The CWE Roars Back

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been gathering information about the latest openings and re-openings of commercial businesses stretching from Forest Park Avenue northward to Washington Avenue. These events illustrate how the neighborhood is rebounding following the 2022 fire at Euclid and McPherson, as well as from vacancies stemming from the Covid pandemic.

It was disappointing to learn from several business owners that one of the obstacles to opening their doors sooner is the frustrating process  of obtaining an occupancy permit in the City of St. Louis. Sydnie Rushing, proprietor of Rushmore Boutique,  a women’s clothier that was located in Alton, IL is opening at 4742 McPherson. A couple of weeks ago, she was notified that her occupancy permit was finally ready, but when she went to City Hall to pick it up she was informed that it was the wrong permit, and that it would be two more weeks before the correct one would be issued. Meanwhile. she’s biding her time stocking the shop and anxious to introduce Rushmore to the neighborhood. It will be fantastic to have another retail shop in the neighborhood.

Rothschild’s Scott Sturdevant reported that Ranoush, at 386 N. Euclid, is in the process of staffing up and should reopen any day.  The restaurant, which serves Middle Eastern cuisine, was shuttered following the fire.

Tikka Tangy, an Indian and Mediterranean restaurant with multiple locations in the St. Louis area, will be up and running at 390 N. Euclid later this year.

Mainlander, which opened last year at 8 S. Euclid and has since been named a James Beard Award Semi-Finalist, has outgrown its space and is relocating to a larger space at 392 N. Euclid (formerly occupied by Salt ‘n Smoke) early in 2025.

Mission Taco Joint, at the corner of Euclid and McPherson, has recently been rebranded as Session Taco after being sued for copyright infringement by Mission Taco Tortillas. According to Sturdevant, Session Taco should be open at the end of October or early November.

T Nails Spa at 4726 McPherson looks close to opening its doors, and seems to be scheduling appointments on the website. Word is that it will mid-to-late October. The space was formerly occupied by Lori Shifter’s The Silver Lady, which relocated to the lobby of the Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza Hotel following the fire.

Apartments above the commercial spaces at Euclid and McPherson were also extensively damaged by the fire. They have been completely renovated and are now available for lease (look here).

An update on Pagan Wine Bar, below:

Ed King, proprietor of Pagan Wine Bar, 293 N. Euclid, has expanded his popular late night haunt into two adjoining spaces, which were formerly occupied by a hookah bar. The renovation and license approval process has taken many months–and then there is King himself, who has gone to great lengths to make sure every detail is perfect and each cocktail is stellar before opening the door and introducing his loyal (and patient) clientele to the new space. But the stage is finally set and the Grand Opening of Silk Road, which is what the two new spaces are called, is scheduled for tonight and tomorrow evening from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m.  After that, Silk Road will slowly expand its open days. In the meantime, Pagan will remain the same unique environment that has attracted so many regulars.

For those of you who may have missed the first iteration of Pagan Wine Bar, when it was also a mystery book store, here is a post from 2014.

Savvy Bridal just moved from Lafayette Square to 229 N. Euclid, the former Steel Wheels. The bridal salon, which also has a location in Kansas City, is open Tuesday and Thursday thru Saturday, by appointment only.

This is all the info I was able to get without signing up for a bridal fitting (!), but the website is full of information and if you’re in a hurry—gowns take 4 to 6 months to produce—there are options on the site such as “Ready to Wed” and a “Say Yes for Less” Sale October 22 to 26.

So now you can find your dreamy bridal gown on Euclid at Savvy Bridal and then head over to Bella Bridesmaids (also by appt.) at 4732 McPherson to choose bridesmaids dresses. Perfect.

Laser Away at 10 Maryland Plaza, which has multiple locations across the country, opened at 10 Maryland Plaza several months ago. Check the website for hours and services.

CWEnder Tamara Landiero is relocating Havana’s Cuisine “A Taste of Cuba in the Gateway City” from downtown to 12 S. Euclid, above, between Laclede and Forest Park Ave. Landiero is in the process of getting her kitchen hood in place and adding new signage, and hopes to be open by mid-to-late October. As soon as she is open, I plan to introduce you to her in a longer post.

Sadly, Euclid Vintage, which is a few doors south of Havana’s Cuisine, shuttered in September. When I stopped in earlier this summer, the new proprietor told me that the original owner moved back to Colorado, that the shop had been rebranded as Chained Up Vintage, and that they were doing more pop-up events, so were giving up the brick and mortar space at 12 1/2 S. Euclid.

While not on Euclid, Joe Baker’s Black Mountain Wine House, above  has become a popular CWE destination since it opened at 354 N. Boyle in 2023. The original Black Mountain Wine House is in Brooklyn (mentioned in post here).

This past summer Baker added a patio out back that features a wood-fired pizza oven.

Black Mountain Wine House features small plates, pizza and other wood-fired dishes, oysters on Friday nights (tonight’s selection is Hood Canal from Oregon), Pasta Tuesdays, Wine Tastings, and Family Nights. Check the website for the menu and other happenings.

Finally, as soon as I get information on the Chess Club’s long-awaited restaurant on the northeast corner of Euclid and Maryland, I’ll pass it along.