MacroSun Kicks Off Delmar Loop Expansion
-- Mayor
Slay, Joe Edwards, Kiku Obata, Tibetan Lama Lobsang,
Persian Setar Musician, Himalayan Yak at Upcoming Ribbon Cutting --
-- Major
Shipment of Asian Goods to Be Uncrated at MacroSun that Weekend --
MacroSun
International and developer Joe Edwards have announced that the grand
opening of the historic property at 6172 Delmar is scheduled for 1:00
p.m. Saturday, May 10. Festivities marking MacroSun's move and The
Loop's unprecedented expansion eastward in the City of St. Louis will
feature St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, designer Kiku Obata, Tibetan
Lama Lobsang Palden and celebrated Persian musician Farshid Soltanshahi-plus
a baby Himalayan yak, suitable for petting by children of all ages.
"Our
May 10 event will celebrate The Loop's expansion eastward," said
developer Joe Edwards. "It's no longer just a dream. With well-known
St. Louis establishments like MacroSun leading the way, the new district
is becoming a reality."
On May
10, Mayor Francis Slay and 28th Ward Alderman Lyda Krewson are slated
to lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with Edwards, Obata and
others. Prominent healthcare practitioner and Tibetan religious figure
Lama Lobsang-who specializes in Tibetan healing arts and meditation-is
scheduled to deliver a Buddhist blessing for the space, while musician
Soltanshahi-whose global fusion band Farshid Etniko has been singled
out for applause by the Post-Dispatch, the Riverfront Times and others-will
give a rare acoustic performance on the "setar," a traditional
Persian lute.
"This
will be a truly multicultural event marking the resurgence of an exciting
retail and entertainment district," said Gil Williams, owner
of MacroSun. "What we're seeing now is only the beginning."
Rehabbed
by Edwards, with interiors by award-winning designer Obata, construction
by Arco Construction and financing by Allegiant Bank, the building
across from The Pageant concert nightclub will anchor this burgeoning
St. Louis City neighborhood, widely hailed as a center for retail
and entertainment. Two of the building's storefronts are devoted to
MacroSun International, the popular Asian importer. The locale will
also be the new home for Big Shark Athletic Company, Bittersweet Botanicals
and Patrick Davis Communications. Arco and Obata are in charge of
reconstructing the 1912 building and its architectural features, following
federal and state guidelines for Historic District renovation designation
in the National Register of Historic Places.
MacroSun's
Grand Opening at its historic new location will coincide with the
uncrating of major new shipments from South Asia. Among the featured
pieces: summer vintage sari clothing from the holy city of Pushkar,
North India, sterling silver jewelry from Bali, and home décor
ranging from hand-carved garden statues to Asian masks, tapestries,
baskets and Tibetan prayer flags.
Since opening in 1991, MacroSun International has become a regional
hub of Asian culture, connecting St. Louis to Eastern religious and
political figures as well as to exotic silk clothing, sterling silver
jewelry, artisan crafts and fine arts from locales as varied as Nepal,
Tibet, Bali and India. Active in the international fair trade movement,
MacroSun focuses on treating overseas artisans with respect and fairness
while trading in Asian arts and crafts that reflect the beauty and
spirit of South Asia. MacroSun's new location in The Loop encompasses
two of four storefronts in the historic, renovated building at 6172
Delmar. The building houses the company's headquarters as well as
showrooms for interior design, jewel-toned fashions made in India
out of vintage silk sari brocade, antique Asian textiles, tapestries,
masks and sculpture direct from Kathmandu, Peshawar, Delhi, Ubud and
Saigon. MacroSun also boasts one of the area's largest collections
of handcrafted sterling silver jewelry. For more information, contact
MacroSun International at (314) 726-0222 or visit the website www.macrosun.com.
