Intro & Meet the Guests

Speaker 5 0:00

I would say the grove is you. I think the whole thing is that we want people to see themselves in the grove, whether it's what Tatiana was talking about when it comes to visibility and inclusivity, when we're talking about cuisines that are experienced. We are a multicultural, multi-hyphenate neighborhood that is representative of so many. And our goal is for you to see yourself there.

Speaker 4 0:24

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Speaker 1:03

If you wanna hear about St. Louis, tune into the Bucket List Show Weekly. Hear what Marissa and Luke say. It drops every Wednesday. Got a dope new guest every single week. Buckle up for the ride. Who's it gonna be? Who's on the show today? They rap St. Louis. What to do in the loo on a late night? I maybe what to do on a date night. Yeah. Bucket list as you covered, then all what's going on. What's going on? They'll give you. Hey, 18 different things to do on 19. If you need one more to choose, yeah. This city, city, city is a place we call home. A place we call home. Yeah.

Speaker 4 1:41

St. Louis, welcome back to another episode of the STL Bucket List Show, highlighting the people, places, and events that make St. Louis special. I am your host, Luke Farrell of STL Bucket List. I'm here with Josh Smith of Neon Greens and uh Tatiana Telnikova of Handlebar. Welcome to the studio.

Speaker 5 1:56

Yeah, thanks for having us.

Speaker 4 1:57

Oh, thank you guys for coming in. Two two staples in the Grove neighborhood. And I wanted to start by kind of reading a little bit about the Grove neighborhood. So the Grove is St. Louis's, one of St. Louis's most storied neighborhoods, built on working class roots, revived by the LGBTQ entrepreneurs who believed in it when nobody else did, and now home to a new generation of business owners carrying that spirit forward. We have two of you in the studio today. Um in this episode, we're going to talk about, you know, that history of the neighborhood, but also what's is so exciting about that district. So I kind of wanted to pass this over to you, Tatiana, to start because you've been in the neighborhood since 2010 is when you opened Handlebar. Walk me through that moment of when you decided to open up Handlebar and uh kind of walk me through why you chose that neighborhood.

Tatyana Opens Handlebar

Speaker 2 2:37

Yeah, thank you. Um I was looking into opening another bar potentially because I had um I had a bar before that for a bit at the City Museum. And um I was looking for a place to move and I decided that, you know, if I find the perfect location and come up with a concept that I really like, then I will open a new bar. And if not, then I'm gonna take all my savings and move to Mexico and learn Spanish.

Speaker 4 3:02

So you decided bar.

Speaker 2 3:03

Well, it's it's because I found the space, honestly. I looked at so many different spaces in uh St. Louis, I think over those, I think I was looking for about two months and I it was countless uh spots and neighborhoods, and you know, just wanted to find something that was just right. And when I walked into that space on Manchester Avenue, it you know, used to be right next to Novak's, which was such a fun place I spent a lot of time in. And um and the growth, like I really liked the location, I love the patio. And then um coincidentally, that weekend they were having this massive bike race um in the in the neighborhood also. And I was uh I still am and really enjoy, I don't know, just cycling with friends kind of in a more social matter. Um so I thought that I was like, oh, this is it, you know, and then the Groves uh tagline at the time was halfway to everywhere, and you know, it's 15 minutes from my house personally. So that's that's why I I thought that that location you know would be great. My parents, when they saw the street, looked around and they said, Here? You wanna you sure? Because uh admittedly, yeah, back then a lot of you know, we're going on it's gonna be 16 years this September. And yeah, no, it's crazy. Congratulations. Thank you. I know I have mixed feelings about it. No, no, I'm I'm happy, I'm happy we're there. Um, just makes me feel old. But yeah, anyway, the neighborhood was definitely looked quite a bit different with a lot of like boarded up buildings and um you know, broken windows, that kind of stuff. But I don't know, I also saw like a lot of beauty in it, and you know, I really like just the St. Louis like red brick style, and you know, again, the gay bars have always been really fun and were places that I, you know, spent a decent amount of time in dancing, and um yeah, I have no regrets.

Josh Moves Home from New York

Speaker 4 4:55

That's amazing. And Josh, I kind of wanted to pass it to you because you grew up in St. Louis, left for New York, and then you came back to open a spot in the grove. I did. What made that decision for you? Kind of walk me through the steps that you know leading up to that.

Speaker 5 5:09

Um, as a queer business owner, I I really wanted to find a neighborhood that um that I could invest in. And and um I thought, you know, why not add to this incredible queer community that's grown so much in the grove uh over the past 20, 30 years? Um, I, you know, I looked anywhere from Shaw to Tower Grove, and and as I sort of like honed in my search, um, the grove 100% felt like the right place to be. And I'm I have no regrets too.

Speaker 4 5:39

And you were searched like you were in New York looking at real estate and and you kind of made that huge life decision to move home.

Speaker 5 5:45

I was, yeah. And it was uh it it was a big shift, but I really love it. Um I also live in the neighborhood, um, and uh there's nowhere I'd rather be. Uh there's so much happening. Um, and it really is a true neighborhood. Um, I mean, anything from we have an incredible liquor store and we have uh great gay bars and and cocktail bars and incredible places to eat uh that are growing by the day. Uh and I think the sort of precedent that the queer community uh set up when when sort of uh they looked at the Grove neighborhood and started investing in it, uh, which had not been invested in for quite some time. Um, it's it's just grown in a way that's really special.

Speaker 4 6:30

It's one of those vibrant neighborhoods when when, and it might not have been this when you moved in 2010, but when people think of neighborhoods to visit to not only go out to eat, now to live in, there's so many opportunities to live there. Every time I drive by, I see new developments, like right, even in the neighborhoods with new home builds and all these different things. Um, but Handlebar has always had a reputation of somewhere that accepts everybody and everybody feels like they belong. Um, whether they're gay, straight, whether they're black, white, you know, any any race, anything. Like I've spent nights at Handlebar out on that patio until 3 a.m. and really connected with so many people in the community. How do you continue to create that space over 16 years? Because it is hard to run hospitality businesses, especially night, nightlife businesses. And you've you've been a veteran and probably um, I don't know how many bars have been around that long, but I mean you've really been around just as long as some of the key bars all across St. Louis. So congratulations on that. But how do you kind of continue to create that space?

Speaker 2 7:23

Uh first

Creating an Inclusive Space

Speaker 2 7:24

of all, thank you. Um, and also I'm so glad that you are in the neighborhood, by the way. Sorry. Uh like I like salads are my favorite food. Like you just I frequent your place the most. I know. Um, and uh yeah, back to your question. Honestly, this like the being a welcoming, like a place for everyone is it's the core value of it. So that's always like the number one. That's something that I talk to everybody when we go through like the hiring process, when we interview people. Um, that's definitely something that I look for um and always have in people that I work with. Um I don't know, they've just always been really important for me as um as an as an immigrant. And I grew up here without, you know, for a long time without a family. And I just remember when I when I was younger and alone here, uh especially around the holidays, I remember feeling that like I was like, oh man, like I hope somebody invites me, and always somebody did. And I was just I remember being so grateful to be welcome into somebody's like home, into somebody's family and space. And I remember back then I decided I was like, if I ever have my own thing, like my own place, like I will I want to be like I want my place to be the place where everybody wants like can just be themselves and feel welcome and you know, and so um I try to do that, you know, at my house, but also at the handlebar, um even more so just because the capacity of it. And um, yeah, I don't know. And I just uh we really, really try to have a good team. I mean, we've gone through multiple generations of we call ourselves the handle barbarians. We've gone through different generations of handle barbarians and some have been you know stronger crowds, some have been not quite as uh perfect. I mean, and it just you know, through so many years, I think it kind of fluctuates with like times in my life, you know, when you know, when I'm able to be more present there, like it's easier to kind of keep an eye on things and make sure things are good. But there have been times throughout you know the lifetime of Handelbar when I wasn't able to be there as much because I don't know, like I opened another business or I had a child or something like that. So and I did notice that those times usually um it does impact the business when the owner isn't there.

Speaker 4 9:37

Yeah, no, I I can see that.

Speaker 2 9:39

But things, but I mean, yeah, I mean, we really, really try to focus on that, and then also just I don't know, hiring um like a diverse crowd. Like we try to make sure that we have a good spread of people, that we have different people represented in the uh, you know, every everybody from bartenders to you know kitchen staff to um the performers that we work with. Like we try to do something for everybody. Um, and I don't know, that's just like that's the core value.

Speaker 4 10:04

So we just you guys do a lot of events too.

Speaker 2 10:06

We do, yeah. We have events every every day.

Speaker 4 10:08

Yeah, I was gonna say last time I checked when we talked, you're like, yeah, I have like 32 events this month. And I was like, okay, well, which one do you want to promote? There was like so many different things happening. For over 150 years, SSM Health has been providing hope, healing, and opportunities to the St. Louis community with over 40,000 employees across four states. They're not only delivering exceptional care, they're one of the region's largest employers, shaping the future of healthcare. We're proud to present SSM Health as the official healthcare partner of the STL bucket list show. If you've dreamed of a career where you're truly making a difference every day, SSM Health can help you take that to the next step. Learn more at their website in the link in the show notes. I read an article um in a magazine about you too, about like you describe Neon Greens as a queer-owned company with a ton of queer employees. What does that type of advocacy mean to you? And like, what does that mean to you to create a space, especially in the Grove neighborhood for that too?

Speaker 5 10:57

Yeah, I

Queer Ownership & Visibility 00:12:42 - The Grove's History

Speaker 5 10:58

would say the most important thing, the the first stepping off point is visibility. Um, we cannot make change without being visible. And it's it's hard to be visible at times, and sometimes there are externalities that make it difficult to be visible as who you are or um representing who you are. Um and uh that's what's the most important thing to me is actually creating a business that is queer-owned and and hires queer people, straight people, um, anyone from from everywhere. Um our prerequisite is uh you have to care about food. Um and that's sort of uh one of our first interview questions is I like to ask people, um, you know, we talk about food and food preparation and and their experience with it. Um, but the question I like to ask is, uh, what do you like to make for yourself? If you were gonna make yourself one thing at home, what would you cook? Um, and usually most of the people that end up working for us or with us rather, um, their eyes light up and start talking about, you know, a steak or uh, you know, something that they're growing in the garden and that they're gonna uh cook up on the stove. Um, but I think that all kind of, you know, you talk about hospitality, which is as a thread between our two businesses. Um hospitality starts and and ends with people feeling welcome uh and like they have a place in ownership. Uh and I think that kind of goes back to um the origins of just what the great success of the grove has been. Uh, its identity is being embedded in the queer community, a place that has built something and somewhere uh where you can see yourself.

Speaker 4 12:42

Exactly. And we kind of touched on the history before we started the podcast, but you had mentioned dating back to the 1880s. So this neighborhood has evolved so many times over the years. Can you touch on some of that history? It has, yeah.

Speaker 5 12:52

And it's kind of crazy. I was doing some research this morning. Um, it it became a working-class neighborhood in the late 1800s through the 1940s. Um, and believe it or not, St. Louis had a huge public transit system uh that sort of died in the 1940s and 50s. Uh, there was a streetcar system that went all through downtown, connected all these neighborhoods. And the Manchester Strip, um, the grove as it's known currently, um, had a huge community of people that that uh lived in it as a true neighborhood. There were theaters, there were restaurants, there were all of these things. And um, if we look at sort of the double whammy of uh the highway system being built, which severed neighborhoods and sort of took the arteries of the city that exist and cut them in half and made it really difficult. Um, that and then the uh almost abolishment of the streetcar system and and replacing that with buses that were um less uh efficient and and less reliable and also didn't have as large a system. Um so the grove neighborhood sort of went through this sort of depression starting in the 1930s up until the 80s uh and 90s when the queer community sort of uh reclaimed it and started to reinvest in it rather. Um, and it's really it's just such an interesting mirror to see today, almost a hundred years later, um, how the grove is truly turning into uh this major artery again that is connecting neighborhoods and connecting people. Uh and all that really started with the the queer community investing in it.

Falling in Love with St. Louis on a Bicycle

Speaker 4 14:30

Dating back to the 1990s. So, really, I mean, we're only looking at 30 years, and I can't believe like how much progress the neighborhood has made. And like every time I drive through there now, I mean, I was just looking at a new restaurant um with the Chico Bueno guys over there. Like, I mean, all these places just keep popping up left and right, and it's so exciting to to see the neighborhood connected. And we especially we're when I was looking into your story a little bit more. So correct me if I'm wrong, but you moved here when you were 16. Um, and you said you moved here alone, or you you know, in a way, um, you discovered the city through cycling, which you kind of talked about earlier. Is that what led into handlebar, like the handlebars of a bike? And obviously your bike rack out front. Can we talk about that a little bit? I love it because I know you touched on it, but I wanted I want to dive a little deeper on it.

Speaker 2 15:12

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, so I fell in love with St. Louis on a bicycle. I hated St. Louis for a long time. I really did. I just I was I'm from Moscow. Um, it's like a city of 17 million people with like a massive public transport. You know, talk about we have buses, we have trolleys, we have subway system. That it's it's it's incredible. And I also didn't want to come here either. That was my parents' choice, not mine. And and then, yeah, they were supposed to come with me, and then instead they came and they were like, hey, we're gonna go to Russia visit real quick. And then they just never came back for 10 years. So, you know, like my start to St. Louis wasn't exactly like from my perspective, like positive. And I really didn't like it until I moved to the loop, actually. And then uh like after after I graduated high school, and I started commuting by bicycle to my job in Webster Groves, about an hour commute each way. And um, and during those rides is when I was like those that was like some of the most enjoyable time that I've ever had. And I just I don't know, I started seeing the city in a different way. And I got another job downtown, was like marketing, and I would ride my bike there, or sometimes even take the metrolink for part of it. And then it just gave me a different perspective, like completely different perspective. And I started meeting people through cycling that were also cycling, and then I was like, oh, this is this is fun, this is cool, this is um something I can get behind. And yeah, so that's why I fell in love with St. Louis riding a bicycle. That's just the true story. And then when I was opening, when I was like in the process of like trying to come up with that bar, like I said, after the after the cabinet at the city museum, I believe in themed bars. I don't know. They just like I think a bar needs to have a good location, has to have a patio, and has to have a theme. And when I was thinking about the theme, like I said, there was that like the criterion, I think it was uh Big Shark was putting on that race. I think that's what it was called. And then so I saw that and I was like, okay, biking. And then I had a whole at

How Handlebar Got Its Name

Speaker 2 17:00

that point, I had like a small community of like friends that were biking, they were kind of like like nighttime, kind of like Julians on bikes, you know, like that was my micro. And so I was like, okay, so I have this core group of people that would come and then they were ride bike bikes, and I was like, oh, it's a like a bicycle bar, it should be a bicycle bar. And then that was so that so that's where that came from. But I didn't name it actually. You know, who did? It was the the liquor commissioner of St. Louis City at the time, his name was Bob Kraberg, and he was like a friend of mine at that point. And I remember coming to him to his office and you know, in the process of applying for this new liquor license. And I mean, I had the LLC already, and it was the same LLC I was using. And I told him the idea, and he was like, Oh, that's a great idea. He's like, What are you gonna call it? And I was like, I don't know. I was like, I don't know, I was thinking like cycles, but that sounds kind of stupid. I was like, or like crank, like crank, you know, and he and he's cranks. I was like, something, yeah, I had all these different like bike parts, and I was like, but I don't know, I don't know what I should call it. And he's like, he's like, Oh, I know. He's like, it's easy, you should call it handlebar. And I was like, and he said, you know, because a handle of whiskey and a handlebar, and all and I was like, oh my god. And I was like, Can I I'm gonna do that? Just write it down, just put it, put it right there right now. So yeah, so he named it, and I'm so like that was it was the perfect. Maybe I would have gotten there eventually, but he was it was just like this for him, you know.

Speaker 4 18:15

That's so crazy. That's a really cool story.

Speaker 2 18:17

What a great story. Yeah, I know it was awesome. So he gets the credit for that. I told him, I told him I was like, I will always give you credit for this that I did not come up with a name.

Speaker 4 18:25

Now you're known on like a first name basis. Like people just call you handle. I'm gonna be at handle tonight. Like when you're a bar that has created like a community around like that first name, it's like, oh, I'm gonna be here tonight. And like people will either start there or in there, and it's like you're a place where so much community has been has been built.

Speaker 2 18:40

It's crazy. There's handle babies now or people that met, yeah. I've met multiple, I've met many now. Like I've met people that met at Handlebar and they're and then like and I meet their baby, and they're like, Oh, we met a handlebar. And I was like, Oh, it's a handle baby.

Speaker 4 18:53

Was that pretty when people now they meet they used to meet in person?

unknown 18:56

I know.

Speaker 4 18:56

Well, they still they still try.

Speaker 2 18:58

I mean, yeah, people are definitely more awkward about it.

Speaker 4 19:00

Your spot is good though. For we try, we try to do that.

Speaker 2 19:02

I've I'm even like thinking like I want to have an event when I have time for a new event. I want to have an event with like no cell phones, you know, and just kind of be like, let's go in and just like for a couple of hours commit to the fact that we're not gonna look at that thing.

Speaker 5 19:13

Well, it's kind of it's so beautiful what you were saying about getting to know St. Louis on a bicycle, because like what we what's so important and we need to try to do more is like cities are designed to be seen as humans. And the more that we we are disconnected from being human, whether it's like our phones or whether it's being in a car versus a bicycle, we have these blinders on. Um, and and I think more opportunities that we have, like we do in our neighborhood at Handlebar and and all the bars and restaurants that exist there to sort of create an experience where you're not looking down all day and you're not driving in a car.

Speaker 4 19:49

Yeah, and I mean you lived in New York City, so obviously what better city is an example of like what the potential of walkability looks like, what the potential of no cars look like, obviously. Um, and a lot of times the concepts that you used to see in New York 10 years ago are now coming to the Midwest. So you're like, oh, I've seen something like that. And you probably took a lot of that inspo when it comes to like a concept with you with neon greens, but you didn't you weren't always in food though. So I want to talk a little bit about kind of how that led in. So I kind of read that for 11 years you were an art director, set designer, you worked on Netflix HBO shows. So, like, obviously, when you walk into Neon Greens, I could tell that you created that set. So kind of walk me through the experience from like New York and how you're kind of bringing that energy to St. Louis.

From Broadway & Hollywood to Neon Greens

Speaker 5 20:31

Yeah. So um I was trained as a visual storyteller, um, started in theater, went to school uh at Carnegie Mellon, just uh studied set design, uh, moved straight to New York and started working for Broadway designers. Um, so I sort of cut my teeth, building tiny little models or drafting for them, uh, and then ended up working in film and television, um, taking those skills and sort of expanding to building very, very, very large sets that were incredibly detailed. Um and what I love so much about it is that it's it's an opportunity to communicate. Um, design is communication. Um, and you're telling someone how you want them to feel, you're um telling them how something tastes, um, how you know you want someone to experience something. Um, and so with Neon Greens, uh, definitely took that to heart. Um, and so everything is designed from, you know, the way that you walk through the building itself, the way that we want you to feel in those spaces. Um, we actually have a hydroponic farm on site. For those who don't know about Neon Greens, we're part farm park restaurant. Um, and with that hydroponic farm on site, we have a conveyor belt that connects the kitchen. Um, and it's it's really all about food transparency. So it's about giving people uh a more intimate relationship with their food, the folks who are making it. And that conveyor belt and the farm on site are sort of the the true dial. And the storytelling that are connecting.

Speaker 4 22:02

Yeah, no, it is really cool. I mean, the first time you go there and like you give people tours all the time and get to show people, and then people just the product itself is, you know, one of the best salads that you'll ever have is, you know, is right there in the grove. And it's some of the best bars. And like there's so many businesses that are on my bucket list that are in your neighborhood, from Rick over at Grace Meet and 3 to um Samim Afghan, one of the one of my favorite restaurants. So good. Like people, like you can walk down the grove from the Kings Highway side all the way to what is that, Vandeventer or what um right over there. And there's so many. Um, I love going, I mean, uh, over at Chow Bon and like all these different places that have been there. And um, we've gotten to work closely with a lot of people in the neighborhood and get to experience um the new place that we just went to. Um, Damn Good People was like one of the coolest little patios, like co-working space. Like I mean, I just got to meet those people the other day. I mean, amazing. So I kind of want to talk about some of uh some of the spots in the neighborhood that people need to need to check out if they haven't yet. I mean, I can pass it to you since you're a veteran in the neighborhood, but what are you already mentioned? Neon Green, so you don't gotta plug him just because he's here. The STL bucket list show is proudly sponsored by Suede Dispensary with 11 Missouri area locations. Suede does so much for the St. Louis community. We've been working with this team for a couple years back since Medical was here, and we're excited to support their

Favorite Spots in the Grove

Speaker 4 23:20

new product launches, events, and community initiatives. We couldn't be happier to work with this premier cannabis brand, and we're excited for them to sponsor the show. Enjoy the rest of the podcast.

Speaker 2 23:30

I go to Everest a lot. If you haven't been to Everest for lunch, they do like this amazing lunch buffet. And um Connie and Dev and her husband are just so hardworking, they're there all the time. Also, like an immigrant-owned spot. So that's definitely another favorite of mine. Um well, this is like so much pressure because I don't want to like leave people, you know. Like, I mean they're all really good. The places I like to go to a lot, like Ape, I discovered recently, they're like next door to the good company. It's they're kind of like little sexy spot on the side. Oh my god, it's so good. The drinks are delicious, the food is like and it's just like a really nice, like quiet atmosphere if you want to like go on a date or like catch up with an old friend, like in a quiet sort of like a setting. I really like that. And then that new sushi place, what is it called?

Speaker 3 24:14

Oni. Oni, yeah, Oni open.

Speaker 2 24:17

I've only been there once or twice, I think once. And really enjoyed that. And it's just nice to see new things opening, you know, all the time. Um, like La Calle is really fun for you know, like Latin dancing. They're right next door to us. Yes, and they have some good food. And um, yeah, I don't know. Those that's that's what comes to mind. But honestly, like all of our neighbors are wonderful. I also really like La Finca coffee shop. Yeah, it's kind of more on the other side. Oh, and then I go to serendipity with my kids. Yes, and then the toxicology, if you want to buy a fish. Like if you want to get a friend, like if you have a friend that likes cocktails, exactly.

Speaker 4 24:52

He taught me how to I did a cocktail class there, and him and his wife taught me how to make cocktails.

Speaker 2 24:56

Yeah, when I was so much fun, and it's just so great to go in, like, like if you're shopping for someone for a birthday party, like you know, oh my god.

Speaker 4 25:01

It's just curated, like curation is like because you can get a lot of that stuff at a at a big box store, but it's just the best curated spot. Yeah, yeah. Um, but yeah, like places like that that uh that you you mentioned like all the like great, but you mentioned the good company people. I mean, they've been I talked to Jordan and they've just been reinvesting in the neighborhood. They got two new spots opening there. Um, I think this week or next week, um Mexican spot and they have an Italian spot opening too. Yeah. Um, which is just incredible to have like high classes.

Speaker 1 25:26

And of course the gramophone with those advanced. Yeah, uh, yeah.

Speaker 4 25:30

The gramophones just like you, like they're just built into the neighborhood because everybody likes to talk. Obviously, the new spots are important, but like you guys are staples in that neighborhood. And gramophone's one of those, one of those staples, and neon greens when they're one day when you guys are huge and you have all these things, it's like your staple flagship location is always gonna be there in the grove, which like obviously means a lot. And right, um, what about you? Is there any any ones that we didn't touch on there?

Speaker 5 25:50

Oh gosh, we've covered most of them already, but um, yeah. I mean, I think I would similar to you, plug the the new opportunities that are coming to light. I mean, we have Jordan's restaurants, which are opening, the good company people, um, Chico Bueno, Chico. Um, they have another spot that's about to open, Oni just opened, um, Fortos Killer Pizza just opened and Urban Chestnut.

Speaker 2 26:11

Um, it's such an incredible collection of of food and drink and then we have salons, and then we have shopping, you know, and then we have super fun spots to party, like you know, rehab, Just John's have also been there forever. Yeah, I mean, it's just you just can't really go on.

Speaker 4 26:26

Tommy by J-Mo, one of the best music venues that's been hosting some of the such great shows. He has some of the best shows there now, and like they continue. I was just talking to uh Workfest, who's gonna be there in a couple weeks. Workfest is actually moving their event at uh to the to Tommy. So they're gonna be there July 11th. So that's awesome. Um yeah, Tom and Drew over there, they just dropped a kitchen, so they now have late night, they have a late night menu. So we all want more late night menus, you know. That's always that's always helpful. I'm from the St. Charles area, but then I moved to St. Louis City probably 2020, 2019, and I lived on Kings Highway, so the Grove neighborhood was one of like the first neighborhoods. I I remember going to Trops and getting a frozen slushie and then going to Urban Chestnut and then all the events that are staple events, like Oktoberfest that was there, obviously the naked bike ride, which is one of the coolest events you mentioned cycling.

Speaker 1 27:13

Which is which is coming up on July 25th.

Speaker 4 27:15

Okay, that's coming up. Yes, okay, sweet. So handlebar is gonna be a big spot for that too, I'm sure.

Speaker 1 27:19

Yeah, that's kind of like the yeah.

Speaker 4 27:21

So I want to kind of talk about the momentum that you're seeing in the grove and what gets you guys excited. So we mentioned all these new spots and all these new opportunities, but what what makes the grove prime for new development, for you know, reinvestment, and and what in your opinion, Josh, like what are you seeing for the future of that neighborhood?

Speaker 5 27:37

Yeah,

The CID & The Future of the Grove

Speaker 5 27:38

I think um so we're we're both on the CID, uh, which is the community improvement district, and we have an incredible uh business community in the Grove that's so supportive. Um, I, you know, started my business about three years ago almost now. Uh and the support that I saw from the CID and and all the business owners in the neighborhood um has has been probably unlike anything I would have seen. I'm who knows because uh, you know, alternate realities. But I it's just such an inclusive neighborhood. And the inclusivity um, you know, is anything from the queer community that we've been talking about, but also when it comes to the variety of businesses uh that we encourage to join um the Grove neighborhood. I there's always um a little tiny storefront that's available. And for those who have a dream and an idea, um, we are a place to workshop it, to craft it, to grow it uh and invest in um with a bunch of kooky like-minded sort of entrepreneurs.

Speaker 4 28:46

That is true. Like, and you guys, I can tell, like just from working with you for the last year and a half of like how committed you guys are as volunteers as a part of the CID and like really how committed you are not only to growing your own businesses, but also supporting the other local entrepreneurs in the neighborhood. Um so you're coming up on almost 20 years. I don't wanna, I don't wanna, you know, say that but in four years you're gonna have a bar for 20 years old. I really want it to be 21 because then I can leave educating. So what keeps you motivated though to keep continuing to build that?

Speaker 2 29:14

I mean,

What Keeps Them Going

Speaker 2 29:15

honestly, some of the things are like new people coming. And like Josh is now like running the marketing committee, and I did that for a long time. And honestly, I think I kind of I got burnt out because it was just too many, it was just too much for too long. And I I definitely I don't think I was doing a great job. And I was aware of it and I was like, I'm I'm so burnt out. But it's so nice to have like people with a vision, with energy, with like drive that are coming in that that are you know that are new and continue kind of, I don't know, like you have to have like kind of fresh, fresh, fresh ideas, um fresh outlooks um that are still representative of the neighborhood, you know, and that have uh like a passion behind it. So I don't know what keeps me going. I don't know what else am I gonna do now. No, it just it's like it is great. I just honestly I feel really fortunate most of the time. And uh it also took me like a very long time to uh like craft like a team of people that I feel like really great with. And like now, I wouldn't give that up for for anything. Like I have like an incredible management team at my place at this point. And um, you know, that that feeling when like you enjoy the people that you work with, like truly, yes, it just changes how you feel when you come into work, you know, when you're like when it's actually a supportive environment, like for us, like on a micro scale, and then like in the neighborhood on a macro scale, it feels that way too, where people are yeah, it's not like we hang out all the time, but at the same time, like I know that if something is up, like I can call one of the business owners and people will be like, you know, like we have each other's back, like on you know, as a neighborhood and like and at the handlebar, I don't know. I think that's it for us.

Speaker 4 30:47

Louis thing. I've talked to a lot of people on this podcast that have open businesses in St. Louis and like the support from others. Yeah, that's especially when at the end of the day, you know, they might also be your competitor as well. So it's like people are so supportive, especially in the hospitality community. And I mean, you lived in one of the best hospitality, I mean, the best hospitality city in the world. And it's sometimes that since a community is on a micro scale in St. Louis, you see like any of these other entrepreneurs in the food industry you can call. You've done collaborations with so many of the best chefs in the city. Um, you know, and and that that's rare. And like your place specifically, like you mentioned your staff, but like the amount of impact you've had outside of the people that have just been in your business, whether they met there or whether they spent a night out there after a wedding or they went there after a bike ride or all these different places you've hosted over the 15 years, millions of different people. And like that's an incredible feat. And same with you. It's like as you continue to build your business, it's like you have your staff that you're impacting, but also it's like the people that enjoy a salad. Like my wife and I come in there, and it's like after we do something exciting, it's like, let's go get a healthy salad or let's go do something. And we were there in suits that one day. You're like, what are you guys doing? And we're like, well, we are celebrating, we left a funeral, but it's like we still wanted to go eat with each other after, and it's like that's a spot that we felt community at. The STL bucket list show is fueled by Upshot Coffee. My friends at Upshot Coffee have some of the best beans in town. I got some of their new packaging here. Look at this bag. How big this is. Um, they have four St. Louis locations, their flagship in Coddleville, the break shop over by Lindenwood in St. Charles, their Clayton location called Hi-Fi, um, and then Flyby over in Tower Grove, their newest location. Um, and they also sell their coffee online everywhere. If you guys haven't added Upshot Coffee to your STL bucket list, it's time to try it. Some of the my favorite people in the industry and some of the best coffee in the game.

Speaker 2 32:33

And I think I want to add something, and I agree with you completely. Like, um, I think I want to add to that, like you know, with the handlebar and the grove, I feel like we also stand for something more than just like drinks and food. You know, because it is because it is about inclusivity, because it is about lifting each other up. And I think in especially in today's world where, you know, a lot of things don't feel that way, and a lot of uh kind of like the rhetoric that's flying around, you know, on social media or whatever, it's like finger pointing and making people feel like unwelcome or at least trying to make people feel this way. I think, you know, from Handlebar, like we host a ton of like community events and like fundraisers for local organizations that support people and like help, you know, in different ways to the growth, just you know, flying the flags that we fly, you know, having the events that we have, standing behind that, you know, despite the fact that maybe like externally it's not like the cool thing to do anymore, but we're like we're not doing it because it's the cool thing, we're doing it because that's what's right and that's what we believe in. You know, and I think and that to me, like I'm getting this message, like that to me is what keeps me going now, you know, because just like slinging drinks and having a bar, it's fun and good for like a few years, and then and then you want more. And what I want is to be able to truly to contribute like in a positive way and make a positive impact in any way that I can. And I'm just using the bar to do that. And the Grove, I feel like, is doing the same thing, you know what I mean? So and and I think and that comes from in a lot of ways, and I've seen that happen, so I know that for a fact, is coming from like the board and who is on the board. Because just things change, you know, over time. And um I'm and I don't know. Like I really believe, like, I really hope that we can keep this momentum going and I hope that it, you know, we can stay true to this identity of the neighborhood that you know.

Speaker 4 34:20

Yeah, it takes people like you, and that was so well said. And and I mean, I think that that's why other people want to be a part of the neighborhood. It takes people like you too, and it takes all these other ones that we mentioned is you know, a neighborhood is so much, you know. It's like like we mentioned so many more people live. I don't know the exact statistics, but like so many more people live in the neighborhood, so many more businesses operate. Obviously, with that, the SID continues to grow, and then you guys continue to reinvest into other things to make the neighborhood. I mean, what more iconic than that grove sign when you pull right, I mean, right down, you know, right up to your spot, like when people see oh you know, it has his days. We all do, yeah, all have our days. Um, so I kind of want to I kind of want to pull everything together and and I'm gonna kind of ask a question about describing the neighborhood in in one word. I know this is probably pretty hard, so I can have you guys think about it for a little bit, but like finish this

Describing the Grove in One Word

Speaker 4 35:09

sentence.

Speaker 5 35:09

The grove is I would say the grove is you. I think the whole thing is that we want people to see themselves in the grove. Whether it's um what Tatiana is talking about when it comes to visibility and inclusivity, um, when it when we're talking about cuisines that are experienced, uh we are a multicultural, multi-hyphenate neighborhood uh that is representative of so many. And our goal is for you to see yourself there. Beautiful.

Speaker 2 35:44

It is so many different, you know, kind of like so many different things, you know, from like all the murals that we have to look at. Like that's just so fun to just go around and try to find all of them. Like that's a challenge. I know. And then just popping into different businesses, like there are just so many different things there that like I feel like sometimes I walk down the street and I'm like, oh what's this is new? Like I haven't seen this before and I've been there, you know. Yeah, so yeah, I think like eclectic for me because it's like it's fun and it's yeah, I don't know. It's just um it's a beautiful, vibrant place to be.

Speaker 4 36:14

I love it. Yeah, vibrant is uh is a word that I was gonna do.

Speaker 2 36:17

Yeah, we can always improve, you know, everything can always be better in different ways, you know. Like parking.

Speaker 4 36:23

Well, that's why you gotta walk.

Speaker 2 36:24

Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 4 36:25

You know, or ride bikes.

Speaker 2 36:26

It's true, yeah.

Speaker 4 36:27

You have a bike rack in front of your spider.

Speaker 2 36:28

I know, I know. Yeah, yeah. We have two giant bike racks in front of the other big old bicycles. You can climb them, we have lots of people taking pictures of them. They're fun.

Where to Find Them & Outro

Speaker 4 36:36

Um, just to kind of wrap here, the I mean, the grove didn't happen by accident, it happened because of people specifically in the LGBTQ community reinvesting in that neighborhood, and that's spurred more reinvestment, you know. So when investment comes, then other people want to get involved, and now you're seeing more development around the neighborhood. Um, and really for you two um for coming on the studio today, thank you so much for spending your time telling that story. We're gonna continue to talk about this neighborhood. It was in Sauce magazine. We had a great, you know, three, four-page feature kind of talking about some of that history and talking about some of the businesses like you that make such a big difference in that neighborhood. But um, no, I think it's I think it's great that you guys came on today and and uh I appreciate your time. And we'll uh you know, hopefully catch up in the near future in a at a late night at Handlebar and then wake up the next day and go to Neon Greens or Biscuit Town. Biscuit Town for breakfast after Handlebar. We'll see you there. Thank you so much for having us. Thank you. See you guys next week. St. Louis, thanks for listening. Everything we do here is about telling the story of this city, and that doesn't stop with this show. On the Bucketlist Podcast Network, we're diving even deeper into the people, places, and moments that make this city what it is. Meet Me in Music with Neil Salcett captures the sound of the city, past and present, ending each episode with a live performance. For my Foodie Lovers, the sauce with Lauren Healy brings you inside the restaurants that define our culture every Tuesday. Gateway to Growth with Jamal Cornelius highlights the stories behind the people that make St. Louis work. And every Thursday, Bryce breaks down your weekend with This Week in St. Louis. More stories, more voices. Explore the full bucketless podcast network wherever you listen.