to self-release, but it was “tough to get the ball rolling” at first.

“Seeing the difference between, for example, Panorama: Discover and Panorama: Form has been substantial in terms of reception,” he said, speaking to the first and second parts of the ongoing concept series. “People are more organically engaging with the content. I feel like I’m getting a better understanding of who listens to my music, and that really appeals to me.”

Vogt revealed near the end of last year that the initial Panorama release, Panorama: Discover, was only the first in a set of six EPs that would comprehensively make up the Panorama series.

“I’d been writing a bunch of different music for about two years, so between my album Twofold Pt. 2 and the first chapter of Panorama, I’d been coming up with all sorts of different ideas… everything from six-second loops to full-fledged pieces,” Vogt said. “They were just so different and so all over the place, and I started wondering how to piece it together. After putting some thought into it, I came up with this six-EP series.”

Vogt started sorting the songs into different categories based on how they complement each other, noting the importance of their order and how they guide the listener through the Panorama experience.

“There’s a definite ebb and flow that’s intentional,” he said. “[Panorama] is supposed to be listened to from beginning to end, more or less.”

Vogt kicked off the Panorama series with the release of Discover’s “Tell Me” in mid-November and was met with wild enthusiasm from fans who’d been waiting two years for new material.

The remainder of Discover followed a few days later, spanning from the effortlessly groovy “Stepping Stones” introduction all the way through to a full-fledged jazz number, “Blind Faith.”

Giving fans a few months to digest the new material, Vogt returned in early February to reveal the funk-laden “Let Me Hear That,” which he released with an accompanying one-take music video.

The four-track Form EP saw its official release a few weeks later, at which time he struck out on the Discover/Form Tour. In the weeks since, the tour has taken him across the United States, joined by friends like StayLoose, Balkan Bump, JNTHN STEIN, Jenaux, and K+Lab for select dates.

“Tour’s been very cool,” Vogt said. “It’s been surprising because I haven’t done a headlining tour in a long time. I hadn’t really had a chance to engage with Haywyre fans in this way for at least two years, and it’s been a really refreshing reminder that there are these real-life people that enjoy watching me perform my music.”

Unlike most of today’s electronic and dance music artists, Vogt doesn’t DJ—and doesn’t know how. His performances are purely live and dynamic, giving fans the chance to see how quick he is on the keys up close. On his Discover/Form Tour, Vogt delivers his performance on the keyboard (tilted toward the audience so they can watch him play), keytar, and vocoder-filtered vocals, making for a captivating set from start to finish. His passion for his music and for performing is unmistakable during his live performances as he switches seemingly effortlessly between instruments, showing just how far he’s come over the past decade.

“I’m more in touch with priorities creatively and what it means to me to be a musician… what it is beyond a potential lifelong career, but also what impact I want to have and how I want to be engaging with the people that are listening to my music,” Vogt said.

When he finishes his current tour, Vogt will be getting back into the studio to work the next two parts of Panorama, which he says we can expect later this year. Before that, though, he’s going to focus on some remixes and collaborations that’ve been on the back burner.

“I’ve been working on so much original content that I think it’d be cool to just switch things up for a little bit and work with [artists] I’ve talked with for years,” Vogt said. “It’s going to be exciting to see some of those come to life.”

All of that comes to fruition via the piano for Vogt, which has been the tool he’s been channeling his creativity into long before “Haywyre” was born.

“The piano is the closest thing I have to translating ideas in my head directly into something concrete,” he said. “I don’t have that kind of relationship with anything else.”

This story was originally published at dancingastronaut.com. Read it in full on DA’s website here.

Ladue News Feature Stories

Make My Holliday

robyndexter

When customers walk into Holliday in St. Louis’ Central West End neighborhood, they’re met with inviting smells wafting from candles, the warm ambiance that radiates from the store’s interior architecture and neutral-toned furniture and displays.

In their latest venture in the CWE, the McPheeters family now serves a trifecta of businesses with the opening of Holliday. Bowood Farms and Cafe Osage have been operating next to each other on Olive Street for more than a decade, and the third arm of the McPheeters’ operation just made its debut in October.

Katherine McPheeters, who operates Holliday with the help of a small staff and family members (including a loyal four-legged friend named Ruby), notes that Bowood, a garden supply shop, has sold housewares and gifts since its opening in 2006, but has now been able to expand in the new space at Holliday.

In late 2017, the McPheeters family began to work on converting a small building across the street from their other two businesses into what would become Holliday a year later. The shop is named for McPheeters’ great-grandmother Ida Holliday, who, along with her husband, bought the original Bowood Farms, located in Clarksville, Missouri, in the 1930s. (The family still owns the Clarksville farm, which grows all of the annuals and perennials, herbs and veggie starts sold in the CWE.)

McPheeters took great care in selecting the right fixtures for the space and moving everything into the little shop.

“The front didn’t have a lot of presence to it,” she says. “You could drive by and not notice it pretty easily.”

That’s not the case now. The beautifully refreshed brick building is highlighted by classic black windows, an attractive vestibule and eye-catching hexagonal tile. Its exterior complements the other two McPheeters businesses across the street.

Visitors to Holliday walk into a space that’s light and open, sprinkled with everything from stationery to apparel to kids’ gifts, with an emphasis on natural and handmade.

One of the immediate eye-catching components of Holliday is a 10-foot glass display that houses the business’ jewelry – something McPheeters had been carrying at Bowood and has been able to expand.

“We have so many lines it’s hard to choose a favorite,” she says. “I’m excited to have local maker Jacki Holland pieces.”

Holliday carries an assortment of bright, fun party supplies and kids’ items, making it the perfect spot to stop before a birthday party or baby shower. McPheeters notes her excitement over Rifle Paper’s new line of party supplies, calling co-founder Anna Bond’s prints “iconic.” While the kids are entertaining themselves in the store’s corner play area, parents can browse the store’s extensive selection of tabletop linens, candles and accessories.

Holliday also carries a wide range of clothing, much of which has a handmade quality and is multiseasonal.

“Kerri Cassill makes beautiful Indian block-print bedding, as well as clothing, which is perfect for summer and beach vacations,” McPheeters says.

Customers seeking art and furniture pieces will find an array of selections by New York’s John Derian at Holliday and will even have the opportunity to order custom pieces from his furniture line with the Cisco Brothers through the store.

“I had been a fan of Derian for a while and had several pieces in my home before we started carrying his work at Bowood,” McPheeters says. “I’m really excited to be able to hang his pieces up in the new shop.”

The space, which is “more relaxed, quieter and smaller,” lends itself to a different experience than Bowood, McPheeters says.

“We’re able to have more of an interaction with the customers about how the products are made, where they’re made and what the materials are,” she says. “We put a lot of work into the finishes and the mood and atmosphere here. You can smell the candle we’re burning [as you walk in], and you can notice the scent of the flowers. It’s a nice mood to walk into, and it’s an important part of the shopping experience right now.”

The three McPheeters businesses offer completely different experiences, but each one has unique ways it ties into the others. At Bowood, gardening enthusiasts will find a wide assortment of plants and garden gifts in a greenhouse-style atmosphere. Cafe Osage offers breakfast and lunch classics, focused on seasonal, fresh foods grown in Bowood’s CWE garden. And at Holliday, customers can top off their Olive Street shopping experience with unique gifts and accessories for the home.

Holliday perfectly rounds out the trifecta, giving visitors to this particular section of the CWE a place to fully experience what the McPheeters family has to offer: nourishment for the land, body and home.

This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.