Finding Community

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by Michael Levinson

I walked into the Washington Ave Post last week excited about a
Sparkling Strawberry Lemon Drop Italian Soda. After the air-conditioning
hit me, the first thing I noticed was the original art on the walls,
framed by dark wooden furniture, an eighteen-foot ceiling, and a set of
decorative brass post office boxes. Almost immediately I heard a
friendly voice, 'Michael, it's nice to see you again! What can I get you??

The Wash. Ave Post a locally owned business that is part coffee shop,
part business resource center, part post office, and all fun. It's the
only place I know where you can print out your email, notarize and ship
it; all while enjoying a frozen coffee drink. But the best part of the
Washington Ave Post isn't their 15 unique Italian soda creations, or
even the great mix of services they offer. It's the warm sensation you
get from walking into a room and feeling like you?ve come home.

At BUILD St. Louis we talk to hundreds of residents each month about the
benefits of shopping at locally owned, independent businesses. We
explain how money spent at local independents result in 2-3 times the
community reinvestment as compared to the same dollars spent at chains.
We point out that independents offer unique products and have an
atmosphere all their own. Because the owners of independents are St.
Louis residents and depend on St. Louis customers, we tell people, they
have a vested interest in our neighborhoods. But time and again, when we
ask people why they shop at independents, we get the same answer ?
community.

What is this intangible good that we crave, and how does is come about
at local businesses? After spending some time at independent stores all
around Saint Louis, I realized there is a hidden partnership operating.
A sort of unspoken collaboration between indy businesses and their
customers. On the one hand, local business owners are committed to
providing an authentic sense of place, a space where relationships form
and local culture is created. In return, we the customers come to these
businesses with something more than a shopping list in hand. In addition
to looking for products and services, we come ready to have fun and
build community.

And so friends sip coffee and enjoy a game of clue at Shuggah's on
Shenandoah. Students discuss surrealism and get a hard to find book
recommended to them by Javier at Subterranean Books in the Loop. A
father and son walk into Scheidt Hardware in Maplewood and learn how to
strip a cabinet. A thousand of the organic interactions weave together
every day at local independents, enriching and revitalizing our city.

BUILD St. Louis would like to invite you to be a part of this
partnership. Send us an email at info@buildstlouis.org
to get information on becoming a community member. For $25, we?ll get you
discounts at great Saint Louis independents, keep you in the know about
events going on at local independents each month, and work with you to
keep our neighborhoods vibrant. Together, we can use our dollars to
mobilize the positive elements of local capitalism, autonomy,
creativity, innovation, and sustainability, to build a better community
for us all. We hope you join us.