St. Louis Beacon Article Tells the Story Behind Old North’s 28% Population Gain

An article posted on the St. Louis Beacon’s website today takes a look at some of the factors that have led to Old North’s 28% increase in population over the past decade.  Click HERE to read the full article.

The reporter for this story, Kristin Hare, produced a high quality video slideshow of before and after photos (provided by us) to illustrate the dramatic transformation that is contributing to Old North’s ability to attract and retain residents.

Watch for more on this series in the coming days…

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Old North Quality of Life Meeting: Thursday, June 30 at 6 p.m.

An Old North Saint Louis Quality of Life meeting will take place this coming Thursday, June 30, at 6 p.m.  The meeting will be held in the Gallery at the offices of the Old North Saint Louis Restoration Group, 2700 N. 14th Street.  See below for a flyer with details about this month’s agenda.

To download a PDF version of this flyer - for printing and copying for others or for posting in your window, click here.

After this month, these meetings will be back on a regular 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. schedule, which means the July meeting will be on Thursday, July 28.  The Quality of Life meetings are planned and coordinated by ONSLRG’s Social Outreach Committee.  To suggest topics for future meetings or if you’d like to help with the committee, contact one of the committee’s co-chairs, Thom Fletcher (phone: 314-623-4755; email: monstromo@yahoo.com) or Amy Corey (phone: 314-650-2827; email: i.a.corey@att.net).

Please help us spread the word about this and other upcoming meetings.  If you’d like to get a pile of flyers to distribute to your neighbors or to post at highly visible areas, call the ONSLRG office at 314-241-5031 or send a message to info@onsl.org.

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Rambles.com Signs Lease for Retail Space at Crown Square

Crown Square is picking up steam with a wave of new retail tenants making plans to open this summer.  On Friday Maria Falconer of Rambles.com signed a lease to open her first physical retail store at Crown Square.  By itself, that’s good news.  As is often the case in Old North, though, the story of how this outcome was achieved demonstrates the power of community and the determined spirit in Old North.

A few months ago Maria visited Crown Square to look at some possible locations to expand her business from the online world to include a bricks and mortar shop that would sell her eclectic mix of “fun, funky, functional” art, jewelry, furnishings, and other products.  Maria liked what she saw in Old North and shared that with her friends and followers through her blog and facebook pages.  However, when it turned out that another business had submitted a letter of intent for the space she wanted, Maria re-opened her options to consider other parts of town, including the Delmar Loop and the Central West End.

With a slight bit of encouragement from the Old North Saint Louis Restoration Group, the community kicked into gear and mobilized a “Reel in Rambles” campaign to show Maria how much support there was for her to select Crown Square.  Consequently, ONSL residents, business owners, and other friends of the neighborhood flooded the Rambles facebook page with messages urging Maria to set up shop at Crown Square.

And the messages from community kept coming…

After another opportunity to take in the warmth and vitality of the neighborhood, this time through a visit to the Old North Homegrown Festival & House Tour on May 14, Maria decided that Crown Square was the ideal spot for Rambles.

The Rambles store will open at Crown Square on the 2600 block of N. 14th Street later this summer.  Thank you Maria!  We look forward to seeing you soon in the neighborhood.

In the meantime, Old North will get a chance to celebrate another retail grand opening at Crown Square on Friday, July 1, when Closet Repeats opens for business at 2603 N. 14th.   With Therapy Boutique at 2717 N. 14th, Closet Repeats will offer even more options for purchasing a variety of fashionable clothing in the heart of Old North.  Please join us in welcoming Yvonne Reed to Old North by coming out on July 1 to buy something nice for yourself or for your mother, sister, daughter…

Stay tuned for news soon about another summer opening at Crown Square, this time for Racq Salon & Spa at 2605 N. 14th.

If you know of any other businesses that would be a good fit for a friendly and supportive community (not to mention the more than 75,000 potential customers who live within 3 miles of Crown Square), contact Susan Sauer at Duffe-Nuernberger Realty, by phone at 314-571-7654 or email (ssauer@ndconsulting.com).  Floorplans and pricing for spaces at Crown Square can be found online HERE.

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Crown Square’s Therapy Boutique is Today’s “Hello GoodBuy!” Promotion at STLMag.com

Crown Square’s very own Therapy Boutique at 2717 N. 14th Street is offering a special deal today on St. Louis Magazine’s “Hello GoodBuy!” daily coupon promotion program.

To take advantage of this great offer - which can only be purchased before the end of the day Wednesday (but the coupon can be used through Sept. 20), click HERE.  Even if you miss the chance to purchase the coupon today, please show your support for Ebony by stopping in the store sometime soon to purchase a dress, a purse, jewelry, or any of her fashionable accessories.  And tell everyone you know about this great offer right in the heart of Old North’s Crown Square.

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More Scenes from Opening Day at North City Farmers’ Market

After the “big chill” put a damper on the Home Grown Festival & House Tour in May, we agreed to not complain about warm and sunny weather.  Today we had more than our share of warm and sunny with the heat index into the upper 90s, but we’re grateful that we didn’t get rained out on the first day of the 2011 North City Farmers’ Market season.

Our post from earlier this morning provided a few glimpses of the market just after start-up.  Now, we’re happy to share some additional photos from throughout the day.

The Ragged Blade Band provided a wonderful mix of blues, jazz, bluegrass, and other tunes to contribute to the cool atmosphere.

Come back next week - and we promise we’ll get the weather straightened out for a comfortable and pleasant stroll through the market.  The North City Farmers’ Market will continue every Saturday through Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. until noon at Crown Square in the heart of Old North Saint Louis.

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North City Farmers’ Market is OPEN for the 5th Season!

The market is open… so, come on out right now!  See below for a few shots from the opening minutes this morning…

The band, Ragged Blade, will start playing in a few minutes, so come on out and join in the fun - and pick up some healthy, farm-fresh produce while you’re at it!

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Join us Sat., June 4 for Opening Day of the 5th Season of the North City Farmers’ Market

The Old North Saint Louis Restoration Group is pleased to bring back the North City Farmers’ Market for a whole new season starting this Saturday, June 4.  The market’s 5th season begins at 9 a.m. Saturday with a big opening day celebration along the 2700 block of N. 14th Street, just south of St. Louis Avenue.  The market will take place every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. until noon through October 15.

Confirmed vendors include:

• 13th Street Community Garden
• Angel Baked Cookies
• Black Bear Bakery
• Burning Kumquat
• CJ’s Place
• HopeBuild
• La Mancha Coffeehouse
• Lee Farms CSA
• Moonlight Farm
• Old North Grocery Co-op
• New Roots Urban Farm
• St. Louis Mennonite Peace Center/Columbia Garden
• Villarreal Farm
• Whetstone Farms
• W.M. Farms
• Ahjiba Handspun
• Joyce Cooks
• Made in Old North
• Stuff N Things

All vendors at the North City Farmers’ Market are local; the products are grown, raised, or created in or within a short distance of the St. Louis area.  If you are interested in having a booth at our Market to sell your items or to distribute information about your organization, please contact the Market Master, Cassandra Howard, at cassandraleehoward AT gmail DOT com or call the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group at (314) 241-5031.

The North City Farmers’ Market accepts EBT, debit, and cash.

In addition to a good mix of vendors bringing farm-fresh produce to the heart of Old North, most market days will feature cooking demonstrations, live music, free health screenings, on-site bike repair, and other fun-filled activities for the whole family. This week’s musical entertainment will be provided by The Ragged Blade Band, featuring “original music by bandleader Jerry Rabushka… blues, jazz, country, show tunes, ballads, rock, & more.”

The Ragged Blade Band will play at 10 a.m.

This Saturday will also include another round of the highly entertaining cooking demonstrations with several prominent St. Louis area chefs preparing tasty recipes with some of the ingredients coming straight from the market.

The North City Farmers’ Market is a project of Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, made possible by significant funding support from the Missouri Foundation for Health.

The market is also made possible by the dedication and commitment of many residents and friends of Old North who give generously of their time and effort.  If you’d like to assist with set-up, take-down, or any of the other tasks on market days, contact Jennifer Policow, Market Assistant, at jennifer.policow AT gmail DOT com.

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