Tag: Downtown

Music Art Love – Where ChrisAlex Created a Gallery/Boutique/Venue/Living Room That Refuses to Fit Any Single Category At 137 North Main Street, ChrisAlex (Christine Alexander) has created something that defies conventional retail categorization—part art gallery featuring her signature GuitArt (mixed media collages on salvaged guitars), part boutique selling clothing and home décor, part music venue hosting open mics and concerts, part community living room where you can play house instruments, challenge someone to chess, bring in wine from neighboring establishments, read inspirational books, or just sit and absorb the eclectic creative energy. There’s a kids’ nook so families can browse while children stay entertained. Monthly events include open mic nights (welcoming musicians, poets, stand-up comedians, and all creative expression), music showcases, trivia nights, movie nights with personal introductions from ChrisAlex, art exhibits, presentations, and classes in art, acting, exercise, and improv. Founded in 2020, Music Art Love represents ChrisAlex’s vision of what a creative space can become when you reject the rigid boundaries between gallery, retail shop, performance venue, and community gathering place—creating instead a fluid, welcoming environment where visitors become participants, where browsing transforms into playing instruments or games, and where the line between performer and audience dissolves during Read more…

The Old Brick At 90 South 3rd Street in downtown Ste. Genevieve stands The Old Brick—the oldest brick building west of the Mississippi River, erected in 1780 by John Price, a local merchant and ferry boat operator, its bricks reputedly brought as ballast on boats from France and still bearing plaster evidence of centuries past. This historic structure once served as courthouse, school, and fur trading post before becoming restaurant destination famous for fried chicken, hand-pattied burgers never frozen, and liver dumplings—now under new ownership by Stephanie Gadell and Cade Marceaux, the same couple who operate the Anvil Saloon & Restaurant. The reimagined Old Brick maintains what made it legendary while bringing fresh direction: fresh buffet service from open to close, hand-cut chicken breast prepared in-house, scratch-made burgers, full bar, Thursday-Monday operations (Tuesday-Wednesday closed), and simplified yet substantial menu honoring the building’s generations of hospitality. As one regular testified: “Amazing history. Over 240 years old and still running! Wonderful buffet and great food!” 1780: The Oldest Brick Building West of the Mississippi The Old Brick carries distinction unmatched by nearly any American restaurant: housing the oldest brick structure west of the Mississippi River. John Price, a Kentuckian merchant and ferry Read more…

Oliver’s Restaurant – Where Handmade Pasta Meets Hometown Heart Tucked away in the heart of historic Ste. Genevieve, Oliver’s Restaurant has quietly become something of a pilgrimage site for those who understand that truly great pasta isn’t mass-produced or pulled from a box—it’s crafted by hand, with patience, skill, and an uncompromising dedication to quality. This cozy little spot may not announce itself with flashy signage or pretentious ambiance, but what it lacks in size and fanfare, it more than makes up for in flavor, creativity, and genuine passion for the craft of pasta-making. A Passion for Pasta: The Foundation of Everything At Oliver’s, every dish starts with one thing: a passion for pasta. Not the dried stuff that sits on grocery store shelves for months, but real, honest-to-goodness fresh pasta made the old-fashioned way—by hand, every single morning. Before the restaurant opens, before the first customer walks through the door, the team at Oliver’s is already hard at work rolling, cutting, and shaping pasta dough. This isn’t a show put on for diners or a gimmick to justify higher prices. It’s simply how they believe pasta should be made—with hands, with time, with attention to texture and consistency. The Read more…

Quintessential Rivertown Spice & Tea At 195 Market Street in downtown Sainte Geneviève, Quintessential Rivertown Spice & Tea occupies an 1811 historic home lovingly converted into a tasting lounge, gift shop, and lunch destination where over 75 tea varieties are brewed at precisely the correct temperature using thermometers ensuring each variety reaches its optimal extraction point—because green tea scorched at boiling turns bitter, black tea steeped too cool tastes flat, oolongs demand specific ranges, and the difference between mediocre and exceptional tea comes down to temperature precision most cafés ignore. This is where proper afternoon tea meets serious spice appreciation: dainty sandwiches with crusts trimmed, finger foods arranged on tiered serving platters, expertly baked scones with clotted cream and preserves, and over 100 specialty spices (organic, wildcrafted, kosher options) creating sensory experience impossible in supermarket aisles. Open Wednesday-Friday 11 AM-2:30 PM and Saturday-Sunday 11 AM-5 PM, Quintessential Rivertown manifests Sainte Geneviève’s slower pace, appreciation for craft, and commitment to doing things properly in cups of perfectly brewed tea and plates of beautifully presented food. As one regular testifies: “Finally, a place where tea is treated with the respect it deserves—proper temperatures, real varieties, and service that understands what afternoon tea Read more…

Ralston Fine Jewelry – Gail Ralston Carries Forward Six Decades of Jewelry Legacy  At 272 Merchant Street, the same downtown storefront that’s served Sainte Geneviève’s jewelry needs since 1958, Gail M. Ralston maintains a tradition of personalized service, expert craftsmanship, and connection to life’s milestone moments that spans three ownership periods and six decades of community trust. The building’s history tells the story: Harry “Quinton” Klaus ran the business from 1958 until Tom and Sue Steiger bought it in 1975 (Tom had started by buying “two little dogs” from Klaus for a girl he knew in school, then wound up caring for Klaus’ horses and eventually working for him after learning watch repair and jewelry work in Quincy, Illinois). The Steigers operated for 40 years—from Gerald Ford’s presidency and Bob Gibson’s final Cardinals season through the digital age—building reputation as full-service jewelers offering batteries, watches, engraving, diamonds in every size and shape, custom ring and pendant design, and diamond upgrades. When the Steigers sold in 2021, Gail Ralston assumed ownership, rebranding as Ralston Fine Jewelry while preserving the essential character that locals have relied on for generations: thoughtful jewelry selection ranging from fine pieces to costume jewelry, well-known collectible lines Read more…