Only Child Originals

Only Child Originals – 25-Time World Champion Footbag Player Creates One-of-a-Kind Jewelry in a Former Sausage Factory

At 176 North Main Street in the 1874 Oberle building—where famous Ste. Genevieve Oberle sausage was once made—artist Sam Conlon creates handmade jewelry, garden art, and recycled metal sculptures in a shop proving that a professional “Hacky Sack” champion, former San Francisco street performer, and Patagonia retail veteran can find her calling making one-of-a-kind earrings from beads and luminaries from reclaimed barn tin. Open Thursday through Sunday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Only Child Originals is a whole store of handmade (right here in this building!) goodies for your body, home, and garden—where beads of every color adorn the displays, custom jewelry matches hard-to-pair outfits, creative metal cutouts transform scrap roofing into whimsical garden décor, and a pleasant garden area with fish pond behind the shop invites browsing at the pace of small-town Ste. Genevieve rather than big-city San Francisco.

Sam Conlon: Third-Generation Artist Raising Fourth-Generation Artist

Only Child Originals exists because third-generation artist Sam Conlon passed through Ste. Genevieve nearly 25 years ago (around 2000), peered into a vacant downtown building, and saw beyond the dust and deterioration to envision transformation.

The Backstory:

Sam Conlon’s journey to 176 North Main Street is as unconventional as the jewelry she creates.

Born into a family of artists (third generation, now raising her own son as fourth generation), Sam made her way through life with innovative and unique jobs:

• Street performer in San Francisco – Entertaining crowds, honing performance skills
• Retail for Patagonia – Learning customer service and product quality standards
• Professional footbag (“Hacky Sack”) player – Not just casual park play, but competitive international level: 25-time World Champion and member of the Footbag Hall of Fame

That last credential deserves emphasis: Sam Conlon is a 25-time World Champion in footbag—the sport of keeping a small bean-filled bag aloft using feet, knees, and other body parts (no hands) while performing tricks, combinations, and freestyle routines. This isn’t weekend-hobby-level skill—this is elite international competition requiring years of dedicated practice, athletic ability, creativity, and performance presence.

The footbag championship background explains something essential about Sam’s approach to jewelry and art: she understands practice, refinement, improvisation, and the relationship between technical skill and creative expression.

The Ste. Genevieve Epiphany:

About 18 years ago (circa 2006-2007, though she moved to Ste. Gen. in 2000), Sam and a close friend took a road trip. Sam had never even heard of Ste. Genevieve before their brief stop.

But when she paused to peer into one of the vacant downtown buildings, something clicked. While others might have seen deterioration, Sam saw exposed brick, unique architectural features, and possibilities.

Without fully appreciating what she would actually sell, she bought her first building on that visit.

Only Child Originals was born.

What Makes It “Only Child”:

The shop name reflects Sam’s status as an only child—but also captures the one-of-a-kind, individual, unrepeatable nature of her jewelry. Each piece is singular, created for a specific person or occasion, never mass-produced.

The 1874 Oberle Building: From Sausage to Jewelry

Only Child Originals occupies the 1874 Oberle building at 176 North Main Street—historic structure where the famous Ste. Genevieve Oberle sausage was made.

The Building’s History:

Built in 1874, the Oberle building housed a German sausage-making operation that became locally famous. Ste. Genevieve’s German immigrant community (arriving around 1840, settling in communities like New Offenburg and Zell) brought brewing, craftsmanship, and meat-processing traditions. The Oberle sausage represented that culinary heritage—hand-crafted, traditional recipes, quality ingredients.

The building’s original industrial purpose (butchering, sausage-making, food processing) explains its sturdy construction, brick walls, and functional layout—all features Sam appreciated when she bought it.

Sam’s Historic Building Addiction:

Twenty-five years later, Sam owns three buildings in historic downtown Ste. Genevieve:

1. Only Child Originals (176 N. Main) – The 1874 Oberle building, her first purchase and flagship shop
2. Rust (across the street) – Shop selling luminaries, decorative shelving, and gorgeous tables made from reclaimed 100-year-old barn materials
3. Sadie – Brick building from the 1900s, filled in 2012 with materials from a 100-year-old barn Sam tore down with a friend, now functioning as her metalwork shop

Sam is the first to admit she’s a hard-working single mom who opened Only Child Originals “to support her addiction to beads and making jewelry” and Rust “to support her addiction to historic fixer-uppers.”

The proceeds from Rust go directly to restoration of all three historic buildings. Sam would be happy to show you the before-and-after video of her year-long labor-of-love (as well as sweat and a little blood) transforming these structures.

The Jewelry: One-of-a-Kind Originals

Only Child Originals primarily sells original jewelry—from everyday earrings to exquisite necklace sets.

The Philosophy:

Sam creates one-of-a-kind pieces. You won’t find identical inventory mass-produced in factories overseas. Each piece reflects:

• Individual design aesthetic
• Specific bead combinations
• Unique color palettes
• Particular wearer in mind

“Beads of every color adorn the displays!” describes the visual experience—cases, shelves, and surfaces filled with jewelry showcasing the full spectrum: deep blues, vibrant reds, soft pastels, metallics, earth tones, jewel tones, and unexpected combinations.

The Range:

Everyday Earrings: Simple, wearable, affordable pieces for daily wear—dangles, studs, hoops in colors and styles matching casual outfits, work attire, or weekend errands

Statement Pieces: Bold, dramatic jewelry making visual impact—larger earrings, chunky necklaces, multi-strand bracelets for special occasions or personal style expression

Exquisite Necklace Sets: Coordinated jewelry sets (necklace with matching earrings, sometimes bracelet) for formal events, gifts, or treating yourself to something special

Custom Work: “Bring in your hard-to-match outfits and we will create matching jewelry” isn’t just marketing—it’s genuine service. Sam will custom-design jewelry coordinating with specific clothing colors, patterns, or styles. Struggling to find the perfect accessory for that dress? Bring it in. Sam will match beads, create proportions, and design something complementing exactly what you’re wearing.

The Materials:

Sam works with:

• Glass beads – Including recycled glass (Sam makes art from recycled glass, extending sustainability to jewelry materials)
• Semi-precious stones – Natural gemstones in various cuts and colors
• Metal findings – Quality clasps, wires, chains, and connectors
• Unique components – Vintage beads, unusual materials, found objects integrated into designs

Beyond Jewelry: Body, Home, and Garden

While jewelry dominates, Only Child Originals expands to other handmade items.

For the Body: Beyond jewelry, some wearable art or accessories complementing Sam’s aesthetic

For the Home:

• Lighting – Luminaries and decorative lighting (some created in-shop, some from nearby Rust)
• Antiques – Select vintage pieces Sam has collected or rescued during building renovations
• Rustic artsy boho décor – Items fitting the aesthetic reviewers describe: reclaimed, artistic, bohemian, individualistic

For the Garden:

• Metal garden art – Creative metal cutouts made from scrap metal roofing and metal cans (artful reuse, recycled materials)
• Garden décor – Weatherproof pieces adding whimsy or beauty to outdoor spaces
• Sculptures – Small to medium installations

The Recycled Materials Obsession:

Sam’s “current obsession is art created from reclaimed materials”—extending beyond jewelry to garden art and home décor.

She transforms:

• Scrap metal roofing → Garden art cutouts
• Metal cans → Decorative sculptures
• Recycled glass → Jewelry and art pieces
• 100-year-old barn materials → Furniture and shelving (sold at Rust)

This isn’t greenwashing or trendy sustainability marketing—it’s genuine artistic practice rooted in seeing beauty and possibility in discarded materials, the same vision that saw potential in deteriorating historic buildings.

The Pleasant Garden with Fish Pond

Behind Only Child Originals, a pleasant garden area with fish pond offers unexpected downtown oasis.

The Experience:

After browsing jewelry inside the 1874 Oberle building, step out back to discover:

• Garden space – Planted area with flowers, greenery, and intentional landscaping
• Fish pond – Water feature with actual fish (koi or goldfish), creating sound and movement
• Seating – Places to sit, rest, contemplate purchases
• Garden art displays – Some of Sam’s metal sculptures in situ, showing how they look in actual garden settings

This garden serves multiple purposes:

• Breathing room – Escape from shopping into nature
• Living showroom – Demonstrating garden art in context
• Peaceful moment – Slowing down in small-town Ste. Genevieve pace
• Photo opportunity – Instagram-worthy backdrop of historic building, garden, pond

The North Main Street Art District Location

Only Child Originals anchors the North Main Street Art District—Ste. Genevieve’s creative quarter where progressive shops, artists’ studios, and maker spaces cluster around North Main and Washington Streets.

The Neighborhood: Little Bohemia

Nearby (within two blocks):

• Music Art Love (N. Main & Washington) – Studio, folk art, and antiques
• Rust (across street from Only Child) – Sam’s second shop with reclaimed barn furniture and luminaries
• Stella & Me Cafe (North Main Street) – Coffee, breakfast, lunch
• Masquerade on Main (183 N. Main) – Sam’s fourth business: costume rental and photography experience
• Modern Primitive Folk Art & Antiques (145 Washington, Historic Lincoln Schoolhouse)

The District Character:

North Main houses many of Ste. Genevieve’s progressive shops emphasizing:

• Recycling and reclaimed materials – Multiple merchants (including Sam) create art from “found objects” and recycled items
• Fair trade merchandise – Ethical sourcing and production
• Local artists – Showcasing regional talent
• Handmade goods – Rejecting mass production for artisan craftsmanship

Sam Conlon is mentioned specifically in tourism articles as exemplifying this ethos—offering handmade jewelry and art made from recycled glass alongside other North Main merchants who share similar values.

The Fourth Friday Art Walk

Only Child Originals participates in Ste. Genevieve’s Fourth Friday Art Walk—monthly evening event (held fourth Friday of each month) when galleries, shops, and studios stay open late with special exhibits, live music, refreshments, and artist demonstrations.

During Art Walks, visitors find “art by Sam Conlon and friends at Only Child Originals and Rust”—expanded displays, featured artists, and festive atmosphere transforming routine shopping into community art event.

The Broader Sam Conlon Empire

Beyond Only Child Originals, Sam operates:

Rust (across street) – Second shop opened to support her addiction to historic fixer-uppers, selling:

• Beautiful luminaries made from reclaimed barn materials
• Corrugated-tin lights created from recyclables in nearby metalwork shop Sadie
• Works by six local artists
• Gorgeous tables and decorative shelving from 100-year-old barn wood

Sadie – The metalwork shop where Sam creates her recycled metal art, named for the brick building from the 1900s filled with barn materials

Masquerade on Main (183 N. Main) – Opened to support Sam’s costume addiction, offering costume rental and photography experiences in unlimited costume options (bad ’80s prom, huntress, saloon girls, belly dancers, princesses, wizards, Victorian-era, mermaid, French Colonial, ghoulish attire)

Rust Airbnb (VRBO property #688108) – Apartment above Rust, year-long labor of love, located in heart of historic district for visitors wanting immersive downtown experience

Sam’s friend and business partner Shannon (who owns Beanik Cafe and Pastry, spent 22 years as professional gymnastics coach and aquatic director, has degrees in art, art history, sport exercise science, and sport behavior science) helps balance Sam’s art-and-life approach with daily necessities reminders.

Reviews and Recognition

Tripadvisor Review: “A lovely little shop with reasonably priced unique jewelry, lighting, some antiques and garden art. Gifts for girls or women or anyone who likes rustic artsy boho decor.”

The Appeal:

• Reasonably priced – Handmade doesn’t mean unaffordable
• Unique – One-of-a-kind pieces you won’t find elsewhere
• Diverse inventory – Jewelry, lighting, antiques, garden art
• Specific aesthetic – Rustic, artsy, boho—appeals to particular sensibility

Recognition: Sam Conlon is regularly mentioned in regional tourism articles highlighting Ste. Genevieve’s creative economy, sustainable business practices, and artistic community. Her journey from San Francisco street performer to 25-time World Champion footbag player to historic building restorer and jewelry artist embodies the unconventional paths creative people take.

Why “There Is Never Enough Bling”

Only Child Originals embraces the philosophy that “there is never enough bling”—joyful celebration of adornment, color, sparkle, and self-expression.

This isn’t apologetic or restrained jewelry making. Sam creates pieces that:

• Catch light
• Draw attention
• Express personality
• Make people smile
• Celebrate individuality

In a world of minimalist trends and understated accessories, Only Child Originals offers permission to embrace color, pattern, and visual interest—to be the only child who doesn’t follow the crowd.

Practical Information

Name: Only Child Originals

Owner/Artist: Sam Conlon (third-generation artist, 25-time World Champion footbag player, Footbag Hall of Fame member)

Address: 176 N. Main Street, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

Phone: (573) 535-9056

Hours:

• Thursday through Sunday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Monday through Wednesday: Closed

Building: 1874 Oberle building (where famous Ste. Genevieve Oberle sausage was made)

Specialties:

• Artisan jewelry (one-of-a-kind pieces)
• Metal art and garden décor
• Handmade goods for body, home, and garden

Services:

• Custom jewelry design (bring hard-to-match outfits for coordinating pieces)
• Made on-site in this building
• Recycled and reclaimed materials

Additional Features:

• Pleasant garden area with fish pond behind shop
• Beads of every color on display
• From everyday earrings to exquisite necklace sets
• Lighting, antiques, and rustic artsy boho décor

Payment: Accepts credit cards

Related Businesses (Sam Conlon):

• Rust – Across street, reclaimed barn furniture and luminaries
• Masquerade on Main (183 N. Main) – Costume rental and photography
• Rust Airbnb (VRBO #688108) – Historic downtown lodging

Location: North Main Street Art District (heart of Ste. Genevieve’s creative quarter)

Events: Participates in Fourth Friday Art Walk (monthly, extended hours, special exhibits)

Building the Visit Into Your Itinerary

Artisan Shopping Circuit: Morning: Sassafras Creek Originals (Early American handcrafts), ASL Pewter (watch pewter-making) Afternoon: North Main Art District walk—Only Child Originals (jewelry and garden art), Music Art Love (folk art), Rust (barn wood furniture), Masquerade on Main (costume photos)

Downtown Stroll: Coffee at Stella & Me or Birdie’s, browse Only Child Originals, walk to garden with fish pond, continue to Silver Sycamore Gallery, lunch at downtown restaurant, afternoon historic house tours

Gift Shopping Day: Target specific gifts using Sam’s custom jewelry service—bring photos of recipients’ style, let Sam design coordinating pieces

Fourth Friday Art Walk: Evening event (fourth Friday monthly)—start at Only Child Originals/Rust for Sam’s art, walk entire North Main/downtown route with live music, exhibits, refreshments

Romantic Getaway: Book Rust Airbnb (VRBO #688108), shop Only Child Originals for jewelry gift, dinner downtown, costume photo session at Masquerade on Main

Where a World Champion Found Her Calling

Only Child Originals proves that sometimes the most interesting shops have the most interesting owners, that 25-time World Champion footbag players can become jewelry artists and historic building restorers, that former sausage factories make perfect studios for creating one-of-a-kind earrings, that “there is never enough bling,” and that when third-generation artists raise fourth-generation artists in small Missouri river towns, they create spaces celebrating individuality, sustainability, and the beauty of reclaimed materials.

Browse beads of every color. Commission custom jewelry matching impossible-to-accessorize outfits. Discover garden art made from recycled metal roofing. Sit by the fish pond behind the 1874 Oberle building. Meet Sam Conlon—street performer, Patagonia veteran, Footbag Hall of Fame member, single mom, historic building rescuer, and artist who saw possibilities where others saw dust.

At 176 North Main Street—where Oberle sausage once filled casings, where Only Child Originals now fills display cases with handmade jewelry, where one woman’s journey from San Francisco to Ste. Genevieve created a shop as unique as the pieces she makes.

Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 to 5:00. Come in and get your bling.