Ever since IKEA opened just southwest of the St. Louis University campus and the Cortex complex, the area from Vandeventer, west to the BJC campus has been percolating with excitement as new buildings go up and new businesses move in. Today we got more good news.
St. Louis based Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company is expanding with two new locations. The first St. Louis location to open will be inside the historic Gerhart building at the corner of Laclede and Vandeventer, next to St. Louis University and the Cortex. The second will be at the Mid Campus Center (MCC) building, located at 4590 Children’s Place, which is currently under construction on Washington University’s Medical School campus.
The area isn’t new to Kaldi’s as the company’s roastery is located just blocks away from the Gerhart location.
“With IKEA going in, and SLU right across the street, we saw the potential for this location,” said Kaldi’s owner Tricia Zimmer-Ferguson.
The cafe is just one part of a rehabilitation of the Gehart, with other retail expected to open on the ground floor with lofts available above.
‘The building itself dates to 1897 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Expect to see some classic architecture and details mixed in with some new modern touches” adds Zimmer-Ferguson.
