halfway to everywhere…
This thriving, centrally-located district stretches nearly a mile along Manchester Avenue between Kingshighway and Vandeventer. It hosts a diverse range of over 50 businesses offering great places to eat and drink, a multitude of dance floors, spots to shop and grab coffee, a brewery, tattoo parlors and several organizations devoted to improving the vitality of the area.
The Grove, known as the Manchester Strip in the late 19th century, was developed as a retail drag to serve the working-class population of Forest Park Southeast. Dubbed Adam’s Grove in the 1950s, it served as a bustling commercial district for the entire city. The strip then experienced a decline until the LGBTQ+ community led a wave of investment in the area, beginning with Attitudes Night Club that opened in the 1980s, helping to transform it into the premier entertainment district that it is today. Built on the ideals of acceptance, the neighborhood grew into an eclectic mix of businesses, residents and guests. Other community members took up the mantle and committed to filling one vacant storefront at a time and today the area is a thriving, diverse and vibrant neighborhood. “The Grove” name was coined to support the re-brand effort so the area could begin anew.
In 2009, The Grove Community Improvement District (CID) was formed for the purposes of supporting the businesses, beautifying the neighborhood, and most importantly improving safety for its visitors and businesses.
Today, you can enjoy a full day of activities from a haircut and bar games in the afternoon, dinner followed by drinks, a show or live music, dancing at a nightclub and then even stay over at a friend’s - all within walking distance. In fact, you don’t even need to go inside to experience the artistic vibe of the area with the largest neighborhood-wide collection of street art in St. Louis.
Enjoy the vibrancy of the expanding neighborhood and visit us in The Grove!
Home page image by Irena Hulse
Neighborhood image by Christopher Taber