Maplewood Missouri is a Booming Entertainment and Arts District

I live in Maplewood, Missouri. While other parts of the city of St. Louis have experienced the closing of a number of nightclubs, restaurants, and other local attractions, Maplewood has been steadily growing. Maplewood sits right west of the city proper. Here there are new restaurants, nightclubs, a wine shop, and a spice store that have all sprung up over the past couple of years.

For the longest time the Maplewood neighborhood was in decline just like the rest of St. Louis. Then the old K Mart was torn down and replaced by a brand new, gleaming Shop and Save. The second big boy to come to the Maplewood "strip" along Manchester Road was Schlafly Brewing. The brewery began as the St. Louis Brewing Company in downtown St. Louis back in 1991. They offer a wide range of craft beers and seasonal beers. They are the second largest brewery in St. Louis next to Anheuser Busch.

I've met Schlafly's owner, Tom, several times. He is an interesting blend of brew master and minister. Each year, the brewery sponsors several tours and beer tastings as well as a local art fair. The art fair has grown to become the second largest in the St. Louis area. The brewery started the fair when Anheuser Bush got them kicked out of the larger St. Louis Art Fair in Clayton.

The brewery also has a first class restaurant featuring many natural and organic dishes including a bison burger that is really good. Their garlic mashed potatoes are some of the best in the city as well as their beer battered fish.

Maplewood now has several art galleries as well as an old fashioned hardware store and a spice shop. Vom Fass is a unique little store that I wrote an article about after it first opened a few months ago. The store originated in Germany and features quality olive oil stored in barrels as well as a select assortment of single malt scotches and wines.

You can sample the selections of olive oil and scotches at any time. And they have free wine tastings a couple of times a month. What's unique about Vom Fass is that you can purchase one of several decorative glass bottles and fill it with olive oil. When it's empty you just bring it back and refill it from one of the barrels.

Maplewood also has several restaurants that run the gamut from fast casual to elegant. Monarch features a menu with a world flair and lots of good jazz on the weekends. There's also a restaurant and nightclub named Boogaloo with some very odd seating arrangements. The patrons all sit on swings that are suspended from the ceiling. Right next door to Boogaloo is Penzey's Spice Shop. It a gastronome's delight. They feature spices from all around the world and it's all very reasonably priced. One whiff and you'll be hooked for life.

Right around the corner on Sutton is Maya Cafe, a Latin American restaurant with a boat bar docked out back. They have some great food and their margaritas are the best in town.

If it's entertainment you're looking for, a couple of my favorite places are Jumpin' Jupiter and the local music venue Focal Point. According to the Riverfront Times: "Jumpin is sort of a "neo supper club" with a Las Vegas style to it." To me it's a lot more fun than the piano bar that used to occupy this location.

Focal Point is a great little intimate concert venue where most of the folk and progressive bands play. The theater features church seats and since it's right next to the Maya Cafe, you can grab yourself a drink at the bar right before the concert begins. Where else can you see a Leon Redbone type picking old blues songs to groups playing pagan music.

Maplewood also has the only second floor bowling alley left in the country. But don't expect to bowl there anytime soon, it's booked solid for at least the next year.

These are some of my favorite places in Maplewood and I visit them often. If you're ever in St. Louis, make the slight trip west and discover Maplewood, a fun place to live and visit.

Source: http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2011/03/the_jumpin_jupiter_maplewood_missouri_burlesque_las_vegas_jim_callahan_st_louis_hours_website.php