Are you curious about what businesses used to be in buildings throughout the neighborhood? Cara Jensen, Shaw resident and owner of Sherlock Homes, has started compiling this information in a Google map. To date she has added businesses that were present in 1956, their status in 2015, and is now starting to add in information from a directory printed in 1915.
The map covers the area currently considered the Shaw Neighborhood, as well as buildings north of I-44 to Park Ave, which was often considered Shaw before the highway was built. Places on the map are color coded to indicate their status in 2015: green = current business, yellow = building standing, but vacant, red = building demolished, and brown = private residence.
In 1950 the population in the City of St. Louis was 856,796. According to a post by Jensen on her website, in 1956 Shaw had 7 taverns, 23 markets/delicatessens, 7 service stations, 18 barbers/beauty shops, 13 laundrettes, 7 restaurants, 4 bakeries, 4 shoe repair, 5 dentists, and 2 movie theaters. Can you imagine having that many businesses now?
Some of the businesses from Shaw’s past include:
Painting of Flotkin’s 39th Street Super Market. Source: Remember Flotken’s Website
Vacant or Demolished
- 39th Street Lunch | 1716 S. 39th (demolished)
- Flotkin’s 39th Street Super Market | 1801 S. 39th (demolished)
- Liederkranz Club | 2163 S. Grand (demolished)
- Link Drugs | 4068 Shenandoah (demolished, now Dorothy Park)
- Permenter Tavern | 3901 Castleman (demolished)
- Shaw Theater | 3901 Shaw (vacant, ready for new business)
- Wheeler and Robinson Cleaners | 4001 Shenandoah (demolished)
- Woolworth’s Department Store | 1717-25 S. 39th (demolished)
Current Shaw business, Ice’s Plain and Fancy. Source: Ice’s Plain and Fancy website
Current Shaw Business or Private Residence
- Andy’s Handy Store & Whitey’s Tavern | 2256 S. 39th (now Ice’s Plain and Fancy Nitro Ice Cream Parlor)
- Clara Watkins Beauty Shop | 4101 Shenandoah (now Birth of a Star Salon)
- Cook’s Supermarket | 4065 Shaw (now Sasha’s on Shaw)
- Duchess Cleaners | 4100 Shenandoah (now Restituo Café)
- Fred’s Bar | 2019 S. 39th (now Cornerstone Center for Early Learning)
- Junge’s BBQ and Malt Shop | 4067 Shenandoah (now Pinxit Photo)
- Kroger Grocery | 4107 Shenandoah (now private residence)
- Lester’s Music Store and Studio | 2006-8 S. 39th (now Community Acupuncture and Uhuru Salon)
- Missouri Pacific Hospital | 1755 S. Grand (now SLU Care)
- Patrick’s Variety Store | 4069 Shenandoah (now Thurman Grill)
- Shaw Super Confectionary | 4000 Shaw (now Mama Josephine’s)
Jensen often posts about Shaw-related history. Check out her website https://sherlockhomesstl.wordpress.com/.
We would love to hear any memories you have of these businesses, see photos, or receive suggestions for the map. Send them our way via the Comments section or email us at snia@shawstlouis.org.
My grandpa was on a committee to prevent 44 from being built; it’s a shame it didn’t work. This is a great and interesting project.
Katie, I think I might have a few articles about the committee. I’ll have to dig them up and do a post about it. Thanks for commenting!
One must remember that a lot of people had 1 car or none. One walked to the stores.
Do you have information on Howard’s Beauty Salon on 39th Street (I think)? My Grandma used to get her hair cut there. Can you verify it was on 39th.
We lived at 4253a Botanical Ave for 20 years from childhood to 20 years old. Remember watching th Climatron being built and having school picnics at the Highlands.
Was down on Shenandoah and Thurman to shop and walked to Sherman School on Flad. Remember on west side of Thurman from Botanical to Shenandoah:
Shoe Repair, Wolfs Bakery. east side: Henry’s Market
Shenandoah west of Thurman: Confectionery
Shenandoah east of Thurman: Kroger’s, Tavern, Cleaners.
Also small confectionary by alley on Klein north of Shenandoah
Anyone remember Kirchner’s, a little grocery store at 39th St. and Russell from about 1955 to 1962?
What happened to Luken’s Drug Store at the corner of Shenandoah and Thurman? And to Wolf’s Bakery on Thurman? And what happened to the Arabic-speaking family that ran the Kroger Store at 4107 Shenandoah in the 80s?
Flotkins was replaced with a doctors office. Dr. Hall was a physician. And then the theatre replaced the doctors office.
39th & Folsom was a drug store.
39th & Mcree was a velvet freeze
Mascara’s Restaurant and Ragsdale Beauty Salon was on 39th St also.
I grew up on Castleman. I remember that Velvet Freeze.
What is the history of the Radine’s Department Store located on S 39th Street off Shaw Blvd in St Louis, MO?
Also the Lester Music Store on S 39th street & Castleman in St Louis, Mo?
Thank you, I grew up at 3945 Castleman and went to Sherman Elementary School & Roosevelt High School!
Bonnie Radford
b.radford@hotmail.com
I don’t have any history on Radine’s Dept Store, as I was 4&5 years old when we lived across the street above the bakery. My recollection is a more personal one. My schoolmate & first girlfriend, Patty Mchugh, lived above the store with her rather large family. Her father was the store’s manager. I remember at the age of four waiting for a stranger to take my hand to cross 39th St. to go see Patty.
I grew up on Castleman too. I went to Mullanphy and then we moved to Spanish Lake (my junior high years). My aunt Lisa went to Roosevelt. Actually both my uncle’s and another aunt went to Roosevelt too.
My sister used to work at Ehnes bakery on 39th street. We lived on Flora. All three children went to St. Margaret of Scotland. I remember when the new school was built. Walked up the alley to go to the Shenandoah theater. There was a used car dealer near where Flad intersects with Grand. It was called Clink’s. My father called it Clink’s Clunkers. Used to go to Blue Ridge Bottling on special occasions. A regular Friday night out with my family was at Sala’s. I have one of their menus laminated.
I discovered this site while researching why 39th street is called 39th street. The street before is Spring, and the street after is Thurman. Any ideas?
I grew up on DeTonty street, went to St. Margaret of Scotland (Class of 61). Great memories