ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – South Kingshighway is experiencing a revival after decades of decline, with local investors pouring tens of millions of dollars into restoring the historic corridor that once served as a retail and dining hub for St. Louis.
It was one of the first roads in the region, widened to meet automobile demands, and with dense, walkable neighborhoods around it, Kingshighway became a center for retail and food, most notably the old Famous-Barr. But as trends changed and owners moved on, the corridor was allowed to deteriorate for decades.
That deterioration is now reversing, particularly in the South Hampton area, where local investment is bringing new businesses and residents to one of the city’s most critical thoroughfares.
Long-time businesses witness transformation
Kim Roberson has operated Tom Flight Barbershop at the corner of Beck and South Kingshighway for more than 25 years, giving fades, blow-outs, and trims to neighborhood customers.
“Anybody who sits in my chair is famous to me,” Roberson said. “Everyone is a celebrity. They come here to look good and feel good.”
Customer Levelle Roberts, who lives in South Town, has been coming to the shop since childhood.
“He’s fast, pretty good at everything he does. I’ve been coming here since my mom and her husband would bring me as a kid,” Roberts said.
Roberson said he has watched the stretch of Kingshighway transform in recent years with new neighbors and new businesses moving in.
“It was like vacant across the street. Lots of buildings, hit and miss. When the Garcias came in, they put life into it and are still doing it,” Roberson said.
Garcia Properties leads investment effort
Berto Garcia of Garcia Properties said the investment starts with respect for St. Louis’ history.
“This is a good example, this is Fama. She’s been on the block. She’s amazing,” Garcia shared. “We gave her the opportunity to stay on the block. She’s down the block and runs her business out of there.”
Garcia Properties has acquired 10 of the 11 buildings along the 3800 and 3700 blocks of South Kingshighway, investing tens of millions of dollars.
“We do utilize historic state and federal tax credits. And this district here is a historic district. Those credits allow us to go back and redo the terracotta, redo the brick, keep the storefronts original, update the systems from the roof down to the lines going out of the building for sewer and water,” Garcia said. “We do all the trim work, all the mill work.”
One recent example is the historic Kingsway Building, built in 1929 and now home to 30 apartments.
“For too long these buildings were used to extract resources and I think that needs to change right, these buildings need to be here to serve the community,” Garcia said.
Historic retail hub seeks comeback
In the 1950s, this stretch of South City was a neighborhood shopping hub. The crown jewel was the Southtown Famous-Barr on South Kingshighway, a modern department store that opened in 1951 with expansive parking and dining, built for an era when getting there meant driving.
“This was the business district a long, long time ago. So these people would live and walk to jewelry stores, Famous-Barr. This was one of the most densely populated areas — and still is,” said former Alderman Joseph Vollmer.
Vollmer said the area began to slide when those anchor businesses disappeared.
“A downswing started about 20 years ago. Once the Famous closed, it put a blight on this area. The old Avalon Theater that used to be behind us gave this feeling of decay,” Vollmer said.
The problem was longtime residents aging out, the next generation not moving in, and absentee ownership accelerating the decline.
But he said that’s changing as national mall culture fades and people look back to walkable neighborhoods.
“Now what’s happening, all the malls are closing. They are realizing in an urban area, where you can walk and live, is much better than driving out to all these things,” Vollmer said.
Local investment makes the difference
Vollmer said what’s happening in South Hampton is different because local investors like the Garcias are putting real money back into the neighborhood.
“The people I know who are investing in it — these are proven commodities. They live in the area, they invest in the area, and they’ve been doing it for years. They see what can be done,” Vollmer said.
National chains are taking notice. Scooter’s Coffee opened a new location a few blocks down the street.
“There are a lot of people that live here. There are a lot of businesses,” said Robert Gatewood, manager of Scooter’s Coffee. “Scooters does, when they come into an area, they do a lot of research. They walk and they talk to people and they see, make sure people want us to be here.”
Longtime St. Louis restaurants like Crusoe’s Legacy have relocated to the area, drawn by renewed foot traffic and growing demand.
“I just always felt at home here. I really liked the traffic flow from Kingshighway,” said Stevie LaChance, owner of Crusoe’s Legacy. “I think anywhere that they’re putting money and time into is obviously going to be successful.”
The latest project for Garcia Properties is a total makeover for one of St. Louis’ biggest food icons: Uncle Bill’s Pancake House.
“I don’t think it’s any one big thing. I think you look at each property and what’s its highest and best use. How can this property help the people around it? What do they need?” Garcia said.
Roberson said he’s glad the crowds are coming back, hoping people will stop by for breakfast, do some shopping and maybe even get a haircut.
“See for yourself. Sometimes you hear stuff and don’t like what you hear, but if you experience it yourself, you learn how things are going,” Roberson said.
Safety improvements underway
The changes aren’t just about new businesses. Kingshighway is undergoing a major resurfacing as part of a city effort to improve safety along one of its most dangerous corridors.
A crash study found more than 5,000 incidents in just four years.
The ARPA-funded project is expected to be finished later this year.
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