Crown Square Ribbon-Cutting & Street Festival: Thurs., July 29

Now that we’ve recovered from last weekend’s ribbon-cutting for the Old North Grocery Co-op, we’re gearing up for an even bigger celebration on Thursday, July 29.  On that day, we will mark the completion of the $35 million Crown Square redevelopment of the former 14th Street Pedestrian Mall.  So, START SPREADING THE NEWS…

All 27 buildings have been historically rehabbed; new sidewalks are in; street trees have been planted, and the pavement on the street WILL be here any day now.  Join us for the street party several years in the making on Thursday, July 29th from 4-8 p.m. Click HERE to download your own PDF of the invitation to this exciting event, and send it on to everybody you know who might be interested and anyone who cares about historic preservation, sustainable development, and transformative, community-based neighborhood revitalization.

We’ve said it here many times before, but it bears repeating now that the redevelopment is just about complete:  Crown Square offers one-of-a-kind, historically rehabbed commercial and residential spaces in the heart of a dynamic community in the midst of a dramatic transformation.  The street festival on July 29th would be a great opportunity to get a first-hand glimpse of the remarkable spaces and the overall spirit of the community.  If you’d like to learn more about what’s available before then, click HERE for a downloadable flyer about the commercial spaces (and contact information for the commercial brokers at Duffe-Nuernberger) or click HERE for a downloadable flyer about the residential spaces (and contact information for the leasing agents at Cohen-Esrey).  We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, July 29th!

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More Media Coverage & Photos from Saturday’s Grocery Co-op Opening

Manager Sarah Kate Buckles works the cash register while Curtis (in the white t-shirt and cap on the left) prepares to help customers with their bags.

Our post on Saturday evening included a sampling of photos from the Old North Grocery Co-op’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening celebration.  Our full collection of photos from the big day can now be seen on the Old North St. Louis Flickr page. 

We also received great coverage about the store on St. Louis Public Radio (click HERE to listen to the story by Veronique LaCapra that aired on St. Louis Public Radio), as well as from the St. Louis Beacon (read that article here, where you also can see some good photos).  KMOV-Channel 4’s report Saturday night provided good visuals of the event and the crowd packing the store (and we’ll have a link to that here soon).  That story followed on the heels of Channel 4’s Good News 4 a Change segment that aired last Thursday, prior to the opening.

In addition to improving access to healthier food options for Old North residents, the very presence of the Old North Grocery Co-op already is making the neighborhood a more desirable place to live.  On Saturday afternoon we received an email from a resident of Chesterfield who recently found a job in downtown.  This person said:

“I’m looking to live close to where I work (so I can decrease my carbon footprint by not having to commute to work), and I’m looking for a neighborhood where there is a sense of community–where I can spend a good portion of my time outside of my apartment, doing neighborhood gardening, hanging out in a local coffeeshop, buying locally-grown groceries at a local store, hanging out at a park.  And, where the rent is not too expensive.  Old North looks kind of like it has that.”

We couldn’t have said it much better than that.  Thanks again to all who helped us launch the Old North Grocery Co-op and who are making Old North become a sustainable, desirable community that is open and welcoming to all.

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Scenes from Today’s Ribbon-Cutting at Old North Grocery Co-op

A great crowd came out to celebrate the opening day of the Old North Grocery Co-op at 2718 N. 13th Street.  Despite the blazing heat outside, neighborhood residents and visitors from throughout the city seemed to enjoy the momentous occasion and were thrilled to see the neighborhood’s newest amenity.

The store earned an “A” rating from the City’s health inspector.

Even before the official ribbon-cutting, visitors took advantage of the opportunity to tour the store and check out the groceries stocking the shelves.

Today’s opening could not have happened without a lot of help and support from many sources who deserved public recognition for the role they played in bringing about this one-of-a-kind community & consumer-owned business.  The long list of key partners and funders (including Missouri Foundation for Health and the Greater St. Louis Regional Empowerment Zone) were acknowledged while the crowd waited patiently in the shade of tents set up for the occasion. 

Alderwoman April Ford Griffin helped secure a facade improvement grant which will make it possible for a ramp to be built to the new front door.

Among those cutting the ribbon were (from left) Beverly Coberly & Kara Lubischer of University of Missouri Extension; Tino Ochoa and Sean Thomas of Old North St. Louis Restoration Group; 5th Ward Alderwoman April Ford Griffin; Tara Buckner of the Greater St. Louis Regional Empowerment Zone; Rusty Lee of Lee Farms; Ken & Nancy Kranzberg, who bought the building and made it available for this project; Missouri Dept. of Agriculture Director, Dr. Jon Hagler;  Joe Palm, chief of the Office of Minority Health at the Missouir Dept. of Health & Senior Services; Charles Bryson, City of St. Louis Director of Public Safety; and Melba Moore, City of St. Louis Commissioner of Health.

We didn’t get any clear shots of store manager Sarah Kate Buckles because a constant stream of customers at the check out counter kept blocking good views of her.   Despite the chaos of an opening day and occasional technology glitches, Sarah Kate found a way to make the first day of a business a great success - and even recruited her husband and other relatives to help out all day.

Thank you to all who made the day possible - and contributed so much time and energy over many months of planning and building preparation, especially over the past couple weeks.

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Ribbon-Cutting TODAY! for Old North Grocery Co-op

Today is the big day for the community-wide celebration of the Old North Grocery Co-op’s grand opening.  Come on out at 12:30 for the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon and do some shopping for good, fresh foods and other grocery items.

If you come early, you can visit the North City Farmers’ Market, which is set up on N. 14th Street again until noon (as it will continue to be every Saturday morning through Oct. 16). 

We’ve attracted a good amount of interest in the co-op well beyond the borders of Old North.  Here’s how the media and other sources have been telling the story:

Post-Dispatch article this morning: Food Oasis Will Spring to Life Today

St. Louis Globe-Democrat.com: Grocery Co-op Ribbon-Cutting Saturday in St. Louis

Missouri Dept. of Agriculture: Celebrating Something New in Old North

Fox 2 Morning Show

KMOV Channel 4’s Good News 4 A Change segment

For more details about the grocery co-op, visit their website at www.OldNorthGrocery.com.

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Join the Celebration on Saturday for Old North Grocery Co-op’s Ribbon-Cutting

We’ve been so busy getting the Old North Grocery Co-op up and running that we haven’t had as much time as we would have liked to get the word out about the big event this coming Saturday.  So, we need your help in spreading the word - and please come on out and join us Saturday at 12:30 p.m. for the community celebration of our city’s first grocery co-op, where everyone is welcome to shop for farm-fresh food and other groceries.  Feel free to forward the invitation to all who may be interested.

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Website for Old North Grocery Co-op is Up

The Old North Grocery Co-op now has its own website, which is up and running.  Check it out at www.OldNorthGrocery.com - and come on by 2718 N. 13th Street on Wednesday, June 30, between 3 and 6 p.m. to see the building and to find out how you can become a member-owner.

Thank you to Christopher Bay for contributing a good chunk of time and expertise to get this site going.

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Old North Grocery Co-op Is Incorporated…and Now YOU can own a piece of it

The Old North Grocery Co-op is now more than just a vision:  it’s an officially recognized business in the eyes of the State of Missouri and the IRS.   On Tuesday we received our certificate of incorporation from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office (and the federal identification number from the IRS later that day), which means we now can start selling shares in the ownership of an actual business.  Click HERE for a downloadable Owner-Member Application, which can be dropped off or mailed into the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group office at 2700 N. 14th Street.

To help with the share-selling campaign, we’re offering a “sneak peek” inside the building that is getting ready to house the soon-to-open grocery co-op this coming Wednesday from 3-6 p.m.  Come on by to take a look at the space and pick up a membership application or make your payment on the spot while you’re admiring the new front doorway that was cut into the building on Friday. 

The new entrance will still be on N. 13th Street but will be closer to St. Louis Avenue and will feature an accessible entry ramp, thanks to a facade improvement grant from the City of St. Louis, made possible by support from 5th Ward Alderwoman April Ford Griffin.

Watch this site for more details as all of the pieces continue to fall into place.

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Dedication Block Party for 1st Habitat for Humanity Homeowners: Sunday, June 27

This coming Sunday, June 27, Habitat for Humanity will celebrate the handing over of keys to the new homeowners of the first Habitat homes built in Old North St. Louis.  To celebrate the occasion, Habitat will hold a dedication block party from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at 1900 Sullivan - and the whole community is invited.

As the flyer above indicates, you can call 314-371-0400 or send an email to mary@habitatstl.org to RSVP for the big event.  Come on out to enjoy the festivities and welcome our newest neighbors to the Old North St. Louis community.

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Another Fun Day at the North City Farmers’ Market

The third week of the North City Farmers’ Market is in progress at this very moment, providing ONSL residents and friends with fresh produce, tasy baked goods, and one-of-a-kind crafts.  And if you come now, you’ll be able to enjoy the toe-tapping music of Barefoot Jones.

As the sign above indicates, the market is NOT on 14th Street, as it will be when the street is finished, but is just behind the former 14th Street Mall on the parking lot just east of the buildings along the 2700 block of North 14th (but still just south of St. Louis Avenue).

The market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, so there’s still time to run on over and get your healthy & good food for the week - and enjoy a taste of community life while you’re at it.

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Community Workshop for a More Walkable / Bikeable Old North

Join us Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. at ONSLRG’s community gallery (2700 N. 14th Street) for the first community workshop as part of the process of developing a master plan for making Old North St. Louis more walkable and bikeable.  See the flyer below for more details.

As noted above, you can get more information online at http://trailnet.org/oldnorth.php.

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