Ten years ago, two brothers—Justin Harris and Ryan Griffin opened a little beer shop called Saint Louis Hop Shop on Cherokee Street with a fridge full of ambition and a lot of love for their city. No flashy gimmicks. No big distributor dollars. Just the belief that good beer, good people, and good times could actually build something lasting.
Saint Louis Hop Shop quickly became more than a bottle shop. It became the spot. The one you brought your out-of-town cousin to. The place where you discovered your first wild-fermented saison. Where you stumbled into a pop-up art show or a shrimp boil and accidentally stayed all night. It was the beer store that felt like home—even if you didn’t know anyone when you walked in.
All of that, is exactly how I enjoyed the Hop Shop. But now, the doors are closed.
After a decade of grinding, adapting, and creating one of the most welcoming corners of the St. Louis beer scene, Hop Shop has hit a financial wall. Rising costs, limited margins, and the long tail of pandemic-era challenges have finally caught up. They’re not giving up—but they need help.
This isn’t just a story about beer
It’s about what happens when you build something for a community, and that community refuses to let it go.
Because the Hop Shop was always more than cans and taps. It was a platform—for local brewers, visual artists, DJs, chefs, makers. It was a place where Black-owned brands got shelf space, where indie brewers tried weird stuff before it blew up, and where the people pouring your beer actually remembered your name.
Events? Forget it. Hop Shop threw some of the best in town. Flight nights, Bell’s tastings, Rockwell takeovers, and I’m still full from their shrimp boils that flirted with food nirvana. They knew how to mix a beer event with a cultural moment. Cherokee Street had a heartbeat, and more often than not, it was pumping out of 2606 and then 2600.
Now it’s our turn
They’re working to raise funds and reopen. And yes, there’s a donation link. But if that’s not in the cards, there are still ways to help:
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💬 Leave a review. A few kind words go a long way.
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📸 Share your favorite memory or photo from the Hop Shop. Tag @STLHopShop and use #SaveHopShop.
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🗣️ Tell someone. Someone who’s never been, or someone who forgot how much they loved the place.
Because when the Hop Shop comes back—and it will come back—we’re going to need everyone to show up. Not just to buy beer. But to remind this city what it looks like when community saves its own.
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