Unbound Edition - From Stale to Style: Reinventing St. Louis

The very first cocktail party was hosted by the Walshes in St. Louis in 1917. So, why not reinvent the city around the cocktail party? Empower the various neighborhoods around the city to create a signature cocktail and serve it only in that neighborhood’s restaurants and bars. Host benefits that emulate the style and cocktails of the era in which the cocktail party was invented. Infuse style and class back into the city

The notion of “old is new” is evident in the resurgence of classic designs in fashion, dress codes for bowling and the preference of boutique and specialty stores over big box retailers. Now is the perfect time for St. Louis to capitalize on these trends.

On a humorous note, guess who purchased the Walshes’ mansion and has been residing in it since 1924? The Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis. Fitting.

Didn't see the article
written by stl'er, October 09, 2007 11:44 AM

I didn't see the Inc. article, but I did see a very similar Fast Company article. Do you have a link to the Inc. article?

You make some interesting points, but I can assure you we have more going for us than the first cocktail party. For instance, depending on who you ask, we're the most dangerous city in U.S. Perhaps we could reinvent ourselves around that.

Seriously, though. I'm not sure the Fast Co. article paints an entirely accurate picture. Sure, we've been hemorrhaging corporate headquarters for decades. And we desperately need more modern industries besides our biotech sector. The business climate is less than ideal.

But the lack of character or "weirdness" described in the Fast Co. article is nonsense. The writer didn't look very hard (in fact, according to Fast Co.'s editor the writer never actually visited the city).

blah blah blah
written by josemocha, October 09, 2007 03:27 PM

when st louis quits defending its failures and starts getting serious about reinvention, call me. otherwise, it's a dead horse in a race that's been called long ago. the truth is, st louis is dying because of outdated attitudes to community issues, business, government and the need for change. show me? ha! that's not how the world works any more. show US st. louis is worth something. right now, it is America's curmudgeon. The LONG list of "firsts" that once defined st. louis is complemented by an equally long list of "and lost it to others."

who's the curmudgeon here?
written by stan the man, October 10, 2007 02:15 PM

Get over yourselves. Some people like St. Louis. Of course it has its shortcomings, like most major cities, but it's not the hellhole you people all want to think it is. Where do you all live? Monte Carlo?

...
written by Pierre, October 10, 2007 02:29 PM

You tell em, Stan!

Sure, St. Louis may be a little behind the times compared to the more U.S. progressive cities, but it has many great qualities - qualities that are worth more than a cocktail party.

Seriously....
written by Archie, October 10, 2007 10:51 PM

So let's forget about the heritage - Lewis & Clark, Gateway to the West, etc. St. Louis should base itself on the cocktail party. Wow, a certain local brewer would probably not love this idea. St. Louis has too much to offer to limit it in that way. Like Stan the Man said, St. Louis is NOT a hellhole that people make it out to be. There is much to offer, but you have to try a bit harder to find what you like. Sure, a New Yorker may not think much of the city. And the downtown has almost died in the last couple of decades but is experience some residential regrowth. But reinventing the city around the cocktail party is not going to draw businesses to the region. It is a lot more complicated than that. There needs to be a strategy in place beyond a campaign (see the RCGA). There is no quick fix to growing the city. People need to think more broadly (and long term) before settling a gimmick or single campaign to solve the city's problems. But I do think that this is the type of brainstorm that could bring about interesting ideas and thank Kristen for addressing it.